Bob Dylan's epic song recorded on August 4th, 1965 has been brought to life into the form of a fine art painting. Every detail has been thoughtfully constructed from the original song lyrics. Not a character or mentioned element has been left out of this one-of- a-kind piece. I set the painting in Duluth Minnesota where Bob was born and where the infamous hangings took place on the corner of 1st Street and 2nd Avenue as seen in the painting. Notice Bob and his Lady "look out tonight from Desolation Row". He still has the letter "I received your letter yesterday" and the doorknob "about the time the doorknob broke" in his hand from the final verse of the song. Many other elements of Bob Dylan's career have also been represented throughout the art piece. From his crashed Triumph motorcycle to his obvious Heaven's Door depiction. Mr. Tambourine Man and the Diplomat with his Siamese cat on his back make an appearance, just to name a few. A historical piece of art for any Bob Dylan and Desolation Row fan.
My name is Shane Balkowitsch and I have collaborated with artist Theo Cobb to bring to life my vision of the historical song. After doing and exhaustive search we believe this has never been depicted before. The process started over 2 years ago and is finally complete. The Original piece of Art is 48" by 26" in size and is an oil painting on canvas. Hundreds of hours of research, sketching and rendering have been put into this piece and any Bob Dylan fan who knows the song will surely appreciate the scope of this piece.
Now available to any Bob Dylan fan on a stretched museum quality canvas full color print available in the above two sizes. If you order the 48" by 24" version it is the exact size as the original work of art.
Your print is printed using the finest museum printing technology available onto museum quality canvas material and coated with a UV coated acrylic finish to protect the image from dust, moisture and fading. The print is "Museum Wrapped" which provides a clean look from front, side, and back with the full image showing and white sides exposed all around. The canvas is wrapped around a thick 1" wooden support bars to create a finished look that allows you to hang without a frame. The image is stapled to the back of the stretcher bars beautiful texture of canvas enhances the artwork and makes the work perfectly suitable to hang directly onto the wall without mat, frame or glass.
To find out more about the artist Theo Cobb click here.
Additional Key Features Incorporated into Artwork:
- Heaven's Door hovering in air from song "Knocking on Heaven's Door"
- Rolling Stone rolling across scene from song "Like a Rolling Stone"
- Guns and Badge on the Ground from song "Knocking on Heaven's Door"
- Tambourine Man in the crowd from the song "Mr. Tambourine Man"
- Diplomat with his Siamese Cat "with your diplomat, who carried on his shoulder a Siamese cat" from song "Like a Rolling Stone"
- Nude woman on "Big Brass Bed" from song Lay Lady Lay
- Jakob Dylan in window near his Wallflowers graffiti
- Bob's wrecked Triumph motorcycle from his accident
- Diamond Pawn Shop "But you'd better take your diamond ring, you'd better pawn it babe" from song "Like a Rolling Stone"
- Storm Shelter on Sign from song "Shelter from the Storm"
- Suze Rotolo is depicted as Bob's Lady, near in in the window "looking out tonight over Desolation Row"
Lyrics of the Song:
They're selling postcards of the hanging
They're painting the passports brown
The beauty parlor is filled with sailors
The circus is in town
Here comes the blind commissioner
They've got him in a trance
One hand is tied to the tight-rope walker
The other is in his pants
And the riot squad they're restless
They need somewhere to go
As Lady and I look out tonight
From Desolation Row Cinderella, she seems so easy
"It takes one to know one," she smiles
And puts her hands in her back pockets
Bette Davis style
And in comes Romeo, he's moaning
"You Belong to Me I Believe"
And someone says," You're in the wrong place, my friend
You better leave"
And the only sound that's left
After the ambulances go
Is Cinderella sweeping up
On Desolation Row
Now the moon is almost hidden
The stars are beginning to hide
The fortunetelling lady
Has even taken all her things inside
All except for Cain and Abel
And the hunchback of Notre Dame
Everybody is making love
Or else expecting rain
And the Good Samaritan, he's dressing
He's getting ready for the show
He's going to the carnival tonight
On Desolation Row
Now Ophelia, she's 'neath the window
For her I feel so afraid
On her twenty-second birthday
She already is an old maid
To her, death is quite romantic
She wears an iron vest
Her profession's her religion
Her sin is her lifelessness
And though her eyes are fixed upon
Noah's great rainbow
She spends her time peeking
Into Desolation Row
Einstein, disguised as Robin Hood
With his memories in a trunk
Passed this way an hour ago
With his friend, a jealous monk
He looked so immaculately frightful
As he bummed a cigarette
Then he went off sniffing drainpipes
And reciting the alphabet
Now you would not think to look at him
But he was famous long ago
For playing the electric violin
On Desolation Row
Dr. Filth, he keeps his world
Inside of a leather cup
But all his sexless patients
They're trying to blow it up
Now his nurse, some local loser
She's in charge of the cyanide hole
And she also keeps the cards that read
"Have Mercy on His Soul"
They all play on penny whistles
You can hear them blow
If you lean your head out far enough
From Desolation Row
Across the street they've nailed the curtains
They're getting ready for the feast
The Phantom of the Opera
A perfect image of a priest
They're spoonfeeding Casanova
To get him to feel more assured
Then they'll kill him with self-confidence
After poisoning him with words
And the Phantom's shouting to skinny girls
"Get Outa Here If You Don't Know
Casanova is just being punished for going
To Desolation Row"
Now at midnight all the agents
And the superhuman crew
Come out and round up everyone
That knows more than they do
Then they bring them to the factory
Where the heart-attack machine
Is strapped across their shoulders
And then the kerosene
Is brought down from the castles
By insurance men who go
Check to see that nobody is escaping
To Desolation Row
Praise be to Nero's Neptune
The Titanic sails at dawn
And everybody's shouting
"Which Side Are You On?"
And Ezra Pound and T. S. Eliot
Fighting in the captain's tower
While calypso singers laugh at them
And fishermen hold flowers
Between the windows of the sea
Where lovely mermaids flow
And nobody has to think too much
About Desolation Row
Yes, I received your letter yesterday
(About the time the door knob broke)
When you asked how I was doing
Was that some kind of joke?
All these people that you mention
Yes, I know them, they're quite lame
I had to rearrange their faces
And give them all another name
Right now I can't read too good
Don't send me no more letters no
Not unless you mail them
From Desolation Row
CLICK HERE to view a montage of the Desolation Row Painting
The original artwork "Desolation Row" and all images or copies of said artwork are the intellectual property of Shane Balkowitsch. Copyright 2008, all Rights Reserved. No copies of this artwork can be produced, reproduced or transmitted in any form without expressed written approval from Shane Balkowitsch. Desolation Row Lyrics Copyright ?1965; renewed 1993 Special Rider Music, Property of Bob Dylan.