Leonard Baskin — American Artist

Leonard Baskin was an American sculptor, illustrator, wood-engraver, printmaker, graphic artist, writer and teacher... (wikipedia)

Of course, I did lots of what would be called graphic design now, what used to be called commercial art.
Art is man's distinctly human way of fighting death.
Pop art is the inedible raised to the unspeakable.
I think there is an element of nihilism about, but I don't think most artists feel their work is meaningless.
The art schools... you get young kids doing the most vile and meaningless crap. I think they believe every bit of it.