Anita Kunz, Illustrator
Anita Kunz has reached a pinnacle attained by few illustrators and cartoonists. Her powerful, thought-provoking illustration work has been chosen to grace the exhibit walls of the Swann Gallery of the Library of Congress, Washington, DC for a solo exhibit. She is the first Canadian artist to receive the honour of a solo exhibition. Anita also joins a small, exclusive group of illustrators/cartoonists to show at the Gallery including Herb Block, Al Hirschfeld and several others.
Entitled "Canadian Counterpoint: Illustrations by Anita Kunz," the exhibit is composed of 15 paintings spanning the 25 years of the artist's work. Though she may not be familiar by name to the average reader, Anita's striking illustrations would be recognized inside and on the covers of big-name magazines. Rolling Stone, the New York Times, Newsweek, Time, Saturday Night, the Washington Post Magazine and Fortune Magazine are listed among Anita's regular customers. (Her commissions may be up to $5000. US for an illustration.)
Sleek, sophisticated and rich in detail, Anita's work is a delight to the observer's eye. It is also provocative, sometimes, on closer inspection, delivering a jolt to the senses. An illustration for Vibe Magazine of a bald male head, a handgun representing the nose and mouth, brings a feeling of fear. A giant hand clasping a small, frightened child, representing child abuse for Rolling Stone magazine sends chills down the spine. Other drawings are caricatures of celebrities or take aim at political figures. Illustrations of George Bush have been popular on the request list for Anita's work.
For the most part, Anita does not do humourous illustration, preferring to undertake serious projects. "I'm not a big fan of decorative illustration. I like when a picture has a concept. I like when it provokes me - when it sort of encourages thought or is controversial," Anita said on DigitalJournal.com. (Aug. 31/03) *(1) Unfortunately, the concept also leaves the illustration open to ambiguities. For example, many viewers took the huge, laughing baby pulling the puppet parent on strings on the cover of The New Yorker taken as an evil, monster baby, while the artist's intent was to display an adorable, happy baby that runs the household. (As babies so often do.) The present state of alarm in the United States has made composing her usual fearless comments about politicians more difficult for the artist. "Since Sept. 11, everyone is more nervous, particularly illustrators," noted Anita on thestar.com. "They know there are certain web sites that out people for being anti-American." *(2)
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