I figured this out. Modern music becomes “just noise” as people lose the top range of their hearing and the lyrics become unintelligible, not because they are but because we can no longer hear them clearly. Likewise, we look fondly on our youth not because those days were any better but because we were less critical and our bodies didn’t hurt all the time or let us down when we wanted to do something.
Wasn’t the avant-garde movement 50 years ago the hippy, flower power movement of Haight Ashbury, Woodstock, Carnaby Street, Beatlemania, and Easy Rider fame? That snowman looks more like Will Geer, Grandpa Walton, from 80 years ago.
When my son was in high school, he wrote a report about a visit to a local art museum. His theme was that so much of “art” is really untalented nonsense that’s called “avant-garde.” His report included this strip as well as others from C&H that ridicule the art form and the artists. He got an A+ and special commendation.
Watterson also talks about this in some of his books.
Everything is avant-garde as long as someone “cool” says it is. Nothing is avant-garde unless someone “cool” says it is. No one who is really “cool” says anything is “avant-garde”.
People who do art or fashion “ironically” are saying “I’m doing this because I think it looks awful and I’m embracing my bad taste”. If they’re right, they should be avoided because of bad design. If they’re wrong, they should be avoided because they have no design sense.
dadthedawg Premium Member almost 3 years ago
Too many big words for me…..
The Calvinosaurus That Calvin Wanted To Discover almost 3 years ago
Scamming people before it was cool. Now that’s avant-garde.
BE THIS GUY almost 3 years ago
Irony is dead.
codycab almost 3 years ago
Still not as ironic as Calvin working hard on something and NOT passing school.
Templo S.U.D. almost 3 years ago
of course
Baarorso almost 3 years ago
I guess you become an artist by couching your work with high falutin’ words that seemingly only the elite can understand.;-D
hariseldon59 almost 3 years ago
Calvin has a pretty impressive vocabulary for a kid his age.
sirbadger almost 3 years ago
It looks like this was drawn by somebody who knows art.
JudasPeckerwood almost 3 years ago
Calvin, you crypto-hipster you.
in.amongst almost 3 years ago
Yup, the fallacy of "good ’ol days ".. never fails to sell.
Charles Barr Premium Member almost 3 years ago
Get this to a museum before it melts!
orinoco womble almost 3 years ago
I figured this out. Modern music becomes “just noise” as people lose the top range of their hearing and the lyrics become unintelligible, not because they are but because we can no longer hear them clearly. Likewise, we look fondly on our youth not because those days were any better but because we were less critical and our bodies didn’t hurt all the time or let us down when we wanted to do something.
dcdete. almost 3 years ago
Wasn’t the avant-garde movement 50 years ago the hippy, flower power movement of Haight Ashbury, Woodstock, Carnaby Street, Beatlemania, and Easy Rider fame? That snowman looks more like Will Geer, Grandpa Walton, from 80 years ago.
Alexander the Good Enough almost 3 years ago
Aw heck, Calvin. Just take a picture of it and sell it as a NFT. Clean up on the fools while you can…
Susan00100 almost 3 years ago
“Simple values of rural America”??
Does that mean replacing flush toilets with outhouses??
Opus Croakus almost 3 years ago
It’s a hipster snowman, you’re only allowed to like it ironically.
Count Olaf Premium Member almost 3 years ago
Eat your heart out, Andy Warhol.
bignatefantic2.0 almost 3 years ago
Unrelated but maybe Calvin wouldn’t hate girls so much if he had a twin sister
Katsuro Premium Member almost 3 years ago
I read these strips as a kid. I had no real idea what Calvin was talking about, but I enjoyed it anyway. Weird, that…
bbenoit almost 3 years ago
I don’t get art sometimes. Is this like duct taping a banana to a wall and selling it for big bucks…?
well-i-never almost 3 years ago
Well I never made a dime off any of the snowmen I built. I guess I just don’t know marketing the way some people do.
Ol' me almost 3 years ago
When my son was in high school, he wrote a report about a visit to a local art museum. His theme was that so much of “art” is really untalented nonsense that’s called “avant-garde.” His report included this strip as well as others from C&H that ridicule the art form and the artists. He got an A+ and special commendation.
Watterson also talks about this in some of his books.
mckeonfuneralhomebx almost 3 years ago
Tribute to Jim Anderson..Father knows Best
uniquename almost 3 years ago
Calvin has been talking to Petey from Cul de Sac again.
gantech almost 3 years ago
If it’s secret, how will the public fall for it?
vaughnrl2003 Premium Member almost 3 years ago
Everything is avant-garde as long as someone “cool” says it is. Nothing is avant-garde unless someone “cool” says it is. No one who is really “cool” says anything is “avant-garde”.
Publius10608218 almost 3 years ago
A snowman with a snow shovel, looks suspicious to me…
Chelonaut almost 3 years ago
So Calvin invented Cottage-core?
David_J Premium Member almost 3 years ago
Strip dated 1992. Ironic that they eventually wound up building a political party to feed off that nostalgia for a time that never existed. smdh
mistercatworks almost 3 years ago
American (Ironic) Gothic – another crypto-cryo-anthropomorphic art fad.
The Wolf In Your Midst almost 3 years ago
Nostalgia: A fiction you sell to people to distract them from the fact that they’re old and they’re going to die soon.
wiley207 almost 3 years ago
Reminds me of when Calvin passed off such a snowman as a “generic snowman”… https://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1995/12/26
WCraft Premium Member almost 3 years ago
Next week, after sun has been out and temps above freezing for several days: “Check out my Salvador Dali Snowman…”
globalenterprize1990 almost 3 years ago
Wait until Calvin’s father starts looking for his hat and smoking pipe!
stamps almost 3 years ago
Give it a pitchfork and it’ll be art.
anomaly almost 3 years ago
People who do art or fashion “ironically” are saying “I’m doing this because I think it looks awful and I’m embracing my bad taste”. If they’re right, they should be avoided because of bad design. If they’re wrong, they should be avoided because they have no design sense.
schaefer jim almost 3 years ago
Reminds me of all the fricking snow I moved over 60 plus years. Good old days my cold ass!
Plods with ...™ almost 3 years ago
Looks Avante Gauche to me
mfrasca almost 3 years ago
Ceci n’est pas une pipe.
AndrewSihler almost 3 years ago
Irony rules.
Bilan almost 3 years ago
Careful Calvin. In 13 years, you’ll be that nostalgic 50-year-old.
spaced man spliff almost 3 years ago
Nostalgia ain’t what it used to be.
oakie817 almost 3 years ago
aren’t we all
Otis Rufus Driftwood almost 3 years ago
Watterson versus ‘modern art’. And consumerism.
edeloriea14 almost 3 years ago
At least that snowperson looks normal. Not funny, but normal.