Friday, October 7, 2011

Unusual Artist’s Names

In this age of googling artist names, it's a real advantage to have an unique name. But it's hard to beat some of the really cool and memorable artists' names in history.

First off, there's the great Disney animator T. Hee. 


And here's a portrait of Illarion Pryanishnikov.

And let's not forget Hercules Brabazon Brabazon.

Would you like to nominate some artists for the most interesting or unusual names? Out of your suggestions in the comments, I’ll pick my top ten favorites, and then we’ll put it to a poll.

Wikipedia on T.  (Thornton) Hee

42 comments:

Zac Elletson said...

Solomon J. Solomon

Richard J. Luschek II said...

I have always loved the name of the sculptor Sir Hamo Thornycroft.

Dagnan Bouveret is a great artist with a great name. It sort of sounds like a Yosemite Sam curse word.

Andrew Sonea said...

Leon Belly

Super Villain said...

bev dolittle, awesome wildlife artist
basil gogos, awesome monster movie artist
al jaffee, mad magaizine artist

but my new favorite name comes from NBA basketball player Lloyd Bernard Free, who just changed his name legally to World B. Free, yikes!

Super Villain said...

Edvard Munch

Sankam said...

Odd Nerdrum. (Pronounced 'Ood' I am told)

Stacy said...

James Toogood - excellent watercolor painter, as his name suggests. ;)

r8r said...

how about George Of, the American modernist painter usually classed with the Fauves? His name gets lost next to the entries on 'George of the Jungle', but he was quite a fine artist.

Darren said...

Ignaz Gaugengigl

Melinda9 said...

Augustus Egg.

Scorchfield said...

Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Smurfswacker said...

I go for Australian painter Rupert Bunny. And I cast a second vote for Augustus Leopold Egg.

Annick Huber said...

The french painter Enguerrand Quarton.
(Carton = Cardboard in french. I always found it hilarious.)

Eugene Arenhaus said...

Me! :D

Kelly Toon said...

Well, I'm a cartoonist/caricaturist/illustrator, and I married a guy named Toon. So, my name is Kelly Toon.

www.kellytoon.com

kevinwparker said...

Not an artist, but I thought I'd mention that in my career as a computer programmer I once had a colleague named I. Oh.

gary amaro said...

Tibor Gergely

Unknown said...

I feel the need to change my name to something way more exciting.

Andrew Bonneau said...

Geertgen tot Sint Jans- Netherlandish painter c1465- c1495

Clark Nova said...

Don't forget the great Ub Iwerks!

nuum said...

Alfonso Azpiri
Frank Frazetta
Ernest Chiriaka
Dice Tsutsumi
Glenn Vilppu
Friz Freleng
Ivor Hele
Karl Gnass
John Lagatta
Petar Meseldzija
Peter de Seve
Rik Maki
Rien Poortvliet
Tyrus Wong
Uwe Heidschoetter
Victor Ambrus
Wouter Tulp

Nick said...

Man Ray! Sounds like a super hero.

PoseAmation said...

The most unusual artist name I ever heard was ManWoman. His son is named Ivan the Cat. Here is his website: http://www.manwoman.net/

nuum said...

Akseli Gallen-Kallela

Finnish painter.

Kessie said...

Holling Clancy Holling, writer and illustrator of books like Paddle-to-the-sea.

Izak van Langevelde said...

I remember an illustrator named Gurney...

nuum said...

Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso

Pablo Picasso

Pyracantha said...

Rembrandt Peale
Washington Allston

Arnaud said...

Well, what about James Gurney?
Sorry, James :)

Johan said...

Frans Hals
(litterarily translated, it would be "Frans Neck").
The man was anything but a redneck :D

Michael said...

Half Man, Half Biscuit is my favorite name for a band.

My Pen Name said...

I painted apartments in college. One day a guy named Bob Painter (i have changed his first name but his real last name was painter) walked in.

we only paid 10.00 an hour and he said 'i'm worth more than that' ..
We'll see, my boss said.
In short this guy was SO into being a 'professional painter' (like house painter" he wouldn't use our brushes.. even though our were better and his were awful.. and the sad thing? he.. well, how do I put it.. he sucked.. we ended up firing him.

I felt bad for the guy even though he was kind of a jerk.. he was SO serious about it and he awful.


A little off topic, but a few years ago the vicor of a church in london where beatrix potter lived noticed some odd names in the graveyard: Peter Rabit, Jeremy Fisher, and so forth :)

My Pen Name said...

Ps didn't many artists take or were given unusual names.. for example Doménikos Theotokópoulos was a bit TOO unusual for the spainish so they just said "el greco, Fra Angelico was certainly not born with that name...

Larry said...

Jean Kellogg

Kellogg -This is an English occupational name for a pork butcher, deriving from the Medieval English "kellen" meaning "to kill" or "to slaughter" and "hog" - a "hog" or "pig"

William Bliss Baker

Baker - meaning, uh, baker

Howard Chandler Christie

Chandler - The French word chandelier refers to a person who makes candles, a candlestick maker.

Anonymous said...

I will say that once people know you having an unusual name is good. Until they can remember it... well, I often get - "I lost your business card and couldn't remember your name comments... I just knew it was long and began with a 'G'". Which is a rather unfortunate place for a freelancer to be. But yes, unusual names are fun

~Laura Garabedian

Howard Lyon said...

How about Slartibartfast. He specialized in fjords and won an award for Norway. :)

I have always thought Bouguereau was unusual, especially since I have heard it mispronounced Booger-row several times.

Aaron said...

Newell Convers Wyeth

David Teter said...

Following the links on your most recent post 'Bladesmith' for 'Baby Tattooville...2010' via Hi-Fructose, I noticed Bob Dob, whose work BTW is fantastic, the name fits.
I wonder if his full name is Robert Dobert?

Tim said...

Cy Twombly!

David Still said...

I second Dagnan-Bouveret, but in the spirit of this discussion, I feel we need his full name:

Pascal-Adolphe-Jean Dagnan-Bouveret

Some other cool names:
Philip Alexius de László
Peder Severin Krøyer
And just because man, those French really like to put a lot of names on their babies don't they:
Jean-Jules-Antoine Lecomte du Nouy

guoda said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
D Aldana said...

Fra Filippo Lippi