Guytheresques: A New Art

A Guytheresque, according to one art magazine, is a paste-up picture creation of Anthony (Jerry) Guyther '43, rising young New York artist. To show why a new word has been coined about them, we're reproducing one of his compositions in the newold "collage" technique very much in vogue this year.

Producing his highly imaginative and "seamless illusions" involves selecting the desired sections from steel engravings in late 19th century magazines and shaping and blending them together. With razor blade and rubber cement, he cuts and pastes from four to eight units together, following the plans he has made on tissue tracings. It's a very unpredictable welding process that yields either an artistic gem or a hodge-podge.

By combining the sublime and the ridiculous, he manages to portray the entire scale of emotions in his collages. The haunting effects which he sometimes gets have given him the idea of illustrating a collection of Poe stories.

Apparently, the technique has countless and surprising possibilities. When Jerry was in Paris recently, the father of surrealism, Andre Breton, became interested in his unique paste-ups and arranged to reproduce several "Guytheresques" in a forthcoming edition of his poems. Back in America, Cue Magazine featured representations of the Ballet by the 28-year-old freelancer in their December issue.

Guyther, younger brother of Wayne '38, entered commercial art in 1944 by way of Cairns Advertising Agency, New York. An array of assignments for various designers and publishers followed, including the art editorships of Look's Picture Book Department and, most recently, of Pageant Magazine. Oil painting, surrealistic collages, and some free lancing occupy his time now, but someday he hopes to devote his energies exclusively to painting.

EUROPA