Jean-Michel Basquiat - Bio & Video: Interview, Paintings, Warhol & Clients
July 14, 2008
American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) gained popularity first as a graffiti artist in New York City. Later, he was recognised as a successful 1980s-era Neo-expressionist artist. Jean-Michel Basquiat grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where he initially created graffiti on subways, signing them with SAMO© (standing for “SAMe Old shit”). In 1980 Basquait participated in his first exhibition, the Times Square Show. His fame and friendship with Andy Warhol, began a year later. The artists admired each other, and collaborated in nearly one hundred works. Basquiat’s paintings still... Read more »
Pop Artist Peter Max
June 14, 2008
Pop Artist Peter Max, like his contemporary Andy Warhol, had his artistic way with iconic figures: while Warhol captured Marilyn and Liz in Day-Glo glory, Max caught the visages of the Statue of Liberty, the Mona Lisa and George Washington in vibrant Technicolor (they both took a turn with Mick Jagger). But Max is the softer character in both art and life: his canvases are happier, swirlier, and he’s a lot less hip. Perhaps it’s his unabashed patriotism and his thorough endorsement by the establishment (though not necessarily the art world establishment). Today, Peter Max has had many... Read more »
Pop Art Forerunner Robert Rauschenberg died at 82
May 18, 2008
The American artist Robert Rauschenberg passed away May 13 at age 82. Rauschenberg gained fame in the 1950s transition from Abstract Expressionism to Pop Art. Several of his works — including “Canyon,” which featured a stuffed bald eagle affixed to a canvas; “Monogram,” a stuffed Angora goat on top of a painted panel; and “Bed,” a quilt, sheet and pillow slathered with paint and framed on a wall — became icons of postwar modernism. Born Milton Ernest Rauschenberg, he briefly attended the University of Texas at Austin in 1943 and served in the U.S.... Read more »
David Hockney - Art BMW - Video
March 12, 2008
By Astrid Lee World-famous artist David Hockney was born in Bradford, UK. He lived in both London and Los Angeles. As important contributor of the British Pop art movement of the ’60s, Hockney is one of the most influential, 20th century artists. Despite his fame for Pop Art, David’s earlier works show Expressionist marks and reminds us of Francis Bacon. Hockney was also interested in Picasso & cubism. In California, Hockney is best known for his pool side series from the ’60s, which is a ‘high point’ on his varied artistic journey. Besides painting and lithography,... Read more »
Op Art
February 17, 2008
By Margaret Houghton The work of a new group of abstract painters was termed “Op Art.” It was so called because of its illusionary characteristics. It captured and held the eye so that lines, rings, shapes put together, looked as if they were moving. It could, in fact, make one feel quite dizzy. The correct name for Op art is Optical Art because of its effect on the eye, with the illusion of movement, colour, and the imaginary increase in size. Op art works are purely abstract with many of the well known works in black and white. Op art was reviewed in Time Magazine in 1964. See the work ‘... Read more »
Roy Lichtenstein
February 4, 2008
Introduction Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997) was an American artist born in New York City. He epitomized pop art, and brought popular culture into fine art. Personally, he described his pop art as industrial painting. Pop Art started in the ’50s and referred to the interest of a number of artists in the images of mass media, advertising, comics and consumer products. Pop Art Contemporaries Other key players in the pop art movement included Andy Warhol, Claes Oldenburg, Jim Dine, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, David Hockney, Wayne Thiebaud, Keith Haring, and Sigmar Polke. Lichtenstein’s... Read more »
