20th Century History Paintings - Essay Example

?Running Head: ART TIMELINE 20th century history paintings: Americana, celebrity, and iconic imagery, through painting with multimedia features Class University 20th century history paintings: Americana, celebrity, and iconic imagery, through painting with multimedia features Fig.1 J. M. Flagg. Uncle Sam, 1917 Using his own face as the basis for this now iconic figure, J. M. Flagg created the work for a piece of propaganda intended to increase recruitment for the U.S. armed forces. The purpose of the work was purely as a form of advertisement and propaganda in which the war was framed as a part of the patriotic duty of all young men to give their time and lives, if need be, for the benefit of the war effort. Created for World War I, the piece was reprinted in poster format the nature of the work part art, part advertising in which an objective was set for its use (Perman, 2008). . Fig 2 J. Howard Miller Rosie the Riveter, 1942 A powerful image for the war effort of World War II, Rosie the Riveter, also created for reprinting on multiple posters and created by Westinghouse artist J. Howard Miller, was a popular icon that supported the effort at home through the work of women as the men were soldiers across the ocean. Through this imagery, the inspiration of hard work with a purpose became a way in which to encourage women to step out of their homes and fill the positions that had been left open by their men. Although now considered somewhat controversial as feminist realize that the intent of the image was to free women temporarily, it still represents the collaborative efforts between the genders towards the war (Hall & Hall, 2006). Fig. 3 Richard Hamilton. Just what is it that makes today’s home so different, so appealing?1956 Representing modern life through images that reflected Western ideals of the 1950s, this work by Richard Hamilton supports both the consumerist aesthetic and the innocence with which life was framed during that period. Through a collage piece that utilized painted aspects, the piece creates irony and amusement through a crazed, idealism that supports the consumerist aspects of the society. The piece measures 10 ? by 9 ?, so it is not very large, but it supports a great number of concepts in a very small frame. The work is iconic in that the images are representative of American life. Fig.4 Jasper Johns. Three Flags, 1958 Jasper Johns used the imagery of the flag to create a commentary on his own feelings of patriotism and the graphic nature of imagery that evokes a spirit in its interpretation. This piece is charcoal and graphite pencil on three boards, layered and overall measuring 11X16. In looking at the work, the image provides for propaganda that supplies a variety of emotional reactions to the pieces that he has created. The flag being a common theme in his work, he worked towards evoking a language of geometry in balance with the expressionistic values of the painting. Through both the commentary through painting theories and through the thematic explorations of the imagery of the flag, Johns evoked a sense of the American spirit within his work. Fig.5 Andy Warhol. Two Elvis, 1963. Andy Warhol memorialized some of the more important icons of his period. Created as a screenprint composition, the piece of work is 75.9X103.2 cm. This piece, titled Two Elvis, creates a powerful, yet poignant image of Elvis Presley, dressed from a movie in classic Americana Western attire. The power of the image is revealed through its graphic statement and its pathos in which the sweetness of his face is counterbalanced in the heroism that he is portraying. Tinged with the violence that is exampled by the gun that he holds, the figure of Elvis ignites patriotism, nostalgia, and a sense of idolatry through the iconic image of the King of Rock and Roll. Fig. 6 Robert Rauschenberg. Axle, 1964 Robert Rauschenberg created art that combined objects, collage, and painting techniques to incorporate the idea of multi-media works with historically relevant imagery. This work, created using collage and encaustic paint, is 274X610cm. The work combines aspects of Action Painting and Neo-Dadaism that has reminiscences of Kurt Schwitter’s collage work and Duchamp’s ready-mades (Ruhrberg & Walther, 2000). Rauschenberg was focused on combining life with art, the pieces reflecting something of substance that provides a sense of both the time period in which it is created and through working in the gap that exists between art and life; he created historically relevant works that spoke of their time and to the future. Fig. 7 Roy Lichtenstein, Drowning Girl, 1969 Roy Lichtenstein’s work was oversized and done with acrylic and polymer paints on canvas. This piece, measuring 67 5/8X66 ? inches, is just as impressive as all the other works. Using the contemporary medium of the comic book style in order to create commentary on modern life, Lichtenstein created iconic imagery in which the characterizations spoke towards the formation of American life. Even though the imagery evokes a certain objectification that is common in the comic book works, the heroine is stating her position of waiting for the trends of her male paramour to not be needed in creating a sense of salvation (Dorn, 1999). Fig. 8 Jasper Johns Flag (Moratorium), 1969 This version of his flag motif was created specifically for an exhibit that was intended as a protest to end the war in Vietnam. The Art Workers’ Coalition organized the ‘Moratorium of the Art to End the War in Vietnam’ (Chihuly, Burgard, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, & M.H. de Young Memorial Museum, 2008). While Jasper Johns had rarely made any controversial commentaries in order to support the commercial nature of his artwork, he came out in support of the efforts to end the war, clearly stated through the use of a camouflage styled coloration on the stripes and the orange field for the stars which can be considered representative of the chemical agent orange in this work created to become a poster. Fig 9 Robert Rauschenberg, Signs, 1970 This piece by Rauschenberg reveals the most iconic imagery during the Vietnam War, a piece that was constructed with collage in order to comment on the state of the American culture at the time. The use of both people from politics as well as the music industry, the commentary is made retrospectively as the era of the 1960s are discussed for the highly visible and relevance of the music, politics, and pop art of the era through examining some of the more iconic images within this work. The collage work allowed for a compilation of those people who had made the events possible. Fig. 10 Andy Warhol. Farrah Fawcett Portrait, 1979 Recently spotted in the possession of Ryan O’Neal, this portrait of Farrah Fawcett from 1979 captured the beauty of the actress/model, contrasted with the stark contrast of the cosmetic coloration. The portrait is one of many that Warhol created in reference to media icons, all of which created a commentary on the commercialization of the celebrity, the nature of consumerism in relationship to the objectification of an individual whose life became the property of the public. Through this photographic image, enhanced with paint, for an icon of the time period, Fawcett was a good representation of the 1970s version of celebrity, her beauty having been used in poster sales and television programs to promote consumer activity (Bernier, 2011). List of Illustrations Fig.1 J. Howard Miller Rosie the Riveter, 1942. Retrieved from http://museumca.org/calend ar/om ca-lecture-rosie-the-riveter-and-the-world-war-ii-home-front-oral-history-project Fig.2 J. M. Flagg. Uncle Sam, 1917. Retrieved from http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Fa ll98/Wolfe/ Fig. 3 1 Richard Hamilton. Just what is it that makes today’s home so different, so appealing?1956. Retrieved from http://sewloquacious.blogspot.com/2011/02/march-on- to-pop-art-dress-up-2011.html Fig. 4 Jasper Johns. Three Flags, 1958. Retrieved from http://www.newyorkartworld.c om/commentary/JasperJohnsThreeFlags.htmlFig. Fig. 5 Jasper Johns Flag (Moratorium), 1969. Retrieved from http:// rogallery.com/Johns_Jasper/w-85/johns_flags.htm Fig. 6 Andy Warhol Two Elvis, 1963. Retrieved from http://olivegreenanna.blogspot. com/2011/02/museum-ludwig-cologne-germany.html Fig. 7 Robert Rauschenberg. Axle, 1964. Retrieved from http://olivegreenanna.blogspot.com /2011/02/museum-ludwig-cologne-germany.html Fig. 8 Roy Lichtenstein, Drowning Girl, 1969. Retrieved from http://sewloqu acious.blogspot.com/2011/02/march-on-to-pop-art-dress-up-2011.html Fig 9 Robert Rauschenberg, Signs, 1970. Retrieved from http://gingermaye rson.com/LACollage/CollageBkIntroPix/Rauschenberg.jpg Fig. 10 Andy Warhol. Farrah Fawcett Portrait,1979. Retrieved from http://kutnews.org/post/has-ut-finally-tracked-down-missing-farrah-fawcett-portrait References Bernier, N. (23 June 2011). Has UT finally tracked down missing Farrah Fawcett portrait? News for Austin. Retrieved from http://kutnews.org/post/has-ut-finally-tracked-down-missing- farrah-fawcett-portrait Chihuly, D., Burgard, T. A., Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco., & M.H. de Young Memorial Museum. (2008). The art of Dale Chihuly. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. Dorn, C. M. (1999). Mind in art: Cognitive foundations in art education. New York: Taylor and Francis, Inc. Gardner, H., & Kleiner, F. S. (2010). Gardner's art through the ages: A concise Western history. Boston, MA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning. Hall, D. & Hall, S. G. (2006). American icons: 1. Westport, Conn. [u.a.: Greenwood Press. Perman, C. (2008). New York curiosities: Quirky characters, roadside oddities & other offbeat stuff. Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot Press. Ruhrberg, K., & Walther, I. F. (2000). Art of the 20th century. Ko?ln: Taschen. Read More