Launched in London in 1843 the Christmas card took a
while to take off. The original designs included envelopes, which suggested that there was far more to Christmas then, than there is now.
An original 1843 Christmas Card envelope
Artists are not immune from the Xmas festivities
and I have many a time when broke made my own artist’s cards, hopefully they will never re-surface. However if you become famous whatever you did will at sometime re-enter into public view so beware. Here are a few Christmas cards sent from artists great and famous, some better than others.
I like this one by Ad Reinhardt, somehow it all makes christmas sense but then again I'm not sure.
Helen Frankenthaler is having no truck with a traditional Xmas image, I like that.
Philip Guston's suggests a skull thinking about something horrid. I read the black kettle as an eye socket Perhaps I'm too aware of his other work. Again no real attempt to be Merry.
Graham Sutherland is just weird and yet behind all the strangeness you feel he is very much into a polite English Christmas.
And finally just to remind everyone, there is a Terry Frost exhibition planned for the Leeds City Art Gallery next year, and here is Frost in Xmas mode, he used to send these cards to friends, including Patrick Oliver a former member of staff here at college.
x
xx
xxx
xxxx
xxxxx
xxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxx
++
Happy Xmas and have a bright and sparkling New Year
See also:
No comments:
Post a Comment