The Art Behind Portugal. The Man
MUSIC: Portugal. The Man
ARTIST: John Gourley
Not only is John Gourley the frontman and co-founder of Portugal. The Man, but he is also the genius and talent behind all of the band's art. From a small town in Alaska named Wasilla, Gourley had always been discouraged from pursuing art as anything more than a hobby. It wasn't until his involvement in the band until he really utilized this hidden talent. In the beginning, with little to no money to hire the right artists, Gourley decided to make the band's album cover art himself. Realizing how much the art really resonated with their aesthetic and identity, the band decided to keep rolling with it. What were small doodles and a side hobby quickly became so much more. Since then, Gourley has created every piece of art for Portugal. The Man while working with graphic designer Austin Sellers, from the album cover art, merch, and even the packaging for CDs and vinyls.
Gourley's artistic style is influenced by street artist Blu, really emphasizing doodle-like line work and selective coloration. Gourley likes to play around with juxtaposing pure line work on a white backgrounds with colorful photographic details. Portugal. The Man's album cover for Mountain in the Cloud, which was inspired by the art for The Beatles' Revolver album cover, really embodies this style.
The psychedelic effect produced by Gourley's art is achieved through his use of color and the layering of different mediums. Ink, paint wash, colored pencil, digital elements, cut out photographs, the combination of elements heavily texturizes and gives depth to his art. Much like Portugal. The Man's music, Gourley's art gives off a unconventional and raw feeling. Often free handing his art, Gourley spontaneously draws whatever he envisions in his mind. This leads to a tessellation of patterns, structureless lines, and various amorphous creatures.
By drawing on top of photographs ripped out of a fashion magazines, Gourley combines fantasy with reality, combining the two mediums to create haunting images. The doodles dehumanize the models in the photograph and transform them into the creatures that exist in Gourley's world.
Here are some pages from Gourley's journal. It's pretty cool to be able to get a glimpse of what goes on in his mind.
Here's a video where you can watch Gourley's drawing process.
Recently, Gourley has been very into making Portugal. The Man memes and his own Simpson's vaporwave compilations (But with Portugal songs, of course). You can check that out on his instagram, johngourleysglasses.