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Square Eye

Design
1968 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This is one of a set of drawings and printed images in the V&A's collection by artist John Hurford. Hurford was one of the key figures in the explosion of psychedelic imagery in Britain in the late 1960s. His drawings, mainly executed in pen and ink and enlivened by brilliant washes of coloured inks, were reproduced as posters and illustrations in the leading Underground publications of the day, including Oz, IT and Gandalf's Garden.

Hurford's meticulously and minutely-particularised drawing style was coupled with his fascination with natural plant and tree forms. They gave his work a direct appeal to the hippy generation, who either aspired to get back to the simpler country life or who, as city-dwellers, nurtured a romanticised dream of rural existence.



Object details

Category
Object type
TitleSquare Eye (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Black Indian ink on white paper.
Brief description
Drawing, ink, 'Square Eye' by John Hurford, England, 1968.
Physical description
Abstract image consisting of a woman's face to the right, and covering most of the page an irregular pattern comprising bird, flower and plant forms, and birds' eyes, with a black patch to the left. In the centre an owls head and a long beaked bird within a central 'peak'.
Dimensions
  • Image height: 30.5cm
  • Image width: 30.5cm
  • Mount height: 44.2cm
  • Mount width: 43cm
Marks and inscriptions
John / Hurford [copyright symbol] 1968 (Lower centre.)
Credit line
Given by the artist
Subjects depicted
Summary
This is one of a set of drawings and printed images in the V&A's collection by artist John Hurford. Hurford was one of the key figures in the explosion of psychedelic imagery in Britain in the late 1960s. His drawings, mainly executed in pen and ink and enlivened by brilliant washes of coloured inks, were reproduced as posters and illustrations in the leading Underground publications of the day, including Oz, IT and Gandalf's Garden.

Hurford's meticulously and minutely-particularised drawing style was coupled with his fascination with natural plant and tree forms. They gave his work a direct appeal to the hippy generation, who either aspired to get back to the simpler country life or who, as city-dwellers, nurtured a romanticised dream of rural existence.

Collection
Accession number
E.374-2010

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Record createdFebruary 1, 2011
Record URL
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