Rodney Greenblat
Encyclopedia
Rodney Alan Greenblat, born August 23, 1960 in San Francisco, California
, is an American
graphic artist known best in the United States
for the visual style of the computer games PaRappa the Rapper
and UmJammer Lammy
, and in Japan
for his comic Thunder Bunny. He was also the character designer for the PaRappa Rappa
anime
that was released in Japan. He is also credited with the cover art from the self-titled first album of They Might Be Giants
. He is currently an abstract
painter in New York.
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1995
1996
1997
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
graphic artist known best in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for the visual style of the computer games PaRappa the Rapper
PaRappa the Rapper
is a rhythm video game for the Sony PlayStation created by Masaya Matsuura and his NanaOn-Sha company....
and UmJammer Lammy
UmJammer Lammy
is a rhythm video game developed by NanaOn-Sha and published by Sony for the PlayStation video game console. UmJammer Lammy is a spin-off of PaRappa the Rapper, also released for the PlayStation...
, and in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
for his comic Thunder Bunny. He was also the character designer for the PaRappa Rappa
PaRappa Rappa
is a 2001 Japanese anime series aimed towards children in Japan that consists of 30 episodes. It features the rapping dog PaRappa and his friends in different adventures...
anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
that was released in Japan. He is also credited with the cover art from the self-titled first album of They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants (album)
They Might Be Giants is the eponymous debut album from Brooklyn-based band They Might Be Giants, also known as The Pink Album. It was released by Bar/None in 1986....
. He is currently an abstract
Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
painter in New York.
Computer and video games
- Rodney's Funscreen (Published by ActivisionActivisionActivision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
, 1992, PCIBM PC compatibleIBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
/Mac) - Rodney's Wonder Window (Published by Voyager, 1992, PC/Mac)
- Dazzleoids (Published by Voyager, 1994, PC/Mac)
- PaRappa the RapperPaRappa the Rapperis a rhythm video game for the Sony PlayStation created by Masaya Matsuura and his NanaOn-Sha company....
(Published by SonySony, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
, 1996, PS1PlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
) - Rodney's Funscreen 2 extreme (Published by InterlinkInterlinkInterlink Electronics is a technology company that specializes in manufacturing sensors that are used in electronic portable devices, such as smartphones, GPS systems, and in industrial computers and systems controls.-History:Founded in 1984...
, 1997, PC/Mac) - Rodney's Artbrain (Published by Interlink, 1997, PC/Mac)
- UmJammer LammyUmJammer Lammyis a rhythm video game developed by NanaOn-Sha and published by Sony for the PlayStation video game console. UmJammer Lammy is a spin-off of PaRappa the Rapper, also released for the PlayStation...
(Published by Sony, 1999, PS) - PaRappa the Rapper 2PaRappa the Rapper 2is a PlayStation 2 rhythm video game and the sequel to PaRappa the Rapper, although it is actually the third game in the series following UmJammer Lammy...
(Published by Sony, 2001, PS2PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
) - Major Minor's Majestic MarchMajor Minor's Majestic Marchis a music video game for the Wii. It was created by Parappa the Rapper designer Masaya Matsuura and famous artist Rodney Greenblat.Major Minor’s Majestic March uses the Wii Remote as a mace that the drum major, Major Minor, uses to keep tempo, recruit new band members and pick up valuable items...
(Published by Majesco, 2009, WiiWiiThe Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
)
Solo exhibition history
1982- The Threshold, Rodney Alan Greenblat. Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of DesignRhode Island School of DesignRhode Island School of Design is a fine arts and design college located in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1877. Located at the base of College Hill, the RISD campus is contiguous with the Brown University campus. The two institutions share social, academic, and community resources and...
, Providence, Rhode Island
1983
- Gracie Mansion Gallery, New York, New York
1984
- Time of Love. Galerie Anna Friebe, Cologne, Germany
1985
- The New World. Gracie Mansion Gallery, New York, New York
- Familiar-Frontiers. Australian Centre for Contemporary ArtAustralian Centre for Contemporary ArtThe Australian Centre For Contemporary Art is a contemporary art gallery in Melbourne, Australia. The gallery is located on Sturt Street in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, in the inner suburb of Southbank....
, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
1986
- House of Progress. Gracie Mansion Gallery, New York, New York
- The Tricentennial Room. Karl Bornstein Gallery, Los Angeles, California
1987
- Reality and Imagination; Two Taste Treats in One! Institute of Contemporary Art, PhiladelphiaInstitute of Contemporary Art, PhiladelphiaThe Institute of Contemporary Art or ICA is a contemporary art museum located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. The museum is associated with the University of Pennsylvania, and is located on its campus. The Institute is one of the country's leading museums dedicated to exhibiting the innovative...
, Pennsylvania - Reality and Imagination; Two Taste Treats in One! Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston, Texas
- The Scenic Route. Gracie Mansion Gallery, New York, New York
1988
- Design Your Own Future. Walker Art CenterWalker Art CenterThe Walker Art Center is a contemporary art center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The Walker is considered one of the nation's "big five" museums for modern art along with the Museum of Modern Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim Museum and the Hirshhorn...
, Minneapolis, Minnesota
1989
- John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco, California
1990
- Cosmic Adhesive. Gracie Mansion Gallery, New York, New York
1991
- The Center for Advanced Whimsy. Carpenter Arts Center, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
1992
- Land Ho! The Mythic World of Rodney A. Greenblat. Museum of Art, Roanoke, Virginia
- Land Ho! The Mythic World of Rodney A. Greenblat. Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, Virginia
1993
- Technoweenie. PPOW, New York, New York
- Land Ho! The Mythic World of Rodney A. Greenblat. World Financial CenterWorld Financial CenterThe World Financial Center is a complex of buildings across West Street from the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan in New York City, overlooking the Hudson River. This complex is home to offices of companies including Merrill Lynch, RBC Capital Markets, Nomura Group, the Wall Street...
, New York, New York
1995
- Rodney Time. Creation Gallery G8, Ginza, Tokyo, Japan
1996
- Rodney's Late Breakfast at Milk. Milk, Ebisu, Tokyo, Japan
1997
- Rodney Adventure. Discovery Museum, Bridgeport, Connecticut