The 1950s and 60s were characterized by a widespread fascination with visual art christened pop art particularly in America and Britain. Pop culture closely mimicked traditional forms and styles of art by integrating popular artistic objects and surfaces with sophisticated and dramatic styles in order to produce a new perspective of the art forms. The incorporation of diverse cultural elements rich in imagery and humorous overtones gave art its definitive impetus in the period in the wake of the modernism era.
Modernism is a term coined in the 1900s that describes a sweeping cultural change of traditional societies particularly in the West in the wake of urbanization (Pericles 38). Modernism encompasses the emergence and adoption of new forms of expression such as popular art (Pop art), religion, political and social organization by the world, which challenged traditional thought. Modernism is comparable to some sort of fanatical enlightenment through which people attempt to restructure their existence by experimenting with new ideas and technology (Berman 16).
Modernism and the movement of pop art significantly influenced the production of jewelry in way that expanded the realms of ornament design. Makers of fine art adopted radical concepts in the design of jewelry which encompassed the manipulation of tactile materials such as cans, fabric and metal in new ways that challenged conventional fashion (Astfalck, Broadhead, and Derrez, 197). According to Astfalck, Broadhead, and Derrez, most contemporary jewelers of the first half twentieth century distinguished themselves by integrating atypical styles, shapes and material for the sole purpose of making a strong fashion statement instead of considering the practicality of their pieces (198). Bob, Winston, Bruce, Metcalf, Margaret Craver, Armand, Winfield, Paul Lobel and Alexander Calder were among the artist who redefined the realms of jewelry through the 1900s. The artists reflected in their designs a new awareness of art which defied the mainstream designs.
Winston, a San Franciscan jeweler made an eccentric pendant which today would probably be worn only on the catwalk or other fashion gala events than a practical adornment for an everyday look. The pendant was made using an assortment of leather, brass, silver, a claw-structure and ivory (Schon 12). The piece represents a creative kind of expressionism which captured the free thinking nature of contemporary artists to whom art comprised the incorporation of tangible things found in their environment with a tinge of personality.
Ed Wiener is another renowned modernist jeweler who incorporated in his ornaments abstract expressionism. Wieners made unique and stunning hand-made jewelry especially necklaces inspired by the work of fellow artist, Alexander Calder. The most outstanding and successful piece by Wiener was his twelve inch pendant made of copper and Brass and a tinge of silver. Wiener masterfully blends simplicity with masterful crafting of elements to produce an outstanding and wearable piece which reflects the modernist wave of the early 20th century.
Modern art was characterized by radical realism and abstract expressionism by various artists of the time such as Jackson Pollock, Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns. The artists set themselves apart from traditional artists by using common objects such as bottles, surfaces, numbers, paint, flags, metal and cans as the focal subjects of their art and portraiture. Their collaborations with ordinary objects reinvented modern art as it was known and spurred ingenious inventions in the wake of modernism.
David Watkins is a legendary minimalist artist who doubled as a pianist and jeweler artist. He particularly sculpted vibrant jewelry with a distinct personal touch such that wearers could relate to the pieces at an intimate level (Chadour-Sampson 2). His neck pieces acted as metaphors linking the human body to the artistic process.
The last self-Portrait by Andy Warhol is the most famous artwork which emerged from the pop culture in the 1960s. Arguably, no artist typified pop art and culture as much as Warhol did. Warhol adopted a liberal approach to painting which contravened the traditional approach to expressionist art. Warhol purposely based his paintings on real life personalities such as Elvis Presley, Zedong and sometimes himself. The uncanny self-portrait which he produced in 1986 is premonitory piece presented in the form of a dark and ghostly head painted with shades of black, green and gray colors (colors commonly associated with camouflage in the military) (Amason, 501). The head appears to be floating in a somewhat dark space with the face intently gazing into oblivion. Connotative of this strange portrayal of himself is his premonition of his impending death because he died a few months after painting the portrait the portrait was created by screening our photographs of himself using a silk screen onto a piece of canvas. The image is not only bewildering but also intense.
The Flag by John Jasper is a collage painting associated with pop art. Supposedly, Jaspers creation was inspired by a dream of the national flag of America which he had in 1954 (Weiss, 12). The flag was created using fabric and newspaper cuttings embossed on a plain ply wood surface using wax. John purposely selected common objects that people see but do not pay much attention to as his subjects. The flag is solid and still like a sculpture, an aspect which sets it apart from an authentic flag (Bernstein,). Underlying the stories in the newspaper clips that make up the flag is the portrayal of the diversity of the American society. Within its simple encaustic depths, the flag monumentally captures the true nature of Americans, their fears, aspirations and hope.
In 1955, Rauschenberg produced an intriguing painting of a bed on a piece of quilt. The uprightly positioned which seems to be hanging against a wall is tinged with sexual overtones. The bed comprises of a partially revealed patched quilt with a pillow arbitrarily placed on top of it. The sheets on the bed are crumpled in a way that implies lovemaking may have taken place on the bed. Rauschenberg combines different assemblages such as fabric, paint drippings and oil grids in a way that seems to attract a closer examination of the painting in a way that provokes deeper examination and interpretation of the painting. According to Rauschenberg, the key to truly understanding art lays in the way a person views a piece of art and not just ordinarily looking at it. Although an artistic piece, the painting portrays real aspects of life such as sensuality, intimacy and privacy (Leggio 79).
Campbells Soup Cans is a painting by Andy Warhol which was created on thirty two pieces of canvas in 1962. The piece of art comprised of thirty two cans of which represented all the varieties of soup produced by the Campbell soup company at the time. Each individual canvas painting was created by using a porous screen known as the silk screen. The concept of the painting was motivated by various commercial products in addition to his fondness for the brand.
Joseph Cornell was a sculptor who predominantly dealt in the artistic assemblage of memorabilia collections. Cornells work was characterized by the pooling together of different artifacts and juxtaposing them with objects such as charts, newspaper clippings, glass boxes and even feathers in a way that created a three-dimensional appearance. In 1942, Cornell produced the Medici slot machine which typified a modern vending machine. The slot machine comprised of the marbles, portraits and sliding boxes.
Robert Rauschenberg is one of the best assemblage artists during the mind 1950s. One of his renowned works is the bed which is a conceptual painting of a real bed. The painting combines common objects with paint to bring out captivating collage. Rauschenberg uses a single bed, a pillow, a quilt and dripping paint in an abstract way that reflects a new style of art. From a literal perspective, the image represents a typical bed which has probably been slept on. The sheets on the bed are crumpled in a way that implies lovemaking may have taken place on the bed. Rauschenberg combines different assemblages such as fabric, paint drippings and oil grids in a way that seems to attract a closer examination of the painting in a way that provokes deeper examination and interpretation of the painting. According to Rauschenberg, the key to truly understanding art lays in the way a person views a piece of art and not just ordinarily looking at it. However, the way the bed has been framed against a wall, the splattered paint on the pillow and the glossy smudges on the surface o the bed provokes a contextual look and understanding of the painting. Inherent in the startling juxtaposition of different real world elements is Rauschenbergs desire to bring out a balanced meaning between real life and art.
Allan Kaprow was an assemblage painter and one of the earliest initiators of performance art. In the 1950s and early 60s, Kaprow helped in the creation of artistic experience events known as the happenings. According to Kaprow, a happening was an exploratory experience of art which occurred in an unstructured manner and whose uniqueness was inimitable. Some of Kaprows happenings included the 1959 Eighteen Happenings in Six Parts. Happenings are self-contained performances which require very little or no dialogue at all to execute their performance.
Andy Warhols last self-portrait is an obscure painting which presents an image of Warhol in a reflective posture. The portrait was created by in 1986 by screening out photographs of himself using a silk screen onto a piece of canvas. The image is not only perplexing but also strong. The pose assumed by Warhol foreshadows his detached demeanor as an individual (Rosenblum, 2004). The Camouflage like shadow across the front of Warhols face connotes a sort of protective faade from the public eye. The mysterious self-portrait seems to be gazing absorbedly into the unknown. Underlying the strange portrayal of himself is his intuition of his imminent death because he died a few months after painting the portrait.
Agnes Martins Night Sea is a grid lined painting created in 1963. The oil based abstract painting which is set on canvas seems like interplay of light and texture. It does not have a definitive centre to balance its different surfaces, an aspect which Martin apart from other minimalist artists of the time. The painting seems like a straightforward invocation of nature which is devoid of metaphors. The irregular strokes of lines on the white areas in the grid imply a clear sky while the horizontal lines represent a tranquil sea at night. The painting of the night sea is powerful and profound.
Clearly, the incursion modernity transformed the way art is perceived and defined. Abstract expressionism made it possible for people to acknowledge the diversity of art and to understand pieces of art from different perspectives. Undoubtedly, modernism contributed significantly to the creation of statement and wearable jewelry in the twentieth century and subsequent years. Jewelry is a term that defines discrete tangible objects created for the adornment of the human body. Conventional jewelry was made for decorative purposes only. However, the 19th century bore a new breed of jewelers who created distinct ornaments from different elements of nature which not only served as decorative pieces but had a unique life of their own separate from the wearers body. Pop artists deviated from the prototypical creation of grounded, decorative pieces to the creation of pure art forms that reflect free thought, cultural and individual identity.
Typically, designers in any kind of discipline work within a certain set of constraints or feasible limits. However, Modern designers and crafters of jewelry find an uncanny attraction in the restrictive nature of jewelry. A majority of contemporary jewelers strive to surpass the established limits by daringly exploring new territories. All renowned figures of 19th and 20th century art ranging from Kaprow, Warhol to Lichtenstein challenged artists of successive generations to abandon subtle expressionism and adopt conceptual representation of art, to go beyond permissible limits in order to create sensational masterpieces.
Notably, the pop movement spearheaded by modernist artists radically shifted the paradigms through which jewelry is conceived and understood. The seemingly simple and controlled medium of expressions presents new challenging and complex possibilities which enable artists to create progressively intelligent and innovative metaphors. Jewelry is significant in the art world because of its ability to express ideas of the creator or artist in a more attached and personal way than any other art form. The pop art movement made it possible for the creative establishment of a common ground between the artists and the public thus ensuring permanence of the creative process.
Modernism is a term coined in the 1900s that describes a sweeping cultural change of traditional societies particularly in the West in the wake of urbanization (Pericles 38). Modernism encompasses the emergence and adoption of new forms of expression such as popular art (Pop art), religion, political and social organization by the world, which challenged traditional thought. Modernism is comparable to some sort of fanatical enlightenment through which people attempt to restructure their existence by experimenting with new ideas and technology (Berman 16).
Modernism and the movement of pop art significantly influenced the production of jewelry in way that expanded the realms of ornament design. Makers of fine art adopted radical concepts in the design of jewelry which encompassed the manipulation of tactile materials such as cans, fabric and metal in new ways that challenged conventional fashion (Astfalck, Broadhead, and Derrez, 197). According to Astfalck, Broadhead, and Derrez, most contemporary jewelers of the first half twentieth century distinguished themselves by integrating atypical styles, shapes and material for the sole purpose of making a strong fashion statement instead of considering the practicality of their pieces (198). Bob, Winston, Bruce, Metcalf, Margaret Craver, Armand, Winfield, Paul Lobel and Alexander Calder were among the artist who redefined the realms of jewelry through the 1900s. The artists reflected in their designs a new awareness of art which defied the mainstream designs.
Winston, a San Franciscan jeweler made an eccentric pendant which today would probably be worn only on the catwalk or other fashion gala events than a practical adornment for an everyday look. The pendant was made using an assortment of leather, brass, silver, a claw-structure and ivory (Schon 12). The piece represents a creative kind of expressionism which captured the free thinking nature of contemporary artists to whom art comprised the incorporation of tangible things found in their environment with a tinge of personality.
Ed Wiener is another renowned modernist jeweler who incorporated in his ornaments abstract expressionism. Wieners made unique and stunning hand-made jewelry especially necklaces inspired by the work of fellow artist, Alexander Calder. The most outstanding and successful piece by Wiener was his twelve inch pendant made of copper and Brass and a tinge of silver. Wiener masterfully blends simplicity with masterful crafting of elements to produce an outstanding and wearable piece which reflects the modernist wave of the early 20th century.
Modern art was characterized by radical realism and abstract expressionism by various artists of the time such as Jackson Pollock, Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns. The artists set themselves apart from traditional artists by using common objects such as bottles, surfaces, numbers, paint, flags, metal and cans as the focal subjects of their art and portraiture. Their collaborations with ordinary objects reinvented modern art as it was known and spurred ingenious inventions in the wake of modernism.
David Watkins is a legendary minimalist artist who doubled as a pianist and jeweler artist. He particularly sculpted vibrant jewelry with a distinct personal touch such that wearers could relate to the pieces at an intimate level (Chadour-Sampson 2). His neck pieces acted as metaphors linking the human body to the artistic process.
The last self-Portrait by Andy Warhol is the most famous artwork which emerged from the pop culture in the 1960s. Arguably, no artist typified pop art and culture as much as Warhol did. Warhol adopted a liberal approach to painting which contravened the traditional approach to expressionist art. Warhol purposely based his paintings on real life personalities such as Elvis Presley, Zedong and sometimes himself. The uncanny self-portrait which he produced in 1986 is premonitory piece presented in the form of a dark and ghostly head painted with shades of black, green and gray colors (colors commonly associated with camouflage in the military) (Amason, 501). The head appears to be floating in a somewhat dark space with the face intently gazing into oblivion. Connotative of this strange portrayal of himself is his premonition of his impending death because he died a few months after painting the portrait the portrait was created by screening our photographs of himself using a silk screen onto a piece of canvas. The image is not only bewildering but also intense.
The Flag by John Jasper is a collage painting associated with pop art. Supposedly, Jaspers creation was inspired by a dream of the national flag of America which he had in 1954 (Weiss, 12). The flag was created using fabric and newspaper cuttings embossed on a plain ply wood surface using wax. John purposely selected common objects that people see but do not pay much attention to as his subjects. The flag is solid and still like a sculpture, an aspect which sets it apart from an authentic flag (Bernstein,). Underlying the stories in the newspaper clips that make up the flag is the portrayal of the diversity of the American society. Within its simple encaustic depths, the flag monumentally captures the true nature of Americans, their fears, aspirations and hope.
In 1955, Rauschenberg produced an intriguing painting of a bed on a piece of quilt. The uprightly positioned which seems to be hanging against a wall is tinged with sexual overtones. The bed comprises of a partially revealed patched quilt with a pillow arbitrarily placed on top of it. The sheets on the bed are crumpled in a way that implies lovemaking may have taken place on the bed. Rauschenberg combines different assemblages such as fabric, paint drippings and oil grids in a way that seems to attract a closer examination of the painting in a way that provokes deeper examination and interpretation of the painting. According to Rauschenberg, the key to truly understanding art lays in the way a person views a piece of art and not just ordinarily looking at it. Although an artistic piece, the painting portrays real aspects of life such as sensuality, intimacy and privacy (Leggio 79).
Campbells Soup Cans is a painting by Andy Warhol which was created on thirty two pieces of canvas in 1962. The piece of art comprised of thirty two cans of which represented all the varieties of soup produced by the Campbell soup company at the time. Each individual canvas painting was created by using a porous screen known as the silk screen. The concept of the painting was motivated by various commercial products in addition to his fondness for the brand.
Joseph Cornell was a sculptor who predominantly dealt in the artistic assemblage of memorabilia collections. Cornells work was characterized by the pooling together of different artifacts and juxtaposing them with objects such as charts, newspaper clippings, glass boxes and even feathers in a way that created a three-dimensional appearance. In 1942, Cornell produced the Medici slot machine which typified a modern vending machine. The slot machine comprised of the marbles, portraits and sliding boxes.
Robert Rauschenberg is one of the best assemblage artists during the mind 1950s. One of his renowned works is the bed which is a conceptual painting of a real bed. The painting combines common objects with paint to bring out captivating collage. Rauschenberg uses a single bed, a pillow, a quilt and dripping paint in an abstract way that reflects a new style of art. From a literal perspective, the image represents a typical bed which has probably been slept on. The sheets on the bed are crumpled in a way that implies lovemaking may have taken place on the bed. Rauschenberg combines different assemblages such as fabric, paint drippings and oil grids in a way that seems to attract a closer examination of the painting in a way that provokes deeper examination and interpretation of the painting. According to Rauschenberg, the key to truly understanding art lays in the way a person views a piece of art and not just ordinarily looking at it. However, the way the bed has been framed against a wall, the splattered paint on the pillow and the glossy smudges on the surface o the bed provokes a contextual look and understanding of the painting. Inherent in the startling juxtaposition of different real world elements is Rauschenbergs desire to bring out a balanced meaning between real life and art.
Allan Kaprow was an assemblage painter and one of the earliest initiators of performance art. In the 1950s and early 60s, Kaprow helped in the creation of artistic experience events known as the happenings. According to Kaprow, a happening was an exploratory experience of art which occurred in an unstructured manner and whose uniqueness was inimitable. Some of Kaprows happenings included the 1959 Eighteen Happenings in Six Parts. Happenings are self-contained performances which require very little or no dialogue at all to execute their performance.
Andy Warhols last self-portrait is an obscure painting which presents an image of Warhol in a reflective posture. The portrait was created by in 1986 by screening out photographs of himself using a silk screen onto a piece of canvas. The image is not only perplexing but also strong. The pose assumed by Warhol foreshadows his detached demeanor as an individual (Rosenblum, 2004). The Camouflage like shadow across the front of Warhols face connotes a sort of protective faade from the public eye. The mysterious self-portrait seems to be gazing absorbedly into the unknown. Underlying the strange portrayal of himself is his intuition of his imminent death because he died a few months after painting the portrait.
Agnes Martins Night Sea is a grid lined painting created in 1963. The oil based abstract painting which is set on canvas seems like interplay of light and texture. It does not have a definitive centre to balance its different surfaces, an aspect which Martin apart from other minimalist artists of the time. The painting seems like a straightforward invocation of nature which is devoid of metaphors. The irregular strokes of lines on the white areas in the grid imply a clear sky while the horizontal lines represent a tranquil sea at night. The painting of the night sea is powerful and profound.
Clearly, the incursion modernity transformed the way art is perceived and defined. Abstract expressionism made it possible for people to acknowledge the diversity of art and to understand pieces of art from different perspectives. Undoubtedly, modernism contributed significantly to the creation of statement and wearable jewelry in the twentieth century and subsequent years. Jewelry is a term that defines discrete tangible objects created for the adornment of the human body. Conventional jewelry was made for decorative purposes only. However, the 19th century bore a new breed of jewelers who created distinct ornaments from different elements of nature which not only served as decorative pieces but had a unique life of their own separate from the wearers body. Pop artists deviated from the prototypical creation of grounded, decorative pieces to the creation of pure art forms that reflect free thought, cultural and individual identity.
Typically, designers in any kind of discipline work within a certain set of constraints or feasible limits. However, Modern designers and crafters of jewelry find an uncanny attraction in the restrictive nature of jewelry. A majority of contemporary jewelers strive to surpass the established limits by daringly exploring new territories. All renowned figures of 19th and 20th century art ranging from Kaprow, Warhol to Lichtenstein challenged artists of successive generations to abandon subtle expressionism and adopt conceptual representation of art, to go beyond permissible limits in order to create sensational masterpieces.
Notably, the pop movement spearheaded by modernist artists radically shifted the paradigms through which jewelry is conceived and understood. The seemingly simple and controlled medium of expressions presents new challenging and complex possibilities which enable artists to create progressively intelligent and innovative metaphors. Jewelry is significant in the art world because of its ability to express ideas of the creator or artist in a more attached and personal way than any other art form. The pop art movement made it possible for the creative establishment of a common ground between the artists and the public thus ensuring permanence of the creative process.
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