diving into psychadelia
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Diving into Psychedelia
Davey Fox
GRD 360
History of Graphic Design
12/19/2013
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“There's a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes
you so sick at heart, that you can't take part! You can't even passively take part!”
These immortal words, spoken by the 1960’s orator and political activist Mario
Savio, encapsulate an era of revolt. Savio was one youth among many in a time of
tumultuous change and social upheaval in American history. The Sexual Revolution,
Feminism, Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam War and nuclear proliferation were
looming giants that cast long shadows over society which we feel the tension from
even today. There were concerns about the environment, economic justice, and
sexual freedom. Traditions were openly questioned and drug use was becoming
more prevalent and pervasive. The Baby Boomers were coming of age, and with
40% 1of the population comprising young adults questioning social norms and
conventions, the valued institutions of tradition, family, capitalism, and the American
Dream itself were revealed to be more fragile than anyone could imagine. The era of
revolt was the inevitable result when establishments in government and religion were
not listening to the earnest questions of people desperate to find answers. Many
youth set out to answer their questions for themselves rather than wait, and their
alternative lifestyles, thoughts, and feelings found a avenue of expression in art and
music.
It is in this context that a new art form emerged: Psychedelic Art, named after
the mind altering drugs that inspired the amorphous forms and bright colors that it
1 “Baby Boomers,” The History Channel website, http://www.history.com/topics/baby-boomers(accessed Dec 19, 2013).
http://www.history.com/topics/baby-boomershttp://www.history.com/topics/baby-boomershttp://www.history.com/topics/baby-boomers
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used so prolifically. Though Psychedelic Art has been given many labels, it has been
too flippantly dismissed as the product of a time many would rather forget. As one
unnamed art historian was quoted as saying, “psychedelic art is good if you’re on
psychedelics,”2 it is thought the book is closed on the matter. Countercultural,
sensuous, unstable, revolutionary -- label it what you will, but the questions
Psychedelic Art sought to answer remain, and the tension and tumult it expressed
persist. The Occupy Movement, social justice, modern liberalism, and the culture
wars are all new fronts of the same concerns Savio so eloquently spoke about.
History tends to repeat itself, and precisely because time is cyclical, we ought to
press to understand our past and not avoid it. Instead of being viewed and
understood as only a part of a counter cultural movement, psychedelic images can
be seen as a manifestation of what happens when prostest meets art, and can
encourage society to invite questions rather than repress them. Instead of ascribing
Psychedelic Art as nonsense, we can learn from the history of the drug-infused
movement and it's art so as to make a better future, not repeating the same errors.
The stylistic origins of Psychedelic Art can be traced to Japan and a technique
which flourished from the 17th to 19th Centuries. Ukiyo-e, or “pictures of the floating
world,” was characterized by bold, flat lines with shapes composed of single colors.
This was in contrast to the Western world's traditional preference of graduated use of
color. Well known creators of this art form included Kitagawa Utamaro, referred to as
2 Emanuella Grinberg and CNN, “How the drugs of the 60s changed art,” CNN Living 07 (2011):15, http://www.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/07/15/ken.johnson.psychedelic.art/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/07/15/ken.johnson.psychedelic.art/index.htmlhttp://www.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/07/15/ken.johnson.psychedelic.art/index.htmlhttp://www.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/07/15/ken.johnson.psychedelic.art/index.html
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“the supreme poet of the Japanese print,” and Katsushika Hokusai, who produced
around 35,000 pieces of art in the span of seven decades. Hokusai's most famous
work is a collection called “Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji” (figure 1) created in the
1820's. These art pieces were made using techniques such as screen printing and
woodblock printing, which Japanese artists would create alone. These artists
popularized the making of prints in this defined style, which was later adopted into
the West's burgeoning Art Nouveau movement.3
In Nikolaus Pevsner’s book “Pioneers of Modern Design,” he describes Art
Nouveau’s characteristics as “the long, sensitive curve, reminiscent of the lily’s stem,
an insect’s feeler, the filament of a blossom or occasionally a slender flame, the curve
undulating, flowing and interplaying with others, spouting from corners and covering
asymmetrically all available surfaces.”4 Art Noveau ("New Art") was easily identifiable
by its curvilinear shapes and was a prelude to the same features that would be later
found in Psychedelic Art. For example, there is a striking similarity in Paul Emile
Berthon’s poster for the book "Sainte Marie de Fleurs," (figure 2) which displays the
same long, flowing hair and simple dress that hippie sun children would have 100
years later.
Art Noveau, with its distinctive harmonizing of nature and mankind that
seemed to "grow," can represent the visual seeds of the later Hippie and Psychedelic
3 Meggs, Philip B., Alston W. Purvis, and Philip B. Meggs. 2006. Meggs' history of graphicdesign. Hoboken, N.J.: J. Wiley & Sons.
4 Pevsner, Nikolaus. 2005. Pioneers of modern design: from William Morris to Walter Gropius.New Haven, Conn: Yale University Press.
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movements. There was a desire in the Sixties to return to simplicity, to nature, the
same way we now are trading our MP3s for vinyl records, and long for something
more tangible and authentic when we pick back up "vintage" fashion styles. The
sterility of the prepackaged and processed life is in sharp contrast to the
unpredictable and asymmetrical natural world, which Art Noveau depicts beautifully.
Art Noveau and Ukiyo-e represented a form of history that seemed more genuine
and real than the traditions of Western society, and so it is understandable that art
forms which embraced the natural world would themselves be embraced by people
returning to their roots.
Other contributing movements to the Psychedelic include the Dada Movement
of the early Twentieth Century. This art form was a reaction to the devastation of
World War I in Europe and associated with the radical left and a rejection of reason.5
With the horrors of battle in their front yards, artists of war-torn European countries
used art as a form of protest against a society that would allow war to happen in the
first place, and it was that "reason" they visually depicted a skepticism of. Dada was
popular because it was a repudiation of accepted forms of art which were production
of old traditions and a seemingly cannibalistic society intent on self-destruction.
Through its rejection of conventional attitudes (anti-bourgeois) and its anti-war
stance, this "protest art" heavily influenced the later Pop Art movement, which in turn
introduced Psychedelic Art to the world. These earlier art movements which
5 Shelly Essay, “What is Dada?” About.com, Art History (2013) http://arthistory.about.com/cs/ arthistory10one/a/dada.htm
http://arthistory.about.com/cs/arthistory10one/a/dada.htmhttp://arthistory.about.com/cs/arthistory10one/a/dada.htmhttp://arthistory.about.com/cs/arthistory10one/a/dada.htmhttp://arthistory.about.com/cs/arthistory10one/a/dada.htmhttp://arthistory.about.com/cs/arthistory10one/a/dada.htmhttp://arthistory.about.com/cs/arthistory10one/a/dada.htm
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hearkened back to simpler times (Ukiyo-e), pastoral themes (Art Noveau), and
rebellion towards destruction (Dada) were the perfect soils that produced a simple,
back-to-nature movement that embraced life, love, and happiness. The disa#ected
and disillusioned youth of the 1960’s and 70’s, hungry for re-defining a world they
believed they "can't even passively take part,” were on a collision course that was
literally centuries in the making. What resulted is the freedom of expression, feast of
the eyes, and cornucopia of color which became Psychedelic Art.
All these previous movements and patterns influenced the Psychedelic
artists, but it is still a well known and accepted fact that psychedelia was promoted
through the use of drugs. Surprisingly though, psychedelic art did not begin in a
visual form. Aldous Huxley, Antonin Artaud, and Henri Michaux wrote of their
experiences while taking drugs in books such as “ Journey to the Land of the
Tarahumara,” and “Miserable Miracle.” Music Album Art marked some of the first
appearances of what we now term as psychedelic visual art. Drug influenced rock
music art had it’s most popular emergence between the years 1966 and 1972. The
artists of these visual works were based mainly in San Francisco. Big name creators
at the time were Victor Moscoso, Alton Kelley, Rick Gri$n, and Wes Wilson. One of
the most well known albums that is unashamedly drug inspired is The Beatles,
“Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band.” (figure 3) Popular Bands such as The
Beatles, The Grateful Dead, Je#erson Airplane and Cream admitted to trying
psychedelic drugs. One of the first times that psychedelic forms were seen in music
art was in The Beatles “Rubber Soul” (figure 4) album which featured a warped and
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bulbous logo.6 Many of their songs glorified either the experience of “tripping out,” or
the general attitude of rebellion and self expression. Rock music itself pushed the
limits of what was formerly acceptable with hard driving beats, illicit lyrics, and
synthesized swirling sounds. Light shows often accompanied these bands, further
exploring the quest to completely disorient the senses.The popularity of these bands
only helped to spread the desire of nonconformity, and sometimes purposefully
promoted the drug culture.
Understanding the use of drugs in forming this art is important, however, it
should not be considered the one and only inspirational force for the emergence of
this aesthetic. The question that must be asked is whether art is something that can
be a catalyst for change in society, or whether it is merely a reflection of the society
to which it belongs? In the same way that Dada art made it’s debut in Europe during
World War I, psychedelically themed art was used during the threat of nuclear
warfare, and war in Vietnam. The young people of these times wanted answers to
their questions, and wanted to know why conflict exists, why not everybody has
equal rights, and why strict and rigid traditions should be followed. These concerns
were not answered by the dysfunctional homes of their youth, and a controlling
government was unable to e#ectively give answers either. Accepted religion and
Christianity became distasteful through association to an unhealthy society. In an
e#ort to distance themselves from their parents and culture, youth of the times
6 Silvia Sorbelli, “Psychedelic Art & Kitsch: A Case Study,” Concordia Undergraduate Journal of Art History 4: 3, http://cujah.org/past-volumes/volume-iv/volume-iv-essay-3/
http://cujah.org/past-volumes/volume-iv/volume-iv-essay-3/http://cujah.org/past-volumes/volume-iv/volume-iv-essay-3/http://cujah.org/past-volumes/volume-iv/volume-iv-essay-3/
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explored Eastern Mysticism and perception altering drugs to escape the world
through enlightenment and a new sense of spirituality.
The distaste for structure and organization is most clearly seen in the
psychedelic art used to protest against and disarm political figures and ideas. Peace
and love were promoted by the hippies and free thinkers in direct opposition to the
seemingly uncaring and war hungry government. The poster entitled “The Great
Society ,” (Figure 5) portrays Lyndon B. Johnson as a Mephistophelean character
diabolically looking out over an ominous American landscape littered with riots and
racial strife. Even darker and more controversial is the uncredited “Suppose They
Gave a War and No One Came.” (Figure 6) This poster features a lone figure looking
out across a burning globe with a warped undulating sky above. The work shows not
only the inability of man to control the world, but also “the madness of nuclear war -
one in which there are neither combatants nor survivors.”7 These images publish not
only a distaste for war and injustice, but the style itself exhibits the sentiment and
passion of the psychedelic movement.
People may reject the style or the artistic and drug influences of psychedelic
art, but to reject the movement entirely will only cause more rebellion. Psychedelic
artists utilized a style that was extreme, eye catching, and sometimes obnoxious, but
the question must be asked as to why they felt that they must use such controversial
images. It was because art is a form of expression. Art can permanently showcase a
7 Bob Mehr, “Art review: Pioneer psychedelic art flourished on posters,” The Commercial Appeal (2008) http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/jun/13/art-preview/
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/jun/13/art-preview/http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/jun/13/art-preview/http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/jun/13/art-preview/
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message that a mere life may not be able to. Yes, drugs influenced the warped and
curvilinear forms of the art, and yes, rock and roll was a huge vehicle for presenting
this artform, but behind it all there is a passionate question, and a bold revolution.
Just like the Dada movement and the Art Nouveau period, Psychedelic art strove to
push and break cultural barriers, and open the eyes of American citizens to the
inconsitency of societal values. The artists of the 60’s and 70’s began a movement
that exists still today and goes beyond just tie-die, bellbottom pants and long haired
men. They began a movement that questions what is accepted as normal, and
challenges what is wrong, opening the avenues for more freedom of expression in art
and even life.
Finishing Mario Savio’s famous speech given in 1964, the passion of rebellion
against injustice is stated eloquently. “There's a time when the operation of the
machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can't take part!
You can't even passively take part! And you've got to put your bodies upon the gears
and upon the wheels…upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you've got to
make it stop! And you've got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who
own it, that unless you're free, the machine will be prevented from working at all!”8
8 Eidenmuller, Michael E. 2008. Great speeches for better speaking: listen and learn from
history's most memorable speeches. New York: McGraw-Hill.
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Figure 1 Figure 2Paul Berthon, Sainte marie des fleurs,1897. Katsushika Hokusai, Umegawa in Sagami
Poster laid on canvas, 23.6"
x 15.2"
. NY, USA. province, 1826-1823. Woodblock print, 10.1"
x14.9". Art Institute of Chicago. Ill.
Figure 3 Figure 4
Peter Blake,Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Robert Freeman, Charles Front, Rubber Soul,1967. Cardboard Cutouts, Photograph, lifesize. 1965. Photograph.
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Figure 5 Figure 6 Anonymous, The Great Society, 1967, Anonymous, Suppose They Gave a War and
Silkscreen, 40"x 26". Art resource, Nobody Came, 1969, Silkscreen, 24"x 37"
CA, Culver City © Center for the Study of Photo Credit, Hakes Americana & Collectibles.
Political Graphics, CA.
“Baby Boomers,” The History Channel website, http://www.history.com/topics/baby-boomers
(accessed Dec 19, 2013).
Bob Mehr, “Art review: Pioneer psychedelic art flourished on posters,” The Commercial Appeal
(2008) http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/jun/13/art-preview/
Eidenmuller, Michael E. 2008. Great speeches for better speaking: listen and learn from
history's most memorable speeches. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Emanuella Grinberg and CNN, “How the drugs of the 60s changed art,” CNN Living 07 (2011):15, http://www.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/07/15/ken.johnson.psychedelic.art/index.html
Meggs, Philip B., Alston W. Purvis, and Philip B. Meggs. 2006. Meggs' history of graphicdesign. Hoboken, N.J.: J. Wiley & Sons.
Pevsner, Nikolaus. 2005. Pioneers of modern design: from William Morris to Walter Gropius.New Haven, Conn: Yale University Press.
Shelly Essay, “What is Dada?” About.com, Art History (2013) http://arthistory.about.com/cs/ arthistory10one/a/dada.htm
Silvia Sorbelli, “Psychedelic Art & Kitsch: A Case Study,” Concordia Undergraduate Journal of Art History 4: 3, http://cujah.org/past-volumes/volume-iv/volume-iv-essay-3/
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/jun/13/art-preview/http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/jun/13/art-preview/http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/jun/13/art-preview/http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/jun/13/art-preview/http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/jun/13/art-preview/http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/jun/13/art-preview/http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/jun/13/art-preview/http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/jun/13/art-preview/http://cujah.org/past-volumes/volume-iv/volume-iv-essay-3/http://cujah.org/past-volumes/volume-iv/volume-iv-essay-3/http://arthistory.about.com/cs/arthistory10one/a/dada.htmhttp://arthistory.about.com/cs/arthistory10one/a/dada.htmhttp://arthistory.about.com/cs/arthistory10one/a/dada.htmhttp://arthistory.about.com/cs/arthistory10one/a/dada.htmhttp://www.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/07/15/ken.johnson.psychedelic.art/index.htmlhttp://www.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/07/15/ken.johnson.psychedelic.art/index.htmlhttp://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/jun/13/art-preview/http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/jun/13/art-preview/http://www.history.com/topics/baby-boomershttp://www.history.com/topics/baby-boomers
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