The Quintessential Los Angeles Artist
Raised in Oklahoma City, American artist Ed Ruscha (b. 1937) was first introduced to art through popular culture, looking at comic books, cartoons, and Disney films as inspiration. Attracted to the energy of Los Angeles, Ruscha moved there in 1956 at the age of eighteen and attended the Chouinard Art Institute, now the California Institute
Things You Might Want to See...
Like every month, the Escalette Permanent Collection of Art prides itself in presenting news about our artists that are being featured in exhibitions, shows, fairs and all things alike. This month, there are three exhibits that showcase our artists locally, nationally, and internationally : Ed Ruscha in Beverly Hills 20-Year Anniversary Invitational Exhibition, 1995–2015 at the
Hafftka for Hanukkah
Hanukkah begins tonight, and we are recognizing these next eight days and nights with works from a series by Michael Hafftka. As the son of two Jewish Holocaust survivors, Hafftka’s art reflects his resulting experiences and feelings. His work is centered on explorations of his faith and relationship with God, while also dealing with human
Student curatorial opportunity!
Have you walked by the current exhibition on the second floor of Argyros Forum and wondered who comes up with these things? Who writes those exhibit labels? What does a curator really do? If so, this is for you! The Escalette Collection of Art and Chapman’s Curatorial Department are offering an opportunity for Chapman students to curate
Contemporary Art vs. Modern Art
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the word “modern” is defined as, “of or relating to the present time.” The word “contemporary” is defined as “happening or beginning now or in recent times.” While these definitions may appear to be similar or even nearly identical, in terms of art genres, they are very incongruent. The modern art movement began in the 1860’s
Happy Thanksgiving!
Packin’ Heat (an original poem by Chandana Srinivas, student art collections assistant) With summer gone, a fall season comes anew, this frost brings about morning dew. From carved pumpkins, to wreaths made of pine, open your arms to all kin alike. Let the gravy simmer, the turkey broil, let your sauce fizz, and fill your
Pop! Goes the Easel...
After WWII, Atomic power and new technologies changed the entire dynamic of how art was perceived. Mass culture took over formality and breached subject matter conventions. This revolution is most commonly known as the Pop Art Movement. The term “pop” comes from the word “popular.” It is not a reference to Pop’s popularity, but to its focus
From Sanskrit to Art
Victor Hugo Zayas’ paintings are, what I like to call, ‘samatva’. ‘Samatva’ in Sanskrit means in balance. This concept is ever more prominent in Zayas’ painting Illuvia. With dark tones and thick brushstrokes, Illuvia is a balance of observation and abstraction. Zayas paints the cityscape as it is, but also distorts the fixtures by changing the tone, color,
The Art of Writing about Art
For the final post in The Art of Writing about Art series we turn to the newest work to enter the Escalette Collection: Soo Kim’s hand-cut paper That was because this year will of course go on (2014). Like Mary Corse’s Untitled, with which we began, Kim’s relief sculpture in paper is a study in
The Art of Writing about Art
With Ann Hamilton’s Warp & Weft II, mundane materials (paper, ink) and mundane subject matter (a textile, drawn thin) expand in the imagination to the level of the sublime. Philip Pedersen (Senior, Screen Acting/English) and Jacob Walker (Senior, Screenwriting/Television) were drawn in by the painterly lithograph’s subtle pull, and attempted to find adequate metaphors to