Writing about Wes Wilson

WES WILSON

 

Subject Matter

The artist is trying to communicate freedom, music, drugs, and love as he is pioneered the rock concert poster aesthetic of the late 60s , the mood and the atmosphere is fun and bright since all his posters are bright. The feeling and emotion it conveys is joy in music in the 60s and also the mystery of the letterforms that are not easy to read which it might say about the culture and the movement which is not clear and mysterious. The ideas it coveys to me is society where people want to change from the traditional life style into more free and fun society.

 

Technique

  Expanding their outlines and inset shapes at the same time he played with foregrounds and backgrounds, his design patterns becoming increasingly exaggerated with each new creation Wilson's other major breakthrough was in his use of colour inspired by the light shows of the concerts themselves, he mixed colours with wild abandon, resulting in jolting visuals that perfectly captured the revolutionary essence of the music his art promoted. I think Wilson drew the shapes than started printing I believe he used ink the marks were carefully applied, the consistency of the ink is thin, the poster creates illusion that some forms are further away from others the use of colour is exaggerated very vibrate bright and vivid which resembles rock concerts. most of his posters he uses complimentary colours which are colours opposite each other in the colour wheel which makes the poster look very bright. Some posters go from light areas to dark areas the texture is smooth since is printed.

 

Artist Career

Born Robert Wesley Wilson on July 15 1937 he drew throughout childhood, but while attending the local junior college in Auburn, CA, instead studied forestry and horticulture, subsequently majoring in philosophy at San Francisco State College. He later went to work at Contact Printing, a small press that produced handbills for the Mime Troupe Appeal parties mounted by concert promoter and impresario Bill Graham soon Wilson who had already completed a handful of well-received posters for Chet Helms and the Family Dog was also designing for Graham's rock shows at the Fillmore Auditorium.