Manhatten Boogie Woogie

Manhattan Boogie Woogie- signed limited edition silkscreen print of the album cover artworkcreated for the band Landscape in 1982. 

 

Blake’s imagery for the album cover is inspired by the timescape when the popularity of boogie woogie music was at its height in the 1930’s and 40s, especially the visual culture of the time.  In the top left corner Blake includes an image of Piet Mondrian’s painting, ‘Broadway Boogie Woogie’ from 1942-3 (the last painting the great modernist ever made).  As well as Mondiran, Manhattan Boogie Woogie references the work of Matisse, both in the colourful use of collage-like paper cut squares, and the inclusion of a black and white study by the artist.  Alongside these artistic giants, Blake includes popular culture stars Jimmy Stewart and Louis Armstrong, as well as images of the band members of Landscape themselves.  The letters and numbers U2XME1X2MUCH in the centre of the work stand for ‘You two-timed me one time too much’: the name of the EP Landscape later released