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Tigers roar. Guns blast. Martians zap. Villains gloat. Heroes win. Ladies swoon.
This is the world of pulp art.
A world where – before Spider-Man and Batman governed comics – the Shadow reigned, Tarzan ruled the jungle and the Spider fought inner-city crime.
“From Amazing Stories to Weird Tales: Covering Pulp Fiction” is the newest exhibit on display in the William Benton Museum of Art's Gilman Gallery. The vast collection of pieces, ranging from original pulp fiction magazine covers to paintings done by the cover artists, was contributed by Robert Lesser, one of the biggest collectors of pulp art, from his own collection.
Lesser, the reception's guest of honor, began collecting pulp fiction covers in the winter of 1972. His first acquisition was a cover for the series “The Shadow,” a pulp fiction hero whose stories were followed by Americans via the radio and print in the 1930s.
“I thought they were absolutely wonderful,” Lesser said. “There was male action, women in distress. They were great, and nobody was collecting them.”
The Benton celebrated the opening of the exhibit with a reception Friday evening, followed by a party open to students only that included a jazz band and ballroom dance lessons led by the ballroom dancing club, demonstrating popular dance trends from the 1930s and ‘40s, the era in which pulp fiction dominated America.
During the Great Depression, Americans turned to cheap forms of entertainment to keep from dwelling in economic despair. Pulp magazines provided outlandish tales in all genres, including Western, science fiction, crime, thriller and fantasy. They were sold at newsstands all over the country. Their cover art was the main means of advertising, so bold colors and exciting scenes were the norm, catching the eyes of the weary American population, according to the catalogue created by assistant curator Eve Perry.
“It's not traditional art,” said Kristin Danckert, a 2nd-semester art and German major. “It's not the kind of art you would see in an art museum.”
Lurid pictures of damsels in distress held hostage by villains, scenes created from passages of H.G. Wells' “War of the Worlds” and iconic characters like the Shadow line the walls of the Gilman Gallery, creating an aura of nonstop action.
“You look at them, and you can't help but be entertained,” said Thomas Bruhn, interim director of the Benton. “They're fun.”
“The Benton's administration decided on pulp fiction as a student-friendly theme for its newest exhibition,” Bruhn said. “It's simple themes, like the ever-present good versus evil, and fast-paced illustrations should pique student interest.”
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The exhibit shows how we've changed so much in the world of pop culture,” said Taylor Lynch, a 4th-semester painting major. “Not even that long ago, people would be embarrassed to buy these paintings and covers and hang them up in their homes.”
Lesser agreed. He believes that the United States has always been at the forefront when it comes to pop culture, leading the world into new eras of entertainment.
“Everybody's waiting for America to tell them what's next,” he said. “Our economy may be in shambles, but our culture is always ahead. Pulp art stands as a symbol of that freedom.”
The exhibit will be on display in the Gilman Gallery until March 14. To complement the gallery, the Benton will be hosting showings of neo-noir films that are open to students every Friday night of February.
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