Post 14: Outsourcing- Offshoring, two cartoons.

POST 5: An Art exhibition review

Pop Art Myths  

Thyssem-Bornemisza museum Madrid 

Paseo del Prado, 8, 28014 Madrid  

June 10th-  September 14th 2014

http://www2.museothyssen.org/microsites/exposiciones/2014/mitos-del-pop/info_en.html#anclaPaseo del Prado, 828014 Madrid-10 June to 14 Septembre 2014-

       Three years ago, some of the most famous pop art's artist were represented during the Pop Art Myths exhibition. We could appreciate the works of Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Peter Blake and other talented artists from June 10th until September 14th 2014. At least, 3 months of painting exhibition took place at the Thyssen Museum in Madrid. This exibhition was specific to this museum, it was created by Paloma Alarco who is the curator.There were no groups, all the painting belonged to individuals artists. The director of this exibhition choose a work of pop art from different artist which could be related to myths and heroes.       

       I did not have the opportunity to enjoy this exhibition but I was lucky to find a virtual visit on the Thyssen Museum webside. At first sight, all the organisation of the painting combined with the colors and the lights seemed very clear and it had a great impact on me as a viewer. This exhibition inhands the work of those artists. It was not an overdose of messy painting, but a lot of room with at most four or five painting precisely organized according to the subject they are linked to. Even if they are well-organized, I reckon that they are to little works and this exhibition could have presented much more paintings in order to ilustrate the theme in-depth.

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       All those works embodie pop art movement, which is one of the most liberating movement of art. Every object could become art, so the artists started to represent everything with differents interrpretations. However, I want to stress the fact that a lot a works are representing women. I really apreciate the fact that they are at the center of these painting, it's a way of making people aware of gender equality and it puts man and woman on an equal footing with each other. They are shown through myths and urban erotism.                 It turns out that most of the actor who reach the peak of they career become idols for the society. Pop art artists decided to represent them and Marilyn Monroe, the icone of beauty, was the woman the most represented.       
       Furthermore, in the middle of the 20th century, a new sexual freedom that encouraged the spread of hedonism and eroticism appeared. Thanks to this evolution, artists started to portrayed women more freely and without discomfort. I can't help thinking that this evolution was beneficial for the artist as well as the society who were in a most liberated state of mind.

                      

                Roy Litchenstein                                            Andy Wharol

                Women in bath                                               Marylin Monroe

                1963                                                                   1964

                National museum Thyssen                           Princeton university Art museum

                Bornemisza                                                           

Now, let's focus on a theme I would like to emphazie more, still in relation with women but more precise. Let me tell you about the embodiment of an historical figure throught Hollywood reinterpreted by pop art. 

Cleopatra

Mimmo Rotella

1963

       As a student in terminale L, I am intrested in art in all it's forms. I study litterature and languages but also civilisation and history. Of course, I really appreciate visiting museum and expand my personal knowledges. This exhibition is a new opportunity to learn rewarding things about a lot of topics at the same time. 
       In order to illustrate the theme, I reckon that Cleopatra from Mimmo Rotello is the most adequat painting. The painting was achieved in 1963, it adheres to the pop art's movement.

       
       At first sight, we are face to face with Cleopatra, lying on a bed, encercled by 2 men who seem protect her. At the bottom we can see the names of the protagonists which where not removed from the poster. The most striking is that frame of ripped paper which is quite intriguing and uncommon if we don't know the author. When I saw the work for the first time, I though it was a poster found in the street because it seems damaged... Don't judge a book by it's cover and let see what is the point of this special practice !

       The Italian Mimmo Rotella portrayed Elizabeth Taylor as Queen of the Nile in Cleopatra. This is a rehabilitation of the poster of Cleopatra's movie. She was the Egiptian Queen and her life was reinterpreted through a lot of movie, books or comics. The film industry was fascinated by this timeless icon who inspired a lot of directors. The myth toke form and bridged the centuries.

       The technic used to create this work is called decollage. It consists on putting pieces of an original image on your work. In other terms, Rotella, who was the exponent of decollage, glued some parts of advertisements that he had ripped of city walls. He used this methode in most of his works. I really appreciate it, at first glance it seems surprising as if we had lacerated it with a brush or a knife, it creates a really nice effect! The artist's intention was to pursued his investigation into abstract art. He stresses the attitude given to the work, the form, the superficial aspect rather than the meaning of the work itself. Quite a diferent goal from the other artists, I like originality!

       This work is definitely the incarnation of an historical character. We can't deny that Cleopatra was an icon who became a myth through the centuries. Besides, the base of the work is a movie poster, it embodies very well the influence of Hollywood into pop art movement.