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Psychedelic Painting I

Drawing
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
TitlePsychedelic Painting I (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Coloured inks and black Indian ink on paper.
Brief description
Drawing with coloured inks, 'Psychedelic Painting I' by John Hurford, England, 1968.
Physical description
Abstract image consisting of a woman's face surrounded by flowers, a female nude, and swirling patterns of water and landscape forms made of contrasting stripes of different colours and at the top a background of flames. The colours include green, pink, blue, orange, red, purple and yellow. To the left are (real?) Chinese or Japanese characters.
Dimensions
  • Height: 29.7cm
  • Width: 29cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • John Hurford (Lower right.)
  • fig 11 (written on back)
Credit line
Given by the artist
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.369-2010

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Record createdFebruary 1, 2011
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