Christopher Vezza

Drawing upon a cross-century methodology, my research explores the bimedial art of twentieth century record sleeves by analogy with emblematics of the Renaissance and Baroque eras. Which motifs may be hidden in the art of record sleeves that likewise proved popular in the Early Modern emblem tradition? Might one discover tripartite structures comprising title, image and text that evoke the emblema triplex of Andrea Alciato's pioneering and first-of-its-kind Emblematum Liber of 1531? Do certain sleeves conceal allegorical meanings that require an intricate process of decoding on the part of the receiver, much like the way emblems involved innovative reading practices and symbolic modes?

By way of case studies, I examine particular sleeves that may be considered 'emblematic', including designs by Alex Steinweiss, Burt Goldblatt, Storm Thorgeson and Winston Smith. Distinguishable by their unique bimediality, these sleeves form the basis of my argument for new parallels between the modern age and the Aetas Emblematica of the Early Modern period.