The Art: Philip Dick
The Artist: Nicolas Rosenfeld, aka Rosenfeldtown
Philip K. Dick was many things. An author. A philosopher. A social commentator. He was also a psychonaut, working under the influence of psychoactive drugs to reflect on questions that would come to define the future of humanity.
It is this side of the writer that Argentinian illustrator Rosenfeldtown captures strikingly in his piece, Philip Dick.
Fans of Dick’s work will see references abound. A bottle of pills lies scattered on the table. The lights on some kind of machine blink in the darkness behind his head, seeming to imply that Dick is an android (and leave us questioning whether he knows it or not). There’s even a cat with a third eye; a symbol of enlightenment probably inspired by Dick’s affection and respect for the animals.
Philip Dick is more than a tip of the hat to fans though. Rosenfeldtown paints the picture of a man whose mind worked, it could be said, out of time. The gaudy wallpaper looks straight out of the 60s, yet a blur outside the porthole suggests this room – perhaps it is his office – is not unlike a spaceship propelling him into the future. From a certain perspective, Dick almost looks like he’s sitting in a futuristic captain’s chair.
The piece is just one of the psychonaut profiles crafted by Rosenfeldtown. Each is defined by its vibrancy, intelligent symbolism, and clear love for the subject.
You can find more of his work over on DeviantArt (warning: some images are NSFW).