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Alphabet is a series of 26 large, bold and colourful
prints illustrating each letter of the alphabet through found images
from postcards, magazines.
The exhibition also has an associated lecture 'Blake
& Pop Art' by Natalie Rudd, Sculpture Curator of the Arts Council
England Collection and author of the monograph on Blake published
by Tate Publishing in 2003.
Natalie Rudd will reveal the Alphabet series in
the context of Blake's practice as a whole and investigate his ongoing
interest in categories and systems while reflecting upon his lifelong
love of popular culture.
G is for Girl |
Peter Blake won international fame in the 1960's
as one of the leading exponents of the British Pop Art movement.
His work is represented in major collections throughout
the world, from the Tate Gallery in London to the Museum of Fine
Arts in Montana.
Born in 1932 in Dartford, England, he graduated
from the Royal College of Art in 1956. He taught for a number of
years in various art schools, from 1964 until 1976 at the RCA, all
the while working and exhibiting.
In 1969 Blake became a 'Ruralist' and left the
city to live in the countryside with his wife, the artist Jann Howarth,
eventually founding 'The Brotherhood of Ruralists' in 1975.
Since his return to London in 1979 he has maintained
a prolific output of work.
In 1991 Blake produced Alphabet a series of 26
screen prints illustrating each letter of the alphabet in his own
ironic and humorous way.
K is for King |
'E' for 'Everly Brothers', 'K'
for 'King' (Elvis), and 'T' for 'The Beatles' are mixed in with
'O' for 'Ornithology and 'U' for 'Unusual People'.
The prints are evocative of Blake's early
work and perhaps serve as an index of some of his artistic interests
and veneration for the icons of popular culture demonstrated explicitly
in the seminal cover art for the Beatle's 'Sergeant Pepper' album.
Blake's work has defined him as a serious commentator
on political, cultural and humanist issues through images born from
a love affair with the icons and ephemera of popular culture, emphasised
by the use of collage, photo-montage, lithography and silkscreen
printing: indicative of qualities that defined Pop Art.
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