The Best of K-State Art

Based on my recent addiction to Bravo’s “Work of Art: The Next Great Artist”, I have decided to be a one man judge of K-State themed art pieces. You can me the Jerry Saltz of the Little Apple (HAR!). Using the brand new Google Image Search (brought to you by the fine folks at Google), I looked for the greatest piece of K-State art in the world. Luckily my Sony Vaio was up to the task with its amazing Intel processor and blazing fast internet connection brought to me by Cox Communications. The very first image was of course a veritable classic: the gloved hand holding up the helmet.

Wow. What a piece. Of course this is paragon of the artist simply known as “Johnson”‘s work.  The vein work is simply delicious and his color palette is sublime.  The bold purple cuts through the gray and forces the viewer to focus the Powercat, as long standing symbol of power and catdom in the K-State community.  But what makes this piece so special is that it goes beyond just the KSU family.  The stark choice of color and vertical alignment of the painting beckons back to the regal power of the human phallus and the mortality we all face.  An overlooked detail is the tailing away of the chinstrap, a rejection of what confines us, on and off the field.

The next piece in my search was

What’s to say?  Fantastic, that’s what.  Amazing brush work combined with a riveting subject: #82.  What draws me in is the mystery of the missing arm.  Where did it go?  How is his glove this holding his helmet?  Is this the same guy from the above picture??  Every answer unveils a new layer of intrigue in this painting.

If you are a true K-Stater, you have not only seen this before, but own a fleece version.  The burgers are a-grillin’ and the sodapop is chilling.  I personally cannot think of a better piece that portrays the festive atmosphere of KSU gameday.   Willie’s pose is very inviting, pulling the viewer into his circle of pregame revelers.  You can almost smell the hamburger sandwich and french fried potatoes garnish that our favorite Wildcat is about to chomp on.  Tailgating with KSU comes to life in this amazing soft focus painting.

Lest we think KSU is all about the brawn without the brains, I give you Anderson Hall.  It has been said that capturing the beauty of Kansas State University’s Campus is an like catching a full rainbow in a jar.  I tend to agree with this well known phrase, but the above artist did their damnedest to try.  The proud tower of Anderson strikes the sky like a fist to God’s face.  The cottony soft clouds embrace their new master.  The landscape alignment of the canvas stretches the mind and the contrasts the pastoral splendor of Kansas with the scientific might of the mankind.

The above is not a painting, but should be.  This single image is more K-State than anything else I have ever seen in my life.  From the sculpted arms to the easily +$50 gold chain, this man exudes the confidence that personifies the Wildcat Spirit.  Who else would be comfortable enough to wrangle a wildcat while still striking a pose?  A man who knows what time it is because of his Casio digital watch.  A watch that always reads: ITS WILDCAT TIME!

I know there is a universe of KSU art out there.  If you find some please post them here!