Critical Review
Man’s Best Friend 9 is a signed screen print on Saunders Waterford High White paper produced by renowned American artist and designer, KAWS in 2016. The print comes in an edition size of 100 and depicts Snoopy, the beloved cartoon character from the Peanuts comic. Snoopy is rendered in a loose, expressionist style using thick white lines against a black backdrop.
The print is part of the Man’s Best Friend collection, a series of 10 screen prints, all of which depict the iconic cartoon character in a sketch-like style. KAWS’ style in these prints differs from many of his other artworks in which the artist privileges bright and bold colours and sharply defined shapes. An interesting comparison can be made between the Man’s Best Friend collection and the Blame Game collection from 2014. Both collections depict the same cartoon character from different angles in each print, however the styles of the collections differ radically.
KAWS’ experimentation with his visual style in this collection reflects the artist’s impressive artistic range, creative flair and excellent talent as a draughtsman. While showcasing a new style, KAWS remains loyal to his love for and interest in animation and cartoons. The artist often takes well-known cartoon characters as the inspiration for his prints, as seen in the Kawsbob collection in which KAWS reconfigures SpongeBob Square Pants in his iconic visual style.
