Illustrator Robert Meganck with works from his new exhibit, “See What I Hear” (Photo by Jay Paul)
We all know what a particular song sounds like, but one Richmond artist imagines what his favorite songs look like in the new exhibit “See What I Hear.” Illustrator and Virginia Commonwealth University Professor Emeritus Robert Meganck is showcasing 45 of his favorite musical interpretations at Artspace gallery and Boyd Realty Group in the Stratford Hills Shopping Center through Sept. 16.
Meganck’s pieces are like love letters to his favorite songs. Resembling covers for 33 rpm (12-inch) and 45 rpm (7-inch) recordings, the dozens of designs are as different in style as the songs they represent. He captures the whimsy of “Octopus’s Garden,” the heartbreak of “Fire and Rain,” the serenity of “Into the Mystic,” and the politics of “Zombie.” He embodies the loneliness of “Angel From Montgomery,” the joy in “Crocodile Rock” and the funky vibe of “Superstition.”
Meganck illustrated his first song in April 2020 as a eulogy to his favorite musician, singer-songwriter John Prine, after learning Prine had died from COVID-19 complications.
“I was just listening to his music, staring at my blank computer screen, when I started typing the words to [Prine’s 1971 song] ‘Hello in There’ and drawing over them in Photoshop,” he recalls. “The song and the mood seemed so relevant to the times, with all of us secluded and with everything shut down.”
Meganck posted the illustration with a tribute to Prine on Facebook, and the comments came flooding in. “It felt good to get closure and connect with other fans,” he says. “It’s sad I’ll never hear another new John Prine song, but I realized I can reinterpret his songs and share how I see them.”
The next week, Meganck sat back down to illustrate a Leonard Cohen song, then a Jason Isbell song the week after. He found the work energizing after retiring — he’d spent 40 years teaching illustration, graphic design, color theory and digital imaging at VCU. Week after week, he selected a new song to analyze, design and share. Since then, he’s created more than 180 illustrations. He’s covered the newer works of Alicia Keys, Adele and Brandi Carlisle as well as classics from The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Big Mama Thornton and genres spanning rock, country, folk, punk and the blues.
“In every piece I embed the lyrics, because the words and the message are what it’s all about,” he says.
Music and art have been instrumental to Meganck’s life since he was a kid growing up in Detroit. His parents often played Motown and rock ’n’ roll and took him to the Detroit Institute of Arts, where he was drawn at a young age to the colors and style of Diego Rivera, Vincent Van Gogh and Pablo Picasso.
The music of Roy Orbison carried him through high school, and after a stint in the army, Meganck felt an instant connection to John Prine. “He was actually in the army in Germany the same time I was,” he recalls. “He just has a way with lyrics that other songwriters don’t. He’s so relatable.”
When Meganck and his wife of 50 years were first dating, they drove 100 miles to hear John Prine perform in a coffee shop. When they had a family, they played music on the long road trips from Virginia to Detroit, awarding points to the child who identified the song the fastest. “The kids loved John Prine because they could sing along,” he says. “Their favorite was ‘Please Don’t Bury Me’ because they got to yell out the part ‘kiss my ass goodbye’— which was the only time they didn’t get in trouble for swearing.”
Meganck is not planning to stop his musical art series any time soon. While he loves discovering a new favorite song from former students, friends or satellite radio, he says there’s nothing like listening to his old vinyls and allowing the images and memories to wash over him.
“There’s a point in the process when the hair on your arm stands up — it’s a rush you get — and you know the piece is going to work,” he says.
At the show, his prints will be available for sale, from $50 to $190 for larger framed pieces. People are also welcome simply to admire the exhibit and take a walk down memory lane.
“We all have an association with certain songs, songs that can take us back to a particular time and place,” he says. “I’m hoping people will come to the show, make a connection to the songs and remember a good time in their life.”
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