a review on ed ruscha’s “now and then”
“Our canvases shall express the plastic equivalent of the sounds, noises and smells!” (Carlo Carrà, “The Painting of Sounds, Noises and Smells”, 1913). That is the first thing that comes to mind when I enter Edward Ruscha’s exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. Edward Ruscha, born in 1937, is one of the influences of the pop-art movement (1950) and occupies a seat as an experimental painter, using a vast range of unconventional materials to create familiar sights through new perspectives.
When I enter the exhibition, I am in a nightclub full of sounds, noises and smells. “ACE” (1962, oil on canvas, 6’ 3/8” x 5’ 6 3/4”) is screaming harshly at me. “HONK” (1961-62, oil on canvas, 72 1/2 x 67”) calms me down. “BOSS” (1961, oil on canvas, 72 x 67”) warms me. “OOF” (1962-63, oil on canvas, 71 1/2 x 67”) intrigues me. The space is made of a myriad of vivid colours, each occupying its distinct seat on the walls of the exhibition. Walking around, I am whispered the secrets of each piece. The unconventional use of material Ruscha experimented with. His work ranged from the conventional acrylic colour to gunpowder and even his own blood. Material that introduced him to a new way of use, allowing movement, softness, depth and flatness into his work. All to shoot for the viewers’ curiosity, as he states: “Art has to be something that makes you scratch your head.”
“NOISE, PENCIL, BROKEN PENCIL, CHEAP WESTERN”, made in 1963, is, to my eyes, the most gripping work at the exhibition. The 71 1/4 x 67” painting, made from a mix of wax and oil, delivers an intense and compelling energy to the viewer. Ruscha’s unconventional play of composition allows a sense of air into the piece. He plays with four elements, “noise”, a pencil, a broken pencil and a cheap western magazine, a recurring character in his work, each placed on the four sides of the almost square canvas. “Noise” is the first thing I notice, automatically balancing out the canvas. Displayed on the upper part of the composition, “Noise’s” depiction begins with a long white triangle that stands as the shadow of the heavy red letters, writing “Noise”. The letters are smoothly written with a vivid red tone ranging consecutively from bigger to smaller, from “N” to “E”. With the almost triangular shape the writing encompasses, Ruscha allows heaviness and depth in his work that challenges the viewer’s perspective.
His play of primary colours continues throughout the piece with the two pencils and the Western magazine portrayed in yellow, contrasting with the deep blue background. This way, Ruscha creates actual noise, as well as a new way for the viewer to look at the space of his work. The two pencils portrayed at the far left and right of the composition elongate the work from left to right, almost as if being pulled. The Western magazine, on the other hand, portrayed at the centre bottom part of the composition, seems as if it is pulled from the earth’s surface. The three yellow elements seem very light upon the deep blue background, coming in contrast with the heaviness of the red “Noise” that closes and surrounds the composition.
In such a manner, Ruscha suggests a new way of looking at his artwork. Could the painting be flat on surface? Is there something missing? Why is this enclosing feeling? Is it a whole new universe?
As he states: “Art has to be something that makes you scratch your head, look again”.
