Though Roy Lichtenstein’s style of comic-derived pop art is now well known, it was radical in the early 1960s. Appropriating the visual language of American mass culture, such as Mickey Mouse, Coca-Cola, and the “funny pages,“ Lichtenstein found his artistic voice by making paintings that at first did not appear to be art. This was his cover – part camouflage, and part red herring – that allowed him to insert his own practice into the art historical milieu; he was in dialogue with the grades, reprising themes from antiquity. I… I’m Sorry! (1965 – 66) is a portrait of Eve as a modern-day woman. Lichtenstein renders her apology unclear, revealing layers of interpretation: is she apologizing for eating the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge? Is she breaking our hearts? Is she sincere with her stammering words? Her simplified features belie the nuanced complexities of her declaration.
Mention Yoko Ono’s name and chances are you’ll get a reaction. For many people, she’s still remembered more for the myths that surround her than for her art — whether it’s the persistent claim that she broke up The Beatles or strong opinions about her famously experimental music.
The Broad’sMusic of the Mind, the first major museum retrospective of Ono’s work in Los Angeles, does an excellent job of moving past those preconceptions. Instead, it invites visitors to experience her as one of the most inventive conceptual artists of the last century, revealing an artist whose ideas have been far more influential than many people realize.
Robert Therrien (1947 – 2019 ) was born in Chicago but made Los Angeles is home for nearly 50 years, living and creating art there. He was part of the city’s tight-knit and experimental art circles of the 1970s, contributing to the rise of fabrication as a way of making increasingly complex works. His career spans much of the recent development of art in Los Angeles, including its escalating prominence as a center of global art making. Continue reading Modern Art Monday Presents: Robert Therrien, Stacked Plates (White)→
Robert Therrien’s 2017 sculpture Soapy (Pink) , created from pigmented polyester resin, presents itself as an oversized bar of bubblegum-pink soap — smooth, minimal, and instantly familiar. But this is Therrien, so the domestic calm doesn’t last long. Emerging unmistakably from one corner of the sculpture is a baby’s face, molded directly into the form, transforming the object from playful to deeply strange in a single glance. Continue reading Pink Thing Of The Day: Soapy (Pink) By Robert Therrien→
The Whole Wide World is Haunted House (2022) offers what appears to be a gritty, realistic depiction of Los Angeles but is actually an airbrushed scene constructed from many locations across the city. Artist Sayre Gomez‘ (b. 1982) use of photographic resources and lived experiences in LA builds a portrait of a city in decline, contrasting glamorized illusions peddled by the entertainment industry. However, the technical aspects and references in Gomez‘ practice recall the work of set designers, prop masters, and various specialists who are responsible for making television shows and movies. Gomez‘ application of the industry’s vernacular is used to illustrate the transformative qualities of the constantly developing city.
