Arriving at the Barbican, I was reminded of how much I liked the flow of this building and the open spaces on each floor.
Pop Art was on level 3 an inviting entrance took me to first view ‘work in progress ‘ by RB Kitaj & Eduardo Paolozzi , The collision between the religious and consumerist imagery was intended to provoke thoughts as much as outcry, when it was produced in 1962 ,I found it to be an extremely interesting piece which made me spend time exploring all the different elements .The next piece that captured my eye was by Richard Hamilton ,I especially connected with ‘Here is a Lush Situation ‘I liked the simplicity of it and the subtle colours .
The layout of the exhibition was quiet simple, white backdrops which allowed the vibrancy of Pop Art to speak for itself.
Next I was welcomed by Charles and Ray Eames, how I love the clean lines and curves that identify their work .The LAR Armchair with sketch by Saul Steinburg particularly caught my attention.
Image ,Object and sign was an interesting section ,with art such as the Bomb by Kiki Kogelnik and the Car Hood by Judy Chicago 1964, Judy made Car Hood using techniques that she had learned at auto-body school in Los Angeles: she sprayed the hood of a Chevrolet Corvair in glossy automotive lacquer. The spray technique, the bold colors, and the pinstriping align the work with the custom-car culture popular in Southern California at that time, which also inspired many other artists, such as Billy Al Bengston. According to Judy, the imagery in Car Hood also refers to male and female forms, a reflection of the challenges that she faced as a woman in the macho environments of both the car shop and the L.A. art world at the time, I think this is why I was able to connect with her work, as I had experienced the same challenges within my own career.
Leading on through Art of graphics, I then came across a very interesting chair ‘The Female Fetish’ by Allen Jones 1969; supporting information explained how this depicts that the image of pop art was primarily extracted from the media by male artists ,women being objects of sexual desire ,victims of voyeurism, doll like mannequin’s void of personality. This chair certainly provoked some internal thoughts!
Finally I will leave you with Pop to Post Modernism
Pop Art interested the common masses ,portrayed human beings as machines ,in architecture which had always inspired to create lasting values a new style emerged that confronted the historical past with the present .
This style was presented in a whole room of body parts, both giant and life-size, and an array of objects designed to sit and lie on with a twist.
