Donald Duck, Banksy And The Tree Graffiti, Separated At Birth

Posted in: Comics, Current News, Swipe File | Tagged: banksy, donald duck

Donald Duck of Holland, and Banksy’s tree graffiti of London in a very special Bleeding Cool “Separated At Birth” article.

Article Summary

Banksy’s latest mural in Holloway stuns with tree illusion using local green paint.

A similar concept appeared in a January ‘Donald Duck’ Dutch comic book issue.

The comic’s artist “Ducksy” eerily presages Banksy’s tree-themed street art.

Exploring art’s creative process and coincidental parallels in “Separated at Birth”.

Sometimes life imitates art. And sometimes art imitates art imitates art imitates art. Earlier this month, Banksy painted a wall in Holloway in North London, in front of the stumps of a hideously cutback tree. It made headlines the world over.

The green paint used matches Islington’s own municipal green colour used on the council estate street signs and gives the impression of a tree full of foliage, but sprayed on by a council worker.

But back in January, the popular Dutch comic book Donald Duck published “The Myseterious Kladdo” storyline by Ger Apeldoorn and Daniel Pérez, in which a mysterious graffiti artist makes fun of uncle Scrooge. Uncle Scrooge rewards whomever finds out who the artist is and so Donald tries to find the artist in order to get the reward. But every time he is about to find him, he falls asleep, so you can see where this is going. Especially after the artist signs his name as “Ducksy”. So clearly based on Banksy, sure, but this is the cover to the comic book in question.

Now, it is very unlikely that Banksy a) saw this comic on a Dutch newsstand and b) decised to actually reproduce it himself. But it is one of those very weird coincidences.

Separated At Birth used to be called Swipe File, in which we present two or more images that resemble each other to some degree. They may be homages, parodies, ironic appropriations, coincidences, or works of the lightbox. We trust you, the reader, to make that judgment yourself. If you are unable to do so, we ask that you please return your eyes to their maker before any further damage is done. Separated At Borth doesn’t judge; it is interested more in the process of creation, how work influences other work, how new work comes from old, and sometimes how the same ideas emerge simultaneously as if their time has just come. The Swipe File was named after the advertising industry habit where writers and artists collect images and lines they admire to inspire them in their work. It was swiped from the Comic Journal, who originally ran a similar column and the now-defunct Swipe Of The Week website, but Separated At Birth is considered a less antagonistic title.

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