From an early age, Joyce disdained what he saw as the shabby Philistinism of his birthplace, Dublin, rejecting the Catholicism that dominated Irish culture in favor of a literary faith and a rebel's stance. Absolutely convinced of his genius, Joyce left for self-imposed exile in Europe in 1904, and b

Composed, Excessive, Expansive, Formless, Layered, Modernist literature, Moody, Playful, Postmodern fiction, Profane, Religious, Sprawling, Subtle

Joel and Ethan Coen cut their teeth on relatively low budget, fringe films. The black-humored brothers' deviant reinterpretations of Hollywood formulas laugh in the face of the studio system. Influenced more by cartoons, B-movies, and exploitation flicks than by pretentious prestige productions, the

Absurd, Bombast, Cartoonish, Grotesque, Playful, Smart, Witty

Alexander Calder brought motion to sculpture. An incredibly playful spirit, Calder channeled his joy into a deeply informed and influential body of work that spans mediums from simple line drawings to massive steel sculptures. Calder's work reminds us of childhood fantasies like infinite slides and

Candy, Collage, Elegant, Event, Kinetic, Kinetic art, Machinistic, Modern sculpture, Playful, Pop, Rhythmic, Spare

The Dutch architect Aldo van Eyck, a member of the loosely associated Team X, was deeply concerned with the spiritual vacuity of most modern architecture. Dismayed at Rotterdam's development since World War II, van Eyck was convinced that such industrial designs caused alienation and psychological di

Ciam, Expansive, Geometric, Open-ended, Playful, Round, Sincere, Team x