This is a media-based rant, and a fairly mild one. I know people who are driven into states of apoplectic laughter when watching videos of these dogs. William Wegman and his Weimaraner dogs.
I’m dubbing some for my SIL and to be honest, I find them to be devoid of humor or cleverness. What am I missing? Is this something only dog lovers get into? I’m a cat person, not a dob person.
Or, is it really not so very funny at all ?
Cartooniverse
Oh Christ yes, especially because years and years ago they had a marginal cachet as avante garde art.
(maybe they can do a double bill with the Blue Man Group)
I like them. There’s just something inherently funny about dogs in human positions. C.M. Coolidge can vouch for that.
Love em.
Wegman is a brilliant artist; the dogs are just what he does to pay the bills.
I saw Wegman’s “Funney/Strange” exhibit in September at at the Smithsonian Museum of American Art (yes, he’s well enough regarded to have a show at the Smithsonian) and it was wonderful. He’s got a really skewed view of life and is certainly the most humorous fine artist working today. The dog pictures are great, but only a small proportion of what he’s done.
His videos of his first dog, Man Ray, are masterpieces. Also very influential (The Truth About Cats and Dogs used one of them as an important plot point). He basically invented stupid pet tricks, though his tricks were more inventive, and his videos anticipated Youtube by 25 years. (Every person who puts his webcam on Youtube is following in his footsteps.) He rates up with Nam June Paik and Ed Emshwiller as one of the great pioneers of video art.
His dogs (and I’m more of a cat person) are similar to B. Kliban’s cats: the popular face of a great artist whose work is generally different from the popular image.
I used to find them vaguely amusing, and now I find them vaguely creepy. They don’t install strong feelings in me one way or the other.
Anne Geddes ? Now that’s some freaky, creepy shit!
I’m not convinced of the “great” part, but I hear the same is true of Bob Saget: that the astoundingly irritating squeaky clean self-amuser we know from Full House and America’s Funniest home videos is completely and utterly unlike his “real art” as a blue comic.
As for the Wegman dogs, eh, I like 'em, I guess. Not as much as I did when I was a kid, but they make my kid giggle, so I have to give 'em love for that. I do, however, harbor a guilty and secret love for Anne Geddes. Goes with my Clan of the Cavebear series under “Cheesefest Delights”, I guess.
I love Wegman’s dogs. Makes me want to have Weimaraners.
I heard an anecdote about his dogs. Wegman frequently has family get togethers in which they play friendly games of softball. The dogs will often run around in the outfield, picking up grounders that make it past the infielders. One family member came up to bat and hit a very soft dribbler that barely made it to the pitcher’s mound. The next time that person came up to bat, the dogs moved in right behind the infield.
Sorry, no cite for this. I remember reading it in the Reader’s Digest whilst in my, um, library.
–Sitting back in maroon leather armchair, resting foot on footrest, taking pen and pad in hand, puffing meerschaum pipe. The afternoon light filters in through the thick drapery–
So, WhyNot. When last we met you were beginning to touch upon your “Cheesefest Delights”. Why dont we go back to that area and discuss what else is involved in these “Delights” ?
I love them. I’m partial though, since I have a Weimaraner. Whenever I see the pictures It makes me think about how sweet Weims are.
I’m a dob (sic) person, and I don’t totally get it. IOW, I can see why others might, but I don’t. Ah well, to each his own.
Sorry about the dob thing. But societal forces compell me to poke some fun at the typo. :dubious:
I like 'em, when I give any thought to them at all, which is seldom.
I don’t especially like Wemaraners and the Wegman franchise got boring awhile back.
Agreed, Anne Geddes and her baskets o’ babies are worse.
I love them. But then, I’m a doofus
VCNJ~
Odd. I’ve never seen any of his video work, so I never realized there was supposed to be anything humorous about his art. The dogs are interesting, but mostly I was impressed with his photographic skill.
Another dob person here, and I can’t stand him. I’m only familiar with his Weimaraner stuff, though, not his larger body of work.
And Anne Geddes needs to be fired from a cannon into the sun.
I can pretty much take or leave the Weimareiner pictures, but you won’t hear me utter a word against Wegman the man.
Half a lifetime ago (this would be between 12-15 years ago, I’d say, I worked at a summer camp with a focus on creative arts. Our director had managed to get William Wegman to come out and be a guest artist for the day. On the day, Wegman apologized for almost having to cancel as he had come down with some horrible cold/flu. Still, he showed up, was as cordial as he probably could be considering public appearances aren’t his regular thing and he’s not necessarily the most personable guy, and the fact that he had that look of the walking wounded that you get when you leave the house with a bad cold.
He brought a couple of his dogs with him, who were cute as hell, and let our photography students take their own custom “Wegman Weimareiner” portraits which he and the dogs posed for. It was a great day for our students, being able to connect in person with someone whose work had such a high profile.
I barely know a thing about his non-Weimareiner art, but as far as I’m concerned, he’s the salt of the earth as a person.
There’s a Japanese photographer that does similar photographs using kittens. Damned if I can remember his name. Anyone know?