I’m going to talk a little bit about the style of the piece. James Rosenquist was a very influential pop artist, but he incorporates some stylistic elements from other movements and his own career, making his artwork quite distinct. As we heard in his talk, he began his career painting gigantic billboards and murals, and he learned early on how to scale things up. Two 1959 People really works with his prior experience and is a prime example of his unique style.
First, you see that the medium is oil and assemblage on canvas. Rosenquist worked primarily with oil paint. While this work is actually quite large for an oil painting, it is much smaller than his usual works. Yet it is still a vibrant mural-like work typical of Rosenquist’s style. He makes use of bright colors and loose brushwork in this art work, formed from thin, transparent layers of paint. The surface is smooth, as if flattened with a pallette knife to create a completely level canvas. This technique is paralleled in his use of sometimes large, flat planes of color. Rosenquist employs much juxtaposition in his art, in this case simultaneously displaying a monochrome palette and the colors of a vivacious, natural world, pattern and solid color, shine and matt textures, the physical three-dimensionality of the fishing pole and the two dimensional surface of a painting, and smooth color with quick strokes to indicate detail.
The man and woman are gargantuan, yet fragmented, only displaying parts of the face and neck. The woman is oriented upside-down. A pair of floating arms are visible as well, yet they appear to be much smaller in comparison to the rest of the figures. He seems to harbor an interest in the nonconventional portrayal of the human figure while using figures that are recognizably attired in the effects of 1959. Their forms are blurred, making them a little more sultry and mysterious. In the center of the painting, a silver and red license plate dominates in...