Cartoon Art

Painter Jorge Jurado's work at "A Multitude of Memories" reminds us of Jeopardy, if Alex Trebek's show were designed by a stylish guy from Colombia. Using layers of images, his canvases come off like a clever quiz -- viewers at the recent opening were seen jabbing fingers at the paintings and guessing names. Jurado's technique is to lay down a background of soaring, psychedelic cartoon colors and lava lamp shapes. Next comes a cartoon character in the same flat plane, underneath a razor-sharp silhouetted figure from Manet or Velasquez or some other Great Master type. Finally, creeping in under the famous image is a photorealistic chair or falcon. The thin black lines of the cut-out slice through the colorful chair or falcon (or other mundane object), which you now realize dominates the composition. How could you have missed it at first? The brain flips back through the experience the eyes just had: detailed hyperreal bicycle, conquistador head, and Porky Pig, maybe, on a freaked-out Marvin the Martian background. This is when you start playing Jeopardy, clicking in to shout "What is Mickey Mouse's hand shot through with a Grecian urn via Whistler's mother?" If it sounds lysergic, it is, but how many times does a trip leave you feeling smarter?

Related Content

• Lucinda Moyers, Jeopardy! Burglar, Back in Court
  August 1, 2011
• Alex Trebek, Jeopardy! Host, Injured While Chasing Robber at S.F. Hotel
  July 27, 2011
• Lucinda Moyers Says She's a Prostitute, Not Alex Trebek's Burglar
  August 10, 2011
• Kid's Bad 'Bad Romance,' Car-Load of Farts Among YouTube's Most Failing Music Vids
  June 24, 2010
• Better, Later, and on the Air: A Wish list for S.F. Music in 2012
  January 4, 2012

More About

• Alex Trebek
• Anibal Catalan
• Mickey Mouse
• Wildlife
• Nature and the Environment

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Events Newsletter: What's happening in town? From underground club nights to the biggest outdoor festivals, our top picks for the week's best events will always keep you in on the action.

Privacy Policy Cancel Continue

The show continues through Dec. 22 with Anibal Catalan's "Free & Mobile."
Nov. 20-Dec. 22, 2007