POST – MODERN ART (1980 – PRESENT)

 THE INFLUENCE OF CELEBRITIES

Celebrity refers to a person who has a high degree of recognition by the general public for his or her success or accomplishments; a famous person. The coming of modern technology in the entertainment industry, especially motion pictures, it paved the way for many individuals to rise to this stardom status. These are the personalities we refer to as celebrities. Notable in the post–modern era include; MADONNA, MONROE, THE SPIDER MAN, BEYONCE, JAY Z, THE KARDASHIANS, RAMBO, JACKIE CHAN, THE ROCK, and JOHN CENA, among others.

In the art industry, celebrities have had and continue to have a wavering influence in different perspectives. “The celebrity impact on the art market is felt from the artist’s studio to the auction houses through their participation as collectors, influencers, and muses” Masterworks, October 4, 2022.

In this blog in particular, I explore how some of the aforementioned celebrities have influenced and acted as muse to selected artworks done by three artists of the post–modern era. “One of the most defining cases of the celebrity effect in Contemporary Art is when the celebrity acts as the muse to the artist” Masterworks, October 4, 2022.

1. LUCKY STAR AND MONROE SELFIE BY J.J ADAMS

J.J. ADAM’S monochrome Lucky Star presents MARYLINE MONROE at her provocative, attention-grabbing best of the post–modern celebrities. “Set against newspaper headlines, she holds one pixelated finger up to the viewer – raising interesting questions about the complicated nature of celebrity voyeurism” Celebrity culture, March 14, 2022.

Lucky Star by J.J. ADAMS (born 1978), medium: on Paper Signed Limited Edition

Published: 2018, unknown place

ELEMENT OF PATTERN

There’s a man-made decorative pattern in the rounded earring and the cross-shaped earpiece. The latter is certainly a symbol of Christianity as a religion of the superstar. On the neck too there is a necklace drawn in a pattern of round-shaped chains.

ELEMENT OF LINE

The curved lines drawing that brings about her beautiful hair suggests the comfort and ease of this 20th-century screen queen.

ELEMENT OF TONE

Tone as drama is present. When zooming in to have a close look, there is a lot of drama in the background presented by the use of brighter and dark-lighter tones. Above on the sides of the hair, we can see an incomplete dramatic headline of the magazine in a brighter white tone. Behind her right ear, there is the use of a very bright tone to show a dramatic face. Further down on the corner, there is a face with well-shaped eye-line drawings. On her pixelated finger, the artist has cleverly tried to cover this controversial gesture by using a combination of black, white, and mid-color inks to paint that area thus bringing about different dramatic tones.

Holding on to my natural conservatism, I wouldn’t take this painting home for obvious reasons of being a non-family-friendly picture due to the middle finger!

MONROE selfie by J.J. ADAMS, 2018, unknown place

“In the subtly altered Monroe Selfie, she gazes back at the “smartphone selfie” as we, in turn, stare at her” Celebrity culture, March 14, 2022. In this painting, J.J. ADAMS uses MARILYN’S immediately recognizable face to comment on our post-modern social media age.

 ELEMENT OF COLOR

Color is used as contrast. Look at how the two white incisors are envisioned to us against the darker surroundings of the lips. How about the nose, see two black spots painted as the nostrils. Focus on the eyes; see the dark black paint on the eyeballs and the greyish on the eye-lines.

ELEMENT OF LINE

Thick dark lines are drawn in a rectangular shape to act as frames. There is also a cloth line across the chest as a result of stretching her hands to make a pose when taking a selfie. The curved grey lines implying her beautiful hair suggest comfort.

ELEMENT OF TONE

MARILYN’S hair can be said to have been painted by dark-grey brighter tones in several layers of vertical curving brushstrokes, graduating their shades from the natural dark-grey ink, through several paler concentrations to the mid-tone of the background.

This one looks good in its black and white, resembling a filtered camera image. I like it just like the ladies’ love for selfies.

2. BLONDE BOMBSHELL AND WHY SO SERIOUS BY ZEE

ZEE is a female London-based, Hungarian-born artist. She layers multiple references in Blonde Bombshell. “Old newspaper articles reporting MONROE’S suicide are contrasted with comic-book heroes, scrawled graffiti, corporate logos, and MONROE’S face” Celebrity culture, March 14, 2022. It all builds towards the sometimes nightmarish reality of today’s post-modern media age.

Blonde Bombshell by ZEE (born 1979), unknown place, unknown date

ELEMENT OF PATTERN

Man-made pattern made to serve as decoration is just all over the picture painting. The stars on the face of our subject, the garment of the SPIDERMAN, the red love heart symbol, the red lips with a wagging tongue, and the many cartoonist drawings, are all examples of decorative paintings of different patterns and shapes.

ELEMENT OF LINE

A close look after zooming in on the upper half of the picture painting, you see some kind of broken lines as if to suggest a brick wall of a structure that has not been cemented. Horizontal lines are the most visible. This is the line as structure.

On MONROE’S face, we see the line as emotion. ZEE combines cubic-like lines using dark black and paler ink on the face, hair, and cheeks. She does it in a simplified manner to provoke the optical state of alarm and turmoil due to the certain demise of the celebrity allegedly through suicide!

ELEMENT OF COLOR

Color noise and contrast are present. “Contrasts of opposite colors collide in a shatterproof structure that frames the fun, frolics, noise, and excitement of modern entertainment” Art Factory.

There is a lot in this painting that communicates a wonderful rendition of the colorful noise of the post-modern entertainment industry. The colorful cartoonist images, the captions carried varied messages, and the boom symbols; all attest to the noise that was always accompanied by the then-diseased celebrity who was a TV queen of the 20^th century.

The painting arouses sad emotions, I don’t like it!

                                    Why so serious by ZEE, unknown place, unknown date

Painted using one of the starring actors in the movie The Dark Knights known by the stage name THE JOKER as its muse, this is a picture painting that illustrates how post-modern celebrities wield a lot of influence in the post-modern era. They can elevate a post-modern artist to stardom.

ELEMENT OF LINE

THE JOKER’S blonde hair is well drawn using curvy vertical lines almost in the verisimilitude of the actor’s appearance on our screens.

ELEMENT OF TONE

There is a lot of dramatic use of tone in this painting. The cartoonist's paintings, the captions carrying various messages, and the various colors of clothing of THE JOKER; are all examples. Look at the face of our subject; see how the artist uses the bright tone painted using white and mid-red on the cheeks and lips, the darker tone surrounding the eyes. Even the neck has a different tone as if this is not a human but a monster!

ELEMENT OF PATTERN

There is the use of pattern as contrast. White dominates everywhere and acts as the breaking point between many other different colors brought together to form a beautiful piece of artistry. The contrast variation simplifies the confusion of the post-modern era entertainment industry dominated by celebrity actors and pop stars of differing exceptional abilities.

I don’t like the actor, nor his role in The Dark Knights. Won’t take this anywhere even for free

3. GET INTO THE GROOVE AND WEB-HEAD BY CRAIG DAVISON

Get in the Groove by CRAIG DAVISON (born 1965), medium: Giclee on paper, unknown date, unknown place.

“In this painting, a colorfully dressed child (complete with swirling skirt, jangling bangles, and a bright-blue bow) sings spiritedly into her hairbrush” Celebrity culture, March 14, 2022. In the background, we can see MADONNA herself in a photoshoot posture. This nostalgic painting captures the childlike obsession so many of us have with pop-star idols in this post-modern era.

ELEMENT OF PATTERN

The two necklaces on our cartoonist girl’s neck; one made of light-red ribbons and the other of white ribbons, is a decorated pattern. On her left hand, we see two bungles; one light green and the other light red. On her curly blonde hair, there is a ribbon tied in a decorative pattern. The yellow dress she is wearing is decorated with a gorgeous pattern of blue-dotted spots.

ELEMENT OF TONE

Behind the singing girl, CRAIG DAVISON uses a mid-dark tone to stamp the image of MADONNA against the lighter bright tone in the background. This is tone as contrast of dark and light in use.

ELEMENT OF COLOR

“For VAN GOGH, yellow was the color of joy and friendship” Art factory. Yes, I just quoted a statement referring to another artist’s preference. We have to understand that the artists of today must have learned from the legends and even picked something from them. I want to believe that CRAIG DAVISON must have picked the use of yellow from VAN GOGH. As you can see even from the look of the girl’s face, she is singing spiritedly into her hairbrush. Even MADONNA in the background is enjoying a joyous pose probably for a photoshoot. It is difficult to deny the use of yellow as a symbol of joy in this painting.

I’d actually spend my entire jewelry savings to get this image home for my little sons and nieces.

Webhead by CRAIG DAVISON

Painted in the same style as the former, there is nothing to add to the description of this picture painting other than stating that this must be a common signature style for CRAIG DAVISON.

ELEMENT OF TONE

On the back, there is the use of tone as the contrast of dark and light. THE SPIDERMAN is painted using black ink against a mid-light tone. On the eyes, a brighter tone is used against a darker background.

ELEMENT OF LINE

When zooming in and taking a closer look at an angle, you see the web worn on the boy’s head having some faint crisscrossing lines as if to form a network of cobweb structures. This is the use of line as structure.

ELEMENT OF TEXTURE

The physical texture of the pale greyish ink used on the background in this painting seems to be having a rough feeling upon being swiped by a fingertip.

Even though I am a big fan of both THE BATMAN AND THE SPIDERMAN, this painting doesn’t seem to be as captivating as the former.

                                                        CITATIONS

1.     Art factory, 2023, “The visual elements – color”  https://www.artyfactory.com/art_appreciation/visual-elements/color.html#google_vignette

2.     Art market, March 14, 2022, “Fine art and fame: the art of celebrity culture” Fine art and fame: the art of celebrity culture – Artmarket Gallery 197 Hallgate, Cottingham, East Yorkshire, HU16 4BB.

3.     Masterworks, October 4, 2022, “The Celebrity Effect on The Contemporary Art Market” The Celebrity Effect on The Contemporary Art Market (masterworks.com) Masterworks.io, LLC 225 Liberty St. 29th Floor, New York, NY 10281.