Following the raindrop hitting water motif of Eisner’s exhibit, “Mountain Stream Ringtone” in Belgium, there is no doubt that the artist’s book, Louie, Louie draws upon similar themes. Eisner introduced his exhibit as an “oasis of heightened consciousness,” encouraging viewers to “inhale deeply and bask in oneness with the universe” and enjoy “superior relaxation, rejuvenation, and hydration services.”
Playful and ironic, Eisner advertised his exhibition as an experience akin to a new beauty product, kitchen appliance, or technological device, with nature taking center stage. In Louie, Louie, nature’s seemingly majestic ability to calm, relax, and provide a sense of groundedness is emphasized through the form of a thick flip book, as mesmerized readers watch raindrops slowly and delicately hit water’s surface. The pages of the book follow a gradient, darkest on both ends and fading lighter towards the center, following the hours of a day from sunrise to sunset. Through juxtaposing expressive, abstract paintings with the soothing fall of rain, Eisner complicates the two dimensional model of nature advertisers draw upon with innovations like a ringtone of a mountain stream, with his own more organic portrayal of some of its effects: soothing, dramatic, wild, and cyclical.
