The Blues Project
Poster
1966 (made)
1966 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Wes Wilson described his graphic design aesthetic as "visual poetry set into poster formats." Wilson worked primarily in bold colours, to complement the psychedelic light shows which took place during performances at the Fillmore Auditorium and its rival the Avalon Ballroom. His eye-catching posters feature inventive lettering - which became increasingly stylised and illegible as his style evolved. Here, Wilson's image features a harmonica-playing blues man shown in distorted perspective.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | The Blues Project (generic title) |
| Materials and techniques | Colour offset lithograph |
| Brief description | "The Blues Project" psychedelic poster of a man plying a harmonica by Wes Wilson. Green and white on dark blue ground. USA, 1966. |
| Physical description | Psychedelic distorted image of a man playing harmonica in turquoise (green) and white on dark blue ground. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | Through its marketing, 1960s psychedelic music attempted to create a visual interpretation of the adventurous sonic worlds of the genre. The decade's explosion of mind-altering music and culture took inspiration from Art Nouveau, Surrealism, and 19th century graphic art. The posters advertising events at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco began to define the style with text and images floating like waves of sound. The influence of these visuals extended way beyond psychedelic rock, representing a whole era of pop culture.(2019) |
| Credit line | Gift of the American Friends of the V&A; Gift to the American Friends by Leslie, Judith and Gabri Schreyer and Alice Schreyer Batko |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | Wes Wilson described his graphic design aesthetic as "visual poetry set into poster formats." Wilson worked primarily in bold colours, to complement the psychedelic light shows which took place during performances at the Fillmore Auditorium and its rival the Avalon Ballroom. His eye-catching posters feature inventive lettering - which became increasingly stylised and illegible as his style evolved. Here, Wilson's image features a harmonica-playing blues man shown in distorted perspective. |
| Bibliographic reference | Christoph Grunberg, ed. Summer of Love: Art of the Psychedelic Era London: Tate, 2005. 239 p. : ill. (some col.) ISBN: 1854375954. |
| Other number | LS.949 - Leslie Schreyer Loan Number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.523-2004 |
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| Record created | February 3, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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