Thursday 14 June 2012

BILLIE JEAN ANALYSIS

                                                                                 
This is a print poster called 'Retro basket', created by Billie Jean, for the celebration of 30 years of the brand Nike, and to create interest in Nike's new "Retro" trainers. Being an advertisement, it was probably displayed in magazines or billboards, and is actually a part of a series of 30 posters in honour of this celebration.

The material for drawing the poster was paper, but more specifically, lined paper, as well as biro pens. These would usually be used for doodling designs, which would have been used by a student who is bored in a lesson, and turns to doodling for entertainment. So from this, the target audience was most likely for young people, particularly students. The poster has an American look and feel to it, since Nike is an American brand, and the style of drawing is similar to vandalism, which links in with the possible name of the shoe 'VANDAL'.
There are some abstract aspects in the poster, including surreal, such as the laces turning into arms of  the basketball players, who are an example of stylised illustrations, and hyperealisms, like the player at the bottom of the page (which could be Michael Jordan, who was an active player around the 80s). Other aspects of the poster, include the circles on the bottom left hand side, which could be the print from the shoes, and could be a link to basketball, and the aspects of the 1980s, such as the Rubik's Cube and a Space Invader character. The bulldog on the top could possibly be a team mascot, and the peace sign could symbolise good sportsmanship among the players.
I like this poster, because it's shows the extent of Billie Jean's talent to draw surrealism and hyperealism, which makes him seem like a rather versatile drawer. And that is a rare talent to have. Also, he fills up the space really well, and I can sort of relate to it, as it's probably what I'd end up doing if I got bored in a lesson.

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