Trucks: Recent Works By John Himmelfarb
This book explores the iconic American vehicle - the truck - through the sculpture, paintings, prints, and drawings of Chicago-based artist John Himmelfarb. Trucks: Recent Works by John Himmelfarb is a decade-long visual exploration of different types of trucks and their place in everyday life. Himmelfarb adeptly shifts between mediums, style, and message in his works. The common truck under the hands of Himmelfarb becomes provocative, with each piece exuding its own personality.
Himmelfarb's work traverses seamlessly through painting in acrylic, lithography, etching, silkscreen, and drawing in ink or pencil. His brushwork and drawing style are animated and playful, prompting the viewer to look at the everyday truck, and other hardworking vehicles, with a different perspective. In 2007, as a result of a three-month residency with the John Michael Kohler Arts Center Arts/Industry program, the artist established his first foray into sculpture and industrial design, and this presentation is the first documentation of Himmelfarb's new work in three dimensions.
As author Janet L. Farber eloquently says in her introductory essay, "Like sleuths, those following its path [an artist's career] look for clues of continuity, relishing works that tell us a little about their past while anticipating future directions. Fortunately, John Himmelfarb has hopped on a truck for the most recent part of his personal odyssey and left tire tracks behind."
