Today, we discussed Pop art, a term first used in England. We began by talking about Andy Warhol. Warhol started as a commercial artist and in the 60’s he started making work based on mass media. We see Elvis, Jackie Kennedy, the Electric Chair, and a car crash. These subjects appear to have a sort of dark meaning behind them. Warhol would play with the colors in his work to remind you it is not a direct representation. We also see multiple images of the same figures to show it is from mass media. It is clear Warhol is commenting on fame/ celebrities. This is his way of saying everyone will have their 15 minutes of fame at some point.
We also talked about Richard Serra and “process art”. We looked at his Corner Prop. This is a confrontational element. Something that weighs a ton is just simply propped up. It gives off a fearful element as there is uncertainty about its stability. It also explores what it means to have a mass of something.
Next, we talked about Sol Lewitt, which I particularly enjoyed. We looked at his Seven Walls and Wall Drawing #559, both at the Colby Museum of Art. His Wall Drawing was installed in 2013 using clothes and blending to make the colors/work. It is important to note Sol himself did not install these works at the museum. Instead, multiple artists did as we have bought the rights to reproduce his work. This is with the saying that “the idea or concept is more important than the work”.
We talked about the Post-Modern Era of Art since 1980. In this Era, art has shifted to a greater focus on themes and subjects. Modernism is the master narrative. We see linear and connected notions. I found Robert Venturi’s Vann Venturi House interesting as it rejected the international style. This is against the saying “Less is more” by Ludwig Mies Van Dev Rohe. Comically, in Venturi’s book, he states, “Less is a bore”. This is a playful jab at Mies as he states he wants to have fun. The Venturi house is not symmetrical, but it does reference traditional elements. In a sense he “plays” with it. I also found Jean-Michel Basquiat’s graffiti work very intriguing as well. He utilized the symbol SAMO@ for his works. He also collaborated with Warhol prior to his passing.