Monday, April 19, 2010

Zombies by Josh Pincus

Okay, you guys.  Just when you think I'm obsessed with zombies I have to explain that another blogger named Josh Pincus commented that he really had zombies to show the world.  So, I took a look and it was very fun to see and read about.  So one more time....let's hear it for the zombies!  This time Josh Pincus style.


but dogs CAN look up

A zombie is a reanimated human corpse. Stories of zombies originated in the Afro-Caribbean spiritual belief system of Vodou.
One origin of the word “zombie” is “jumbie”, the West Indian term for “ghost”. Another is “nzambi”, the Kongo word meaning “spirit of a dead person.” According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the origin is from the Louisiana Creole or Haitian Creole “zonbi”, and is derived from Bantu. A zonbiis a person who is believed to have died and been brought back to life without speech or free will. It is similar to the Kimbundu nzúmbe ghost.
But, zombies were brought into popular culture by director George A. Romero in his shoestring budget film “Night of the Living Dead”. Originally conceived as an allegory for the dire times of late-1960s society, “Night of the Living Dead” emerged as a cult classic. A film historian described it as “subversive on many levels”. Although it is not the first zombie film, “Night of the Living Dead” is the forefather of the contemporary “zombie apocalypse” genre of horror film, and it became original model of all zombie films that followed.
Filming took place between June and December 1967. Props and special effects were fairly simple and limited by the budget. The blood, for example, was Bosco Chocolate Syrup drizzled over cast members’ bodies. Roasted ham was used for consumed flesh. Costumes were purchased at second-hand clothing shops, and mortician’s wax served as zombie makeup.
Romero produced the film for $114,000, and after a decade of cinematic re-releases, it grossed some $12 million domestically and $30 million internationally. On its release in 1968, “Night of the Living Dead” was strongly criticized for its explicit content. In 1999, the Library of Congress included it in the National Film Registry as a film deemed “historically, culturally or aesthetically important”.
And in the course of the entire 96 minutes that the movie runs, the word “zombie” is never spoken.

Here's a link to Josh's Blog - Josh Pincus is Crying 

7 comments:

  1. Hi Julie, I was going to tell you I went to that one zombie link on etsy and am going to order my son in law a shirt, whats funny is that his last name is Romero. I'm going to forward your post to him. Did you draw those zombies? Just didn't seem like your style!! Good luck with your final, don't know how you do it!

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  2. Wow, great post and art work!! Thanks for the link, I haven't remembered lately to get over to JOsh' blog. I love his work too.

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  3. Your paintings on your side bar....wow, ...the Capitol building is so gorgeous.

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  4. Linda,oh, great! It sounds like that lady could use some help. But I do think her art is too fun.. What a coincidence about your son-in-law's name. No, I didn't draw those new zombies. That's Josh Pincus and I put a link to his blog. Something else, don't you think? He has a very unique style.

    Thanks so much Sandy. Lately I've been very slow at getting to those difficult paintings. I have one going in my studio that I must finish. If you look back on my posts you'll see it in progress (horses and a cat). It's almost done.

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  5. Heehee, that Josh is quite the character and a wonderful artist! Love your shop sidebar and the friendship post on MAD - absolutely gorgeous! I have an award for you over at my blog stop by when you can!

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  6. Susan, like I said on your blog-you just made my day! What a confidence booster! We artists need those as it seems like there's always someone just waiting in the wings to criticize your work (I don't like that....why did you put that there?....that's not how the roof should look....I've never seen a sheep in that type of country before....yadda yadda). Ha ha! You just have to laugh, you know. Everyone thinks they are a critic. Just too funny (not so funny when you're tired, right?). Hmmmmmm.

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