The lobster has consistently been a symbol used throughout art. From appearing on early Roman mosaics through Dutch still-life paintings and up to the 21st Century, the lobster was commonly believed to represent wealth, unpredictability and gluttony, it later became associated with resurrection and ultimately tied to the surrealism movement before being adopted as the alter-ego of renowned pop-artist Philip Colbert.
Following our announcement of the debut prints and multiples show of the famed lobster fanatic it only felt right to catalogue the crustaceans trajectory throughout the wider art canon, culminating in Philip’s own take on the well-established motif.
When we look at the lobster's development and symbolism in art we most commonly see it appearing in still-life paintings. They appear as part of opulent feasts, simultaneously symbolising both life and its luxuries, and death - the distinct crimson red colour that we associate with it only appearing as a result of it being cooked. The lobster long remained a key symbol in still-life compositions across different movements with Picasso frequently depicting them in many of his works from the later years of his life.
Arguably the most famous depiction of the creature would come in 1936 when Salvador Dali would produce a sculpture of a lobster, merged with a telephone. For Dali, both objects contained a sexual connotation; he would go on to often feature the lobster covering nude women in his work. This iconic depiction, at once playful and uncomfortable, would be referenced by some of the most impactful contemporary artists working today and become one of the most recognisable surrealist works, epitomising the confounding and impactful nature of the movement.
Image by dalipaintings.com.
By the mid-20th Century the symbol had undoubtedly become iconic, and would go on to be further immortalised by Andy Warhol in multiple works of his. Fast-forward to 2003, Jeff Koons paid homage to Dali’s sculpture with his own rendition, depicting a lobster with Dali’s face, rendered like a plastic pool toy made of painted aluminium. Koons would later revisit this sculpture multiple times, in 2009 he produced a work depicting the piece next to a semi-nude model - a nod once more to Dali’s original work and its ties to sexuality whilst also commenting on the banality of contemporary art.
When it comes to exploring the lobster in depth no artist has committed themselves quite like Philip Colbert. Throughout the vast majority of his work the creature has become his “materialistic alter-ego” allowing him to explore themes of mortality and surrealism whilst also referencing wider aspects of art history. Colbert often combines the lobster with references to some of his favourite artists including: Picasso, Basquiat, Van Gogh, Francis Bacon, Marcel Duchamp and George Condo, prompting the viewer to engross themselves in wider art history through his cartoonist, surrealist narratives.
Much of Colbert’s practice revolves around his intense worldbuilding, he developed a virtual city called ‘lobsteropolis’ in which users from all over the world can inhabit his artistic vision. Colbert depicts his lobster counterpart in a variety of environments and poses that serve as snapshots of dramatic wider narratives, ranging from seemingly ordinary activities like skateboarding to intense, futuristic battle scenes that resemble stills from sci-fi epics. His ambitious approach has seen him lauded by figures such as Charles Saatchi and Simon de Pury.
“I became an artist when I became a lobster” - Philip Colbert
Colbert’s relationship with the lobster can be seen as a manifestation of his appreciation for art history and the symbols within, explaining that he is drawn to the idea of symbols being able to communicate ideas in a similar fashion to those of Egyptian hieroglyphics - his playful, humorous works being able to take on an unsettling edge through layers of references and hidden imagery. It’s hard to picture anyone exploring the lobster on the same scale ever again.
Philip Colbert: prints and editions runs from 13/12 to 26/01.
