POST 7: 'Pop Art Myths' and the 'MYTHS & HEROES' Notion

First of all, to illustrate the notion of Myths and Heroes, it is important to comprehend the ideas of ‘myth’ and ‘hero’. On the one hand, a myth can be defined as a popular belief or story that has become associated with a person, institution, or occurrence, especially one considered to illustrate a cultural ideal. On the other hand, a hero is a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.

This notion can be linked to the Pop Art movement, which emerged in the late 50's and early 60's. It is one of the most liberating moments in the history of art. Breaking the rules of classic art, endorses the new culture of technology and consumerism by representing every manner of objects from visual and popular culture. Every object can become art, that is why this movement brings and end to the division between 'high' and 'low' culture. It includes different styles of painting and sculpture from various countries.

And now the question is… What is the relationship between these two concepts?

To answer this question, I have chosen a painting entitled ‘Las Meninas’  by the artists ‘Equipo Crónica’ in 1970. It is an acrylic on canvas that measures 200x200 cm and we can find it today in the museum ‘Fundación Juan March’ in Palma de Mallorca.

‘Equipo Crónica’ is a valencian duo composed by Rafael Solbes and Manuel Valdés. Their paintings interpret, analyse and de-codify Velázquez’s work. Also, it belongs to the topic ‘Art about art’ where Pop art artists wonder about the evolution of art.

These are the reasons that describe why Las Meninas of Equipo Crónica are connecting to the notion ‘Myths and Heroes’…

First of all, the painting in which Equipo Crónica are inspired from Las Meninas (Spanish for the Maids of Honor) by  Diego Velazquez on 1656.

The Spanish painter Velázquez (1599-1660) became renowned for his realistic portraits as a member of King Philip IV’s court. Velazquez’s technique of painting was inspired by Baroque. Baroque is the period and the style that used exaggerated motion in order to produce drama and tension in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music. The painting is a portrait of Infanta Margarita, the daughter of King Philip IV, and his second wife Mariana of Austria.

To sum up, the painting's complex and enigmatic composition is an excellent example of how great works of art are made. That’s why we can argue that Velazquez because of his distinguished and personal techniques, is a kind of hero or a myth of painting, that made a unique and unrepeatable work.

An important aspect of Velazquez's work is the Droste effect. That are repeated by Equipo Crónica. The Droste effect (known as mise en abîme in French) is the reflect of a picture appearing within itself, in a place where a similar picture would realistically be expected to appear.

Las Meninas allows the spectator to freely interact with the painting’s various points of view and therefore offers an example of the Droste effect.

Firstly, on the left we see a self portrait of Velazquez painting. On the center of the painting, Infanta Margarita has dropped in to see Velazquez at work. She stops right next to him, at the center of the foreground of the painting, but she seems perplexed. Finally we see a portrait of the royal family reflected in a mirror on the background.

All things considered, we can say that this innovative technique of the Droste effect made by Velazquez it is a well known fact that confirmed the idea of Velázquez as a mythical painter.

Moreover, Las Meninas from Equipo Crónica is a representation of a mythical painting that reuses the droste effect by representing the same characters from Velazquez’s painting and adding some details that give a modern view to the painting. In this way we can see the self portrait on the background of the valencian artists with appearing as like a ball and a float... Definitely, we can link the painting to the Myths and Heroes notion because it is a representation of a mythical painting with very accurate techniques. However, we can also relate the painting with the other notion ‘the idea of progress’ because of the alteration of the traditional home with the appearance of new technologies  like the TV set, lamps...

As a conclusion, I would say that Equipo Crónica reuses Velazquez’s techniques and characters from his painting Las Meninas. Yet, it seems to me that what they really do is to represent a photo of an ordinary modern family at home. They are seeing just before  going to the beach.

Personally, I like the painting and I think it is innovative and humorous to give this new look to a mythical  painting like the Velazquez’s one. Nevertheless, to put it differently I think this painting is transgressive because instead of localising the painting in the king’s home, Equipo Crónica depicted the family in the living room and instead of representing the shelves with books they choose to put there the TV set. So, it is maybe a denunciation of the culture in today’s society or a denunciation about how the royal family represents. They are supposed to be learned, educated that is why they guide the country but, they are just a family like whatever family at home. That’s why I am convinced that this painting would not  appeal to everyone.

Besides, Las Meninas  is a mythical painting from Spanish culture and more specifically from baroques techniques that’s why a lot of artists homage the painting with their versions of it.

 

Picasso’s recreation of Las Meninas (1957)

Picasso made a cubism version from the original painting of Velázquez.

Dali’s recreation of Las Meninas 1975

Dali made a surrealistic version and what is interesting from his painting is the exchanging of the characters for numbers.

Mingote’s version for Las Meninas made on 2003

Mingote was an spanish cartoonist that drew daily cartoons on the newspapers. This humoristic representation embodied his style without leaving the original Velazquez painting, though one of the main characters, the infant is flying over the retinue  

POP ART MYTHS

      Pop Art is an art movement that emerged in the late 50's and early 60's. It is one of the most liberating moments in the history of art. Breaking the rules of classic art endorses the new culture of technology and consumerism by representing every manner of objects from visual and popular culture. Every object can become art, that is why this movement brings and end to the division between 'high' and 'low' culture. It includes different styles of painting and sculpture from various countries. This post recaps the various themes of this movement.

Collage Advertising Comics

Pop art acquires the tradition of the collage from cubism and dadaism but it adds a subversive and allegorical component. This new tendency, turned comic strips into large-format paintings. 

The precursors of this art were Richard Hamilton and Eduardo Paolozzi, members of the independent Group in London, along with works by the American Ray Johnson. In addition to this, Roy Lichtestein pop first painting is an embodiment of Pop Art definition that conceals a paradox between classic art and modern art. It certainly appears to be an enlarged panel from a comic book, but it is also a Pop version of the myth of Narcissus.

Finally, Andy Warhol was also a member of this new way of painting with his Mickey Mouse propagandistic representation.

Roy Lichtestein, Look Mickey, 1961

Quadrant Mickey Mouse/Myths, 1981

Richard Hamilton, Together let us explore the stars 1962

Eduardo Paolozzi, One Man Track Team 1953

Emblems

It is a well known fact that in the mid-20th, advertising slogans, the brand names and logos for consumer products had inundated society and were publicized non stop in the press, radio and television... Predictably, they provided a torrent of visual ideas for Pop artists.
For instance, Jasper Johns, appropiated several universally recognize objects such as a bullseye target , as did Peter Blake some time afterwards. Warhol began to represent certain everyday objects repeatdly including logos and trademarks like ‘Green Stamp’ loyalty coupons, Cambell’s soup cans, Brillo soup pads, Heiz ketchup and Coca-Cola. Robert Indiana turned a series of different words like ‘eat’, ‘hug’ and ‘err’ into emblems which he stenciled onto various supports.

Jasper Johns, Target with Four Faces,1955

Andy Warhol, Coca Cola 210 bottles 1962

Andy Warhol, Heinz Tomato Ketchup box, 1964

Robert Indiana, love 1966

Myths

During this golden era, the film industry also grew strongly. Hollywood became a myth-making machine: Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Marlon Brando, James Dean… Those  actors who archieved success in the Dream factory immediatly became idols for the general public and many of them are featured in the work of Pop art artists. 
Alex Katz was one of the first that portrayed famous people. Warhol immortalized Marilyn Monroe transforming her into object of veneration. Moreover, Mimmo Rotella transfigured Elizabeth Taylor, in her role as the queen of Nile in a majestic décollage of the poster of the film Cleopatra. In short, British Pop artists were able to combine the media power of the great American idols with specific elements from their own popular culture.

Andy Warhol Marylin Monroe 3x3, 1967

Alex Katz, Ted Berrigan 1967

Mimmo Rotella, 'Cleopatra Liz,' 1963

Portraits

Pop Art brought an reinterpretation of genre of portrait painting. Though basing their works on preexisting images, Pop art artists were able to surpass the limits of the original, oppening the door to poostmodernism.

Andy Warhol, Self-portrait 1986

Allen Jones, Self portrait 1981

Warhol marks the turning point at which the model of the portrait fades away and becomes a virtual image. In his series of self-portraits, the artist also meditates on death. Allen Jones, for his part, explores deeply the portait through the sitter .

Finally, David Hockney makes use of immediacy of Polaroids as the basis for his portraits.

David Hockney, Kasmin 1982

Landscapes, Interiors, Still Lifes

Tom Wesselmann, Still life, 1963

With the development of the Consumer Society, objects appear and become communicative codes bearing arbitrary meanings. Related to this, Pop Art, reinterpreted traditional genres of painting: landscapes, interiors and still lifes. What in the traditional still life was a private domestic space, in Pop Art becomes a public, commercial space.

Lichteinstein’s landscapes based on Expressionism, Patrick Cauldfield’s and Valeiro Adami’s interiors are some of the examples of this reinterpretation of art.

Roy Lichteinstein, Sunrise,1965

Patrick Cauldfield, Picnic set 1978

Urban Eroticism

The middle years of the 20th century brought a transformation of social attitudes with it a new sexual freedom encouraged the spread of eroticism in every sphere of society. As a result, mass media became inundated with erotic metaphors featuring seductive women and attractive men. This immediately, influenced Pop Art representations.

The voluptous women of Richard Lindner and Allen Jones have the quality of erotic fetishes. James Rosenquist marked by almost photographic realism, women and automobiles alike are transformed into objects of desire. Wesselmann represented allegories of women as sexual symbol.

Tom Wesselman,Monica sitting one leg on the other 1986

Richard  Lidnet,Tank you 1971

Robert Rauchenberg, Retroactive II, 1963

History Painting

An essential part of Pop art iconography were the Historical events and contemporany affairs. Historical paintings of Pop Art artists were inspired by the huge amount of news and images coming from the mass media.
Major historical figures like Mao Zedon, John F.Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Franco... are the protagonists of paintings that reflect this existential mass of news bringing the point of view of Warhol,Rotella,Richter, Juan Genovés...

Eduardo Arroyo, The four dictators (Los cuatro dictadores)1937

Art about Art

Pop art artists wonder about the evolution of art that is why an essential part of Pop art led to the subject of 'art on art'.
For instance Warhol creates new versions of Boticelli using photographs, Hockney ruminates on Rennaissance art, Alain Jacquet parodies Manet paintings... 

Alain Jacquet, déjeuner sur l'herbe 1963

Manet, déjeuner sur l'herbe 1863

POST 5: MYTHS & HEROES

'Myths & Heroes' worksheet

POST 2; THE IDEA OF PROGRESS: QUANTITY vs. QUALITY

To begin with, I would like to point that the Idea of Progress is the idea that advances in technology, science, and social organization can produce an improvement in human condition. The technological progress enables people to work more efficiently and improve their living standard. The scientific progress increases the knowledge of the world and discovers new materials. Finally, the social progress ugrades education, reduces gender and racial discrimination but makes traditional values aside. We can talk also about moral, political, ecological, cultural or economic progress.

We can distinguish two notions of progress. Firstly, in terms of quantity which means forward a movement, as toward a goal. Then, in terms of quality that could be defined as the progressive improvement of society. To exemplified this two ideas I have chosen two different documents about plastic industry.

QUALITY

This document is extracted from an analysis of European plastics production done by ‘The  Europe Association of Plastic  Manufactures’ on 2015 . The document shows a circle graph with the percentages of the different plastic products markets.

In 2015, 46,3 Millions of tonnes of plastic were manufactured in Europe. The largest sector for the plastics industry is packaging represented with an 39.6% of the total plastics demand.In second place comes building and construction with 20.3%. Automotive is the third sector with a share of 8.5% of the total demand.Electrical and electronic applications represent 5.6% of the plastics demand and are closely followed by agricultural applications with 4.3%. But plastics are also used in households, furniture and medical products with a total of 21.7% of the European plastics demand.

Those figures expose that the growth of the plastics industry has a multiplier effect on numerous important sectors of the European economy. People usually think that plastic industry just have negative effects. However, the document illustrates how useful is plastic nowadays. Moreover, it is a pillar of society because it provides thousands of jobs in the UE. Plastic is also a highly durable  and soft material. That is why plastic products are all over: bottles, bags, yogurt pots, car bumpers, pvc windows or sun glasses…

QUALITY

Yet, reality is much more bitter. This video is a piece of news from CBC channel broadcasted in 2011. It talks about the Garbage Island located in the south Pacific between Hawaï and Japan.

The Vancouver correspondent interviews a photographer who was shocked by the impact of this garbage island on nature. He spent several weeks photographing birds that live but also died in the surroundings because they have in their stomachs a lot of plastic trash such as lighters, golf balls or little toys. Actually, plastics are estimated to represent almost 80 % of the total marine debris floating in the world’s oceans.

To put in a nutshell, I will say that the problem is not only related to the plastic industry but to the mass consumption based on benefits. This one makes people want to have more and more things, things that are thrown away when they do not work anymore, this generates mountains of waste.

Personally, I think that it is a shame that recycling which could be a way of prevent all what we have seen is not widespread.

BONUS: 23 creative ideas to recycle a plastic bottle