Richard Prince is one of my favorite artists, I enjoy his style of appropriation, his methods in art making and his connection to mass production/media. I became aware of him with his collaboration with Louis Vuitton, which I thought was beautifully executed.
“Richard Prince was born in 1949 in the Panama Canal Zone and lives and works in upstate New York. Mining images from mass media, advertising and entertainment since the late seventies, Prince has redefined the concepts of authorship, ownership, and aura. Applying his understanding of the complex transactions of representation to the making of art, he evolved a unique signature filled with echoes of other signatures yet that is unquestionably his own. An avid collector and perceptive chronicler of American subcultures and vernaculars and their role in the construction of American identity, he has probed the depths of racism, sexism, and psychosis in mainstream humor; the mythical status of cowboys, bikers, customized cars, and celebrities; and most recently, the push-pull allure of pulp fiction and soft porn, producing such unlikely icons as the highly coveted Nurse paintings.”
http://www.gagosian.com/artists/richard-prince/
My Read it And Weep Drawing, entitled Opulent Comfort is influenced by a quote from interior designer Sister Parish, which is the title of the work. Sister Parish was an interior designer for the Kennedy White House, particularly the Yellow Oval Room and a well-known socialite. Her style can be described as baroque and is influenced by the English country home look. I thought about how especially in the 21st century, this fetishism of commodities, how people find intrinsic value within material goods and this desire to obtain these goods to fulfill some sort of need. I also wanted to acknowledge the appropriation that occurs between “high” culture and “low” culture concerning name brands. It is a popular motif in urban cultures to appropriate brands on usually items deemed cheap or lesser value, sometimes counterfeit. The hip-hop culture is largely responsible for acknowledging the European fashion houses and incorporating them into their lyrics, image and lifestyle. My drawing consists of frugal furniture pieces embellished with designer logos, changing the market value and context of the subject.
My daily drawing is part of my assignment, which is a monogram logo I made for Opulent Comfort, mimicking the text style of Gucci and Louis Vuitton. For the assignment I juxtaposed the text on a frugal couch from Uhuru, a discount, recycled furniture store on Spruce Street.
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