Aidan Hughes
Encyclopedia
Aidan Hughes is a commercial art
ist. He was born in 1956 in Merseyside, England, and was trained as an artist by his father, himself a landscape
painter.
In the 1980s, Hughes published a pulp
-style magazine
called BRUTE! which earned him notoriety. "Brute" has become an occasional pseudonym
for Hughes as well.
Hughes usually works in a very high contrast style, often black and white, but more often black and white accented with one other color. He claims influence from American
comic book
artist Jack Kirby
, John Martin
, and (most apparently) from Russia
n propaganda
posters.
Aidan Hughes is best known for creating most of the album cover
s for the industrial
band KMFDM
. Two of KMFDM's music videos ("A Drug Against War," "Son of a Gun") were animated
versions of Hughes's artwork.
His other work has included outdoor mural
s, including the 75 metre mural in Barga
Italy
during 2003 which has since been covered over with an earth bank; and a wide variety of advertisements
, including pieces for the Bank of Scotland
, and Guinness
.
Hughes is credited for the art design and concept of ZPC
(Zero Population Count), a first-person shooter computer game developed in 1996 using the Marathon 2 engine.
He presently lives and works in the Czech Republic
.
This street art organisation attempted to subvert the burgeoning graffiti/tagging culture by using public toilet advertising space as alternative gallery space. They also produced a number of short films, detailing their art happenings and protests on the streets of Prague, Czech republic.
Commercial art
Commercial art is historically a subsector of creative services, referring to art created for commercial purposes, primarily advertising. The term has become increasingly anachronistic in favor of more contemporary terms such as graphic design and advertising art.Commercial art traditionally...
ist. He was born in 1956 in Merseyside, England, and was trained as an artist by his father, himself a landscape
Landscape
Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...
painter.
In the 1980s, Hughes published a pulp
Pulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
-style magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
called BRUTE! which earned him notoriety. "Brute" has become an occasional pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
for Hughes as well.
Hughes usually works in a very high contrast style, often black and white, but more often black and white accented with one other color. He claims influence from American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
artist Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby , born Jacob Kurtzberg, was an American comic book artist, writer and editor regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic book medium....
, John Martin
John Martin (painter)
John Martin was an English Romantic painter, engraver and illustrator.-Biography:Martin was born in July 1789, in a one-room family cottage, at Haydon Bridge, near Hexham in Northumberland, the 4th son of Fenwick Martin, a one time fencing master...
, and (most apparently) from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
posters.
Aidan Hughes is best known for creating most of the album cover
Album cover
An album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially released audio recording product, or album. The term can refer to either the printed cardboard covers typically used to package sets of 10" and 12" 78 rpm records, single and sets of 12" LPs, sets of 45 rpm records , or the front-facing...
s for the industrial
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
band KMFDM
KMFDM
KMFDM is an industrial band led by German multi-instrumentalist Sascha Konietzko, who founded the group in 1984 as a performance art project...
. Two of KMFDM's music videos ("A Drug Against War," "Son of a Gun") were animated
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
versions of Hughes's artwork.
His other work has included outdoor mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
s, including the 75 metre mural in Barga
Barga
Barga is a medieval town and comune of the province of Lucca in Tuscany, central Italy. It is home to around 10,000 people and is the chief town of the "Media Valle" of the Serchio.-Geography:...
Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
during 2003 which has since been covered over with an earth bank; and a wide variety of advertisements
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
, including pieces for the Bank of Scotland
Bank of Scotland
The Bank of Scotland plc is a commercial and clearing bank based in Edinburgh, Scotland. With a history dating to the 17th century, it is the second oldest surviving bank in what is now the United Kingdom, and is the only commercial institution created by the Parliament of Scotland to...
, and Guinness
Guinness
Guinness is a popular Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin. Guinness is directly descended from the porter style that originated in London in the early 18th century and is one of the most successful beer brands worldwide, brewed in almost...
.
Hughes is credited for the art design and concept of ZPC
ZPC
ZPC is a first-person shooter computer game developed by Zombie Studios in 1996 which uses the Marathon 2 engine. It was noted for its stylized look adapted from artwork by Aidan Hughes...
(Zero Population Count), a first-person shooter computer game developed in 1996 using the Marathon 2 engine.
He presently lives and works in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
.
BogArt
Aidan Hughes joined the BogArt collective in 2006. http://increasethepiss.blogspot.com/This street art organisation attempted to subvert the burgeoning graffiti/tagging culture by using public toilet advertising space as alternative gallery space. They also produced a number of short films, detailing their art happenings and protests on the streets of Prague, Czech republic.
External links
- "BRUTE! Propaganda", Aidan Hughes's official site
- KMFDM official site
- Article about Hughes' outdoor murals
- "KMFMS" (Anti-Microsoft website for which Hughes has designed artwork)
- Myartspace Blog (An interview with Hughes conducted by Brian SherwinBrian SherwinBrian Sherwin is an American art critic, writer, and blogger with a degree from Illinois College in 2003. Sherwin is the Senior Editor for the artist social networking site myartspace, where he has written an extensive interview series with emerging and established visual artists...
) - http://www.blog.bruteprop.co.uk