Brilliant Illustrations Ridicule Modern Vice
The old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words finds substance in the illustrations of John Holcroft.
The old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words finds substance in the illustrations of John Holcroft. Since he began working 19 years ago, the UK-based artist has been creating pithy visual satires that poke at society’s foibles.
In an old-fashioned style reminiscent of screenprint ads from the 1940s and ’50s, Holcroft tackles themes like work, technology and our never-ending quest for happiness — routinely sabotaged by the age-old culprits of ego, greed, and laziness. One drawing features a trio of baby-faced businessmen suckling a at a piggybank; another shows a breakfast cereal that boosts narcissism by the bowl-full.
“I illustrate the things that are important to me,” Holcroft — whose clients include publications like The Guardian, The Economist and Financial Times — told Hyperallergic. “It just happens that a lot of what concerns me is political.”
