WET Magazine

WET: The Magazine of Gourmet Bathing was one of the most 'seminal' publications of the 1970s and early 80s. Founded by Leonard Koren in 1976 it ran thirty-four issues before closing in 1981. The idea for the magazine grew out of the artwork Leonard Koren was doing at the time—what he termed ‘bath art’—and followed on the heels of a party he threw at the Pico-Burnside Baths. WET covered a range of cultural issues and was widely known for its use of graphic art. Started as a simple one-man operation that included artwork and text solicited from friends and acquaintances, the production, team, and circulation of the magazine would grow over the years. Its content also evolved to cover a wider expanse of stories that captured a smart and artsy Los Angeles attitude that was emerging at the same time as punk, but with its own distinct aesthetic. The magazine’s energetic creativity and flair for the absurd would remain a constant. As design problems arose, solutions were often improvised on the spot, creating a quirky editorial sensibility that remains one of WET's most enduring legacies. Its layout and design helped to catalyze the graphic styles later known as New Wave and Postmodern.

WET's covers always looked slightly weird, possibly due to the fragmented editorials. I think they look quite conflicted, as though several artists wanted to do several other things with it but were overruled. I feel that the mood of the artists influenced the front covers very much. I think the yellow cover is the most conflicted because there are so many warring elements. Also the woman's eyes go sideways and she looks angry. The birds flying around her look like aeroplanes, a powerful war symbol.