23 June 2008

Pop surrealism

art [ahrt] –noun
1. the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.

Given that the term “art” is so vague, it gives me the liberty to write about any form of expression with meaning and depth. Currently in Los Angeles, there is a growing art movement known as “Lowbrow Art” or “Pop Surrealism”. Sparked in the 1970’s, it is only in recent times has any one fully acknowledged this movement. Most of these works seem to have origins in street art and other Southern California subcultures and have expanded beyond the canvas. Artists, such as Kathie Olivias and Gary Baseman, are releasing toys to correspond with their paintings.

Camille Rose Garcia Gary Baseman Jeff Soto

Most Lowbrow artists combine both child and adult worlds. Paintings with round, playful characters that live in a dark environment comment on how these two worlds, child and adult, aren’t truly separate at all. They intertwine with each other and contribute to deepen our perspectives of the world.


-Dara the Dandy

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