CLAES OLDENBURG

Pop Art Sculptor

LEARNING GOAL

Students will be able to discover the Pop Art Sculptor Claes Oldenburg and be able to create a sculpture based on his work.

3-D Art

Sculpture: the art of making three-dimensional representative or abstract forms, especially by carving stone or wood or by casting metal or plaster.

3-D: having, or seeming to have, the dimension of depth as well as width and height

Scale: refers to the size of an object (a whole) in relationship to another object (another whole).

Pop Art?

Context of Art

Artists?

Claes Oldenburg – b. 1929 (Stockholm)

In 1959, the Judson Gallery exhibited his work ranging from monstrous human figures to everyday objects, made from a mix of drawings, collages, and papier-maché.

In 1961, he opened The Store in his studio, where he recreated the environment of neighborhood shops.

He displayed familiar objects made out of plaster, reflecting American society’s celebration of consumption, and was soon heralded as a Pop artist with the emergence of the movement in 1962.

Sketch for public work. (date unknown)

Clothespin, Cor-Ten and stainless steels 13.7 x 3.7 x 1.4 m

In what ways has Oldenburg taken the inside and put it outside?

One author wrote that, “Oldenburg…[makes] architectural devices which act as question marks and point to exhaustion, decadence and cynicism in society.” In what ways does Clothespin do this?

Public Art

The themes Oldenburg’s public works are strongly Pop Art in their subject matter.

He turns the normal into art, asking us to question our understanding of what art is.

Many of his public works includes: clothespins, safety pins, garden trowels, binoculars, rubber stamps, etc.

Trowel I, 1971-76 Steel painted with polyurethane enamel (12.7 x

3.4 x 4.4 m)

Typewriter Eraser 1999, painted stainless steel and Fiberglass

Oldenburg said of art, “I am for art that takes its form from the lines of life itself, that twists and extends…and is heavy and coarse and blunt and sweet and stupid as life itself.” Do these works seems to encapsulate these ideas? Why/why not? In what ways do these works comment on the ‘American’ worldview?

Soft Sculpture

In the late sixties, Oldenburg started to construct his ‘soft’ sculptures.

Often multi-media works, these sculptures have a soft, tangible quality to them.

His work is a satirical interpretation of the symbols of the American consumer society and the hidden power of everyday objects.

His works create a metamorphosis of these everyday objects because of the scale and form that he creates with these works.

Soft Bathtub (Model)—Ghost Version* (1966): acrylic and pencil on foam-filled canvas with wood, cord, and plaster.

* Ghost version refers to the colour as Oldenburg would sometimes to the same sculpture , one in colour and one white.

Why do you think that Oldenburg uses the bathtub as an inspiration for his sculpture? Like Rauschenberg, do you think that this work has the connotations of privacy, etc? Why?

Soft Pay-Telephone, 1963.Vinyl filed with kapok, mounted on painted wood, (118.2 x 48.3 x 22.8 cm.),

Thinking about Oldenburg’s creation of the ‘soft sculptures’ how is he asking us to question the our perception? In what ways does this work seem to be a satire on American consumerism?

Oldenburg used the phrase, ‘formal metamorphosis’ to describe his work. What do you think he meant by this?

Giant Hamburger (1962) Printed sailcloth stuffed with foam, h52 x w82 7/8 in

Thinking about the traditional sense of what we consider sculpture, how has Oldenburg challenged our understanding of the medium. Do you think that there is meant to be a deep meaning or is there a sense of playfulness to his work? Why / why not?

Floor Cake mixed media 60" x 9' x 48"  1962

YOUTUBE

Store

Giant Hamburger

Absurd and kitsch, this massive over-sized version of a twentieth –century icon evokes a sense of incredulity.

The artist’s desire to imitate and displace one of the most potent symbols of American culture enhances its power and impact.

Not only in its unconventional subject matter but also in its soft form it crushes all preconceived notions of traditional sculpture being solid and hard.

Oldenburg was concerned with making art from materials and precuts from the commercial environment.

He wanted his art to reflect contemporary, everyday life in all its complexity and change.

What is Oldenburg saying about the culture he is representing.?

The Store In 1961 Oldenburg opened The Store, a

shop furnished with his depictions of consumer goods derived from food, clothing, and other everyday commodities. The Store were extensions, of the happenings organized at the end of the 1950s and early 1960s by Robert Rauschenberg, and others.

7-UP was part of The Store. Oldenburg gradually filled The Store with sculptures inspired by the tawdry merchandise he saw in downtown shop windows.

His sculptures were made of plaster-soaked muslin placed over wire frames, which was then painted and priced for such amounts as $198.99.

Oldenburg elevated the objects in his store to the status of art and sold them to the public, thus circumventing the usual venue of a commercial gallery.

7-UP, 1961 Enamel on plaster-soaked cloth on wire 55 x 39 1/4 x 5 1/2 in.

Soft Fur Good Humors, 1963.Fake fur filled with kapok; wood painted with enamel4 units, each 5.1 x 24.1 x 48.2 cm

Oldenburg said of his art, "I am for an art that is political-mystical, that does something else than sit in a museum.” (1961) In what ways does this feed into the Pop Art philosophy that we have been studying so far? How do you think that Oldenburg’s art would have challenged the American status quo for fine art?

Ice Bag - Scale C (1971)Ice Bag

Final words…

Oldenburg said of his work:

I wish to reflect things as they are now and always without sentimentality. To face facts and learn their beauty.

Claes Oldenberg

Mr. Maynard’s Student Examples

LEARNING GOAL

Students will be able to discover the Pop Art Sculptor Claes Oldenburg and be able to create a sculpture, in Twist Ties, based on his work.

What would be considered ‘Pop Art?’ Store items? What would be an every day object to create? Begin to sketch your sculpture. Actual Sculpture must be 6” – 8” in one direction. Focused on Craftsmanship: the quality of design

and work shown in something made by hand; artistry.

Claes Oldenburg Self Evaluation 1. Sketchbook: Sketch your project in a box that is 5” x 5”. Describe: What theme did you decide to create

your project on? How does it relate to Oldenburg? Analyze: How was your use of the Medium of Twist

Ties? What is difficult? How did you overcome the task? What would have been a better medium?

Interpret: What is the purpose of creating Pop Art? Is Pop Art Relevant in today’s times?

Judge: What is the quality of your work? Why is it successful? What do you need to improve next time?

Claes Oldenburg Peer EvaluationDescribe: As the ‘Art Audience,’ what is the reaction to their piece? What is happening?Analyze: How is their use of the medium? Did they fulfill the project’s requirements with the Twist Ties?Interpret: Being the ‘Art Audience,’ what do you think is the meaning of their work? How could another person interpret the project?Judge: Being that this is your first project with Twist Ties, how did they do with the medium? What is one successful thing about their piece?