Allan Kass
Buick Electra 225 Car Advertisement Automobilia, 1962, 1962
Gouache on Illustration Board
11 1/4 × 28 3/4 in | 28.6 × 73 cm
$ 14,000.00
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In 1962, the fine art and museum worlds were absorbed by the later stages of Abstract Expressionism, the introduction of Hard Edge Abstraction, and the rise of Pop Art. Realism...
In 1962, the fine art and museum worlds were absorbed by the later
stages of Abstract Expressionism, the introduction of Hard Edge
Abstraction, and the rise of Pop Art. Realism was something to react to
and evolve from. It was off the table, except in the commercial art
world. Artist/Illustrator Allan Kass is a clear example of how a highly
talented and versatile artist can reach vast audiences without receiving
credit for his artistic skills. In the present work, he essentially
paints a large still life (the car) with detached objectivity and
precise detail. The car is correctly proportioned and in proper
perspective. Cass then switches gear and depicts a scene of six
immensely happy people caught at a peak moment of dramatic emotion.
Painted on a small scale, each face is masterfully observed, projecting
joviality, and is rendered in a quick, loose style to contrast with the
tightly rendered car. Both the car and the figures are silhouetted
against a white ground. With the exception of a few artists,
Illustration Art has not yet been recognized by the museum world as an
essential art form. Yet the practitioners of the genre, such as Allan
Kass, are clearly brilliant artists. Perhaps now is the moment for art
historians to look back on the early 1960s and to elevate the
Illustration art alongside Abstract Expressionism, Hard Edge
Abstraction, and Pop Art. What would we call this newly recognized but
overlooked art movement? A name like "Commercial Idealism" may work,
since the car is shown in the best possible light, and the people around
it, hugging it, are shown in an almost exaggerated state of joy. Life
can't get any better than owning a Buick. The artwork fulfills the
advertisers' intention at the time to showcase their product in the best
conceivable light, thereby communicating an aspirational reality to
their prospects, which would then sell their cars.
Gouache on board - Unframed
11-1/4 x 28-3/4 inches (28.6 x 73.0 cm)
Signed on the reverse: Allan Kass
stages of Abstract Expressionism, the introduction of Hard Edge
Abstraction, and the rise of Pop Art. Realism was something to react to
and evolve from. It was off the table, except in the commercial art
world. Artist/Illustrator Allan Kass is a clear example of how a highly
talented and versatile artist can reach vast audiences without receiving
credit for his artistic skills. In the present work, he essentially
paints a large still life (the car) with detached objectivity and
precise detail. The car is correctly proportioned and in proper
perspective. Cass then switches gear and depicts a scene of six
immensely happy people caught at a peak moment of dramatic emotion.
Painted on a small scale, each face is masterfully observed, projecting
joviality, and is rendered in a quick, loose style to contrast with the
tightly rendered car. Both the car and the figures are silhouetted
against a white ground. With the exception of a few artists,
Illustration Art has not yet been recognized by the museum world as an
essential art form. Yet the practitioners of the genre, such as Allan
Kass, are clearly brilliant artists. Perhaps now is the moment for art
historians to look back on the early 1960s and to elevate the
Illustration art alongside Abstract Expressionism, Hard Edge
Abstraction, and Pop Art. What would we call this newly recognized but
overlooked art movement? A name like "Commercial Idealism" may work,
since the car is shown in the best possible light, and the people around
it, hugging it, are shown in an almost exaggerated state of joy. Life
can't get any better than owning a Buick. The artwork fulfills the
advertisers' intention at the time to showcase their product in the best
conceivable light, thereby communicating an aspirational reality to
their prospects, which would then sell their cars.
Gouache on board - Unframed
11-1/4 x 28-3/4 inches (28.6 x 73.0 cm)
Signed on the reverse: Allan Kass