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拍品专文
In UH! OH! Joe Tilson captures the exclamation mark in a manner that gives the work a three-dimensionality, which physically ‘pops out' of the frame. In what could be described as artistic onomatopoeia – where the work reflects its subject - this large oil and wood relief protrudes out and makes its presence known to the viewer. Constructed in 1963, the present work is emblematic of Joe Tilson’s personal fascination with rendering tactile multi-faceted surfaces, combined with his interest in the wider Pop art scene that had gripped both Britain and America. Tilson reinforced his reputation as a leading figure of British Pop art with successful exhibitions during these years that in his own words, made him ‘famous before the Beatles and Hockney’ (Tilson, quoted in C. Gleadell, ‘Joe Tilson: the forgotten king of British Pop art’ in The Telegraph, 20 April 2009).
Initially training as a carpenter and joiner, Tilson constantly strove to reinvent ways three-dimensional elements could be incorporated into his painted works, almost always using the medium of wood. This interest began in the late 1950s when Tilson started rendering reliefs in wood, which by 1961 had developed into a highly formalised language. Adding drama to the construction of his work, the subjects Tilson focused upon were easily recognisable, featuring the shape of a key hole, punctuation or even lettering and numbering. Contemporary to Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns who reproduced dollar signs, target signs or flags, Tilson’s works of art speak the language of Pop whilst the vibrant colours and sharp contrasts add to this shared etymology. They reacted against the elitist notions propagated by the Abstract Expressionists who rejected an identifiable subject matter in favour of capturing abstract ideas or emotions. Rebelling against this Greenbergian approach to painting, Tilson’s bold exclamation marks are rendered in a manner that give three-dimensionality both through the physical sculptural qualities of the work, but also the use of painterly shading that makes them appear to ‘pop out’ of the space all the more.
UH! OH! is a particularly strong example of Tilson’s graphic style of this period, its limited palette and clarity of line more focused than others works. Jumping out at the viewer, the simplicity of design has a universal appeal, signalling Tilson’s early influence upon the return to representational art following the Abstract Expressionists’ looser approach.
Initially training as a carpenter and joiner, Tilson constantly strove to reinvent ways three-dimensional elements could be incorporated into his painted works, almost always using the medium of wood. This interest began in the late 1950s when Tilson started rendering reliefs in wood, which by 1961 had developed into a highly formalised language. Adding drama to the construction of his work, the subjects Tilson focused upon were easily recognisable, featuring the shape of a key hole, punctuation or even lettering and numbering. Contemporary to Andy Warhol and Jasper Johns who reproduced dollar signs, target signs or flags, Tilson’s works of art speak the language of Pop whilst the vibrant colours and sharp contrasts add to this shared etymology. They reacted against the elitist notions propagated by the Abstract Expressionists who rejected an identifiable subject matter in favour of capturing abstract ideas or emotions. Rebelling against this Greenbergian approach to painting, Tilson’s bold exclamation marks are rendered in a manner that give three-dimensionality both through the physical sculptural qualities of the work, but also the use of painterly shading that makes them appear to ‘pop out’ of the space all the more.
UH! OH! is a particularly strong example of Tilson’s graphic style of this period, its limited palette and clarity of line more focused than others works. Jumping out at the viewer, the simplicity of design has a universal appeal, signalling Tilson’s early influence upon the return to representational art following the Abstract Expressionists’ looser approach.