Cool S
The Cool S is a graffiti sign in popular culture that is typically doodled on children's notebooks or graffitied on walls. The exact origin of the Cool S is unknown, but an instance was found in an 1890 geometry textbook[1] and it became prevalent around the early 1970s as a part of graffiti culture.[2][3]
Shape
The Cool S consists of 14 line segments, forming a stylized, pointed S-shape. It has also been compared to the infinity symbol.[4] The tails (pointy ends) of the S appear to link underneath so that it loops around on itself in the same way as the infinity symbol does.[5] The Cool S has no reflection symmetry, but has 2-fold rotational symmetry.
History
The exact origin of the symbol is unclear.[6]
In 1973, Jon Naar's famous photographs of graffiti in New York featured the symbol many times, identical to its modern form. Jean-Michel Basquiat's artworks occasionally had the symbol hidden somewhere, and in the one titled Olive Oil from 1982 it is labelled as the "classic S of graff".[7]
The name "Superman S" comes from a belief that it was a symbol for Superman, whose costume features a stylized S in a diamond shape, but that shape is quite different. Although frequently referred to as the Stüssy S, Emmy Coats (who has worked alongside Shawn Stussy since 1985) has stated that it was never a symbol of the Californian surf company.[8] In 2010 the company uploaded a video to Vimeo[9] and later to YouTube[10] in which one of Jon Naar's 1973 photographs of the symbol can be seen.[non-primary source needed]
Paul Cobley, a professor in language and media at Middlesex University in London, said this about the Cool S symbol: "The reason kids go through this is probably because it's a Moebius strip. It can't be drawn continuously, but it does have a perpetual flow".[11]
See also
- Henohenomoheji
- Emoticon
- Twin mountain drawing
- Kilroy was here
- Sator Square
References
- ↑ Shepherd, Rebecca (August 14, 2019). "This Guy Spent Five Years Researching The Origins Of The 'Universal S'". https://www.ladbible.com/entertainment/interesting-this-guy-spent-five-years-researching-the-origins-of-the-universal-s-20190814.[better source needed]
- ↑ Mailer, Norman (2009). The Faith of Graffiti. It Books. ISBN 978-0-06-196170-0.[page needed]
- ↑ "Interview_Gribble1". 2019-08-20. http://www.handselecta.com/interview_gribbl.html.
- ↑ Lindwasser, Anna. "Here's The Story Behind That Cool 'S' Thing You Used To Draw In Class". https://www.ranker.com/list/story-behind-that-s-thing/anna-lindwasser.
- ↑ "Local Investigates: The Mysterious S Symbol". NYU Local. February 12, 2014. https://nyulocal.com/local-investigates-the-mysterious-s-symbol-9254626b8225#.9jqdl0p67.
- ↑ Neelon, Caleb (November 23, 2010). "Solve the Mystery of the Pointy S". Print Magazine. http://www.printmag.com/imprint/solve-the-mystery-of-the-pointy-s/.
- ↑ Hoffman, Fred (2017). The Art of Jean-Michel Basquiat. New York: Enrico Navarra Gallery. p. 211. ISBN 978-2-911596-53-7. https://issuu.com/jeanmichelhoffman/docs/the_art_of_jean-michel_basquiat_by_. ""The double 'S' markings on the center piece resemble other marks and gestures found in Basquiat's paintings from this time [...] While it became less and less a part of Basquiat's art production, there are continued references to graffiti style in his paintings and works on paper, such as the 'S' symbol.""
- ↑ Morgans, Julian (July 23, 2016). "That 'S' Thing Everyone Drew in School, What Is It?". Vice. https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/gqkj5j/that-s-thing-everyone-drew-in-school-what-is-it. "No, this is not an original Stussy Logo [...] I personally get asked this a lot, but people have been drawing this S long before Stussy was established. People have just assumed it was Stussy and it's sort of spread from there. It's actually quite amusing."
- ↑ "Stussy - Jon Naar". Stüssy. 8 March 2010. https://vimeo.com/9997635#t=1m38s.
- ↑ "Stussy - Jon Naar". StussyVideo. May 26, 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1m39s&v=iN9fQxxgBw8. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Morgans, Julian. "What the Hell Was That 'S' Thing Everyone Drew in School?". Vice. https://www.vice.com/en/article/gqkj5j/that-s-thing-everyone-drew-in-school-what-is-it.
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