Bugs Bunny - 4th July Tribute. 2014 by Stephen B Whatley
Painted on 4th July, a tribute to the classic Warner Bros. animated cartoon star, Bugs Bunny, by expressionist artist Stephen B Whatley.
Whatley has a great affection for the USA - & cartoons - and often chooses to paint on significant anniversaries. His work has been published in TIME and visitors to London can see a permanent public walkway of his 30 paintings commissioned by the Tower of London, outside Tower Hill Station, London.
Familiar to generations through his antics in the Looney Toons cartoons, Bugs Bunny first came to prominence in the Academy-award nominated cartoon Tex Avery -directed cartoon A Wild Hare (1940). The Oscar would eventually be awarded to his cartoon, Knighty Knight Bugs (1958) (featuring Yosemite Sam).
Bugs Bunny, originally voiced by Mel Blanc, has gone through a variety of stylizations - and the artist worked a from a variety of images to capture the essence of his character; particularly focusing on his 1950s look.
Some interesting facts about the fame of Bugs Bunny:
Every year from 1945 to 1961, he was voted "top animated character" by movie theatre owners. In 1976 when Americans were polled about their favourite character, real or imaginary , Bugs Bunny came in second - behind Abraham Lincoln; and in 1997 he was the first cartoon star to appear on a US postage stamp.
Oil on canvas
35.5 x 24in/90 x 60cm
Bugs Bunny - 4th July Tribute. 2014 by Stephen B Whatley
Painted on 4th July, a tribute to the classic Warner Bros. animated cartoon star, Bugs Bunny, by expressionist artist Stephen B Whatley.
Whatley has a great affection for the USA - & cartoons - and often chooses to paint on significant anniversaries. His work has been published in TIME and visitors to London can see a permanent public walkway of his 30 paintings commissioned by the Tower of London, outside Tower Hill Station, London.
Familiar to generations through his antics in the Looney Toons cartoons, Bugs Bunny first came to prominence in the Academy-award nominated cartoon Tex Avery -directed cartoon A Wild Hare (1940). The Oscar would eventually be awarded to his cartoon, Knighty Knight Bugs (1958) (featuring Yosemite Sam).
Bugs Bunny, originally voiced by Mel Blanc, has gone through a variety of stylizations - and the artist worked a from a variety of images to capture the essence of his character; particularly focusing on his 1950s look.
Some interesting facts about the fame of Bugs Bunny:
Every year from 1945 to 1961, he was voted "top animated character" by movie theatre owners. In 1976 when Americans were polled about their favourite character, real or imaginary , Bugs Bunny came in second - behind Abraham Lincoln; and in 1997 he was the first cartoon star to appear on a US postage stamp.
Oil on canvas
35.5 x 24in/90 x 60cm