Peace and Love: The Digital Art of Ringo Starr
I would argue that most people in the Western world have heard of the Beatles. Their music has proliferated pop culture for decades. Still, to this day, they remain one of the most streamed bands of all time and the legacy of their art is still apparent. It is common to see covers of their various songs, and household and clothing items displaying images and artwork done for and in reference to the band. One element of their body of work, however, tragically does not get enough attention; the digital art produced by the band's drummer, Ringo Starr.
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| Yer Baby, 2005 |
Ringo Starr was born in 1940, in the neighborhood of Dingle, Liverpool. He grew up as a sickly child, and to pass the time he frequently spent in hospitals, he began to look for creative outputs. Through time he found a love for creating music and would constantly seek out opportunities to play the drums. He was also introduced to other art forms, such as painting and acting, and these interests would follow him throughout his life. He says that ultimately, his desire to create visual art was borne from his feeling of boredom while on tour, the same feeling that caused him to learn the drums. To me, this is a blatant example of him displaying the Big Five Personality traits, with an emphasis on Openness to Experience and Neuroticism.
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| Peace Forest, 2013 |
Ringo first began to experiment with acrylic and oil paintings, but noting the shift towards a more digital world, he started to create digital art, through the medium of MS Paint. He still uses this software today. He says, “I started in the late nineties with my computer art. While I was touring it gave me something to do in all those crazy hotels you have to stay in on the road. In its way ‘Pop’ art is always changing-like ‘Pop’ artists. It's a natural move of things like pop music and even Popeye the Sailor Man.”
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| Eye Lidded, 2005 |
Josephine, thank you for your post! I appreciate your choice of creative, since I had no idea Ringo Starr produced digital art. It's interesting you brought up the Big Five personality traits, especially Neuroticism. I would not have thought Ringo's art to come from obsession, but that's a good point.
ReplyDeleteI've always felt like Ringo is the most underrated Beatle. People always overlook his solo career, but even working on his own he's made great music and has always shown a huge amount of personal creativity, both during and after his time in the Beatles. Your points about his creative style and personal creativity are really interesting, and help me to see his art in a new way.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that Ringo Starr made digital art, I never real considered that creatives who are famous for working with one medium may also create in other ways. It makes sense that Ringo Starr has a hobby that allows him to continue to be creative.
ReplyDeleteThis is amazing! I had no idea that Ringo did digital work at all, let alone art! This could lead into him being involved in the NFT space which would be lucrative for him.
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