Portraiture has been prevalent in Peter Blake’s work since the late 1940s. From his images of pop culture icons to his imagined characters, the artist has always explored a diverse array of individuals. A recent series of small, colourful watercolours depicting the faces and torsos of heavily inked men and women, their individual body art, intricately rendered, is again part of a recurring theme in Blake’s oeuvre: the circus, the fairground and the side-show attraction. The skins of these imagined characters have become canvases in themselves one figure has an image of the Crucifixion emblazoned on his chest, whilst a tattooed woman has the names of the British Princes, William and Harry, etched on each breast. Another’s complex facial tattoos cover the entirety of his face, echoing the masks in Blake’s wrestling portraits. We present a series of 10 signed original prints, produced and published by Dark Matter Studio.
Tattooed People, Max
£300.00
Additional information
Medium | Archival inkjet prints on Hahnemühle photo rag satin 310 gms |
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Year | 2015 |
Original / Edition | Editions of 150 |
Size | 28.4 x 21.0 cm |
Title | Dan, Emily, Gloria, Grace, Max, Percy, Ron, Lex, Betty, Doris, Ron |
Description
Widely regarded as the godfather of British Pop art and the Young British Artists movement, Sir Peter Blake creates paintings, collages, and prints that blend modernity and nostalgia. Though best known for designing the album cover for the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper ‘s Lonely Hearts Club Band, he considers painting to be central to his oeuvre. While celebrity figures inform his work, folk art, fairground signs, and an overall sense of nostalgia also influence his style.