Paint Fidelity No. 1: Eunice Gribble on Alexander Spence’s “Oar” (Rumpelton MS Paint)

 

Eunice Gribble — excerpt from unpublished notes

“The illustrated version of Oar is a mercy. It spares us the haunted geometry of Spence’s actual torso, which in the original cover appears to be both collapsing and expanding — like a lung that’s forgotten its job. The redraw, though crude, understands the assignment: reduce the man to icon, flatten the ache, and let the shirt do the talking. I commend the artist for resisting the temptation to add pupils.”

She later added, in a postscript:

“SUNDAZE is a label, yes, but also a warning. Proceed with caution. The sun dazes.”