The Kitsch Project
The Kitsch Project
Kitsch has traditionally referred to art, objects, or design that is often seen as garish, gaudy or overly sentimental and thus have been thought of as “bad taste”. This is to overlook it’s ironic, often self-mocking nature, as well as it’s common appearance in Popular Culture. Artists such as Andy Warhol and more recently Jeff Koon’s have used it to great effect. Turning popular icons into art forms, making it society’s commodity and more accessible to the masses. For example Andy Warhol mass produced prints of Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley, cultural icon at the time, in bold colours and simplified features, using screen printing techniques, and so Pop Art was born. Elitists often want to separate this Kitsch/Pop Art from the Avant-garde High Art that is rare and unattainable to the lower classes. Whereas Pop Art was reproduced as a commodity that was available to the masses.
The flowers shown here are sentimental, gaudy and bold, so a great choice for Kitsch. This gave the artist Miriam Zevalking a great opportunity to explore Lilies in depth and with unrestrained vigor and colour combinations.
The History of the Lily
Lilies have a intriguing history. In Greek Mythology, the lily was dedicated to the Queen of Gods, the Goddess Hera, wife of Zeus. Legend has it a few drops of milk fell from her breast into the earth and up sprang lilies. The Greeks placed lilies in wreaths above brides heads to symbolise purity and abundance. They feature in Roman mythology this time associated with Venus. Who believing they rivaled her beauty caused a monstrous pistil to grow up from it’s centre. They feature in the Minoan’s history about 1580 B.C. As a sacred flower connected to the Goddess Britomartis and even earlier with the Goddess Dictynna in Neolithic times. The Egyptians used Narcissus and Lilies in funeral wreaths which is often done today. This association carries on through to the Old and New Testament that both feature lilies. The bible depicts Eve leaving the Garden of Eden in repentance, crying tears of remorse to the earth which sprang up into lilies. This lead to lilies representing the blossoming of beauty to be it’s spiritual essence. In the 15th and 16thcenturies when paintings previously depicted the Angel with the scepter, now the Angel held a white lily symbolising her purity as the Queen of Angels. Similarly now Christians see the Virgin Mary and the Lily connected, it symbolises both her chastity and fertility as well as her virtue. So to the Angel Gabriel and the saints are captured in paint, giving white lilies to the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus. There are also believed to be magical qualities to the lily. Elizabethan text recommends using it to treat fever, wound and arthritis. In China the use the bulbs in cooking for their starchy qualities.
Lilies can be found in a multitude of colours with ever increasing hybrids. These include yellow, pink and orange, with several blooms per stem. They were originally exotic plants from only in hot climates such as South America and Asia, often brought back by explorers over the years. Nowadays the Lilies are more commonly used at Easter in Church settings around altars and crosses often named Easter Lilies celebrating Christ’s resurrection and therefore hope of life everlasting. However there natural flowering period is mid-summer, lilies in the home embody hope and life and are most commonly given in friendship and devotion.
Miriam Zevalking’s use of the Lily
Miriam became obsessed with the Lily from every angle. She bought a countless supply of lilies. She made numerous drawings of the lily to satisfy endless investigations. First in pencil and pen, then in colourful water-colour pens. She wanted to understand the depth of detail that is discovered in close examination, such as the delicate contour lines within the petals. Only after this depth of understanding did she move on to larger and larger paintings. Miriam strived to capture this three dimensional qualities of the lily, in the 2 dimension of her painting. She made the painting so visually sumptuous and electrifying which coincide and support this theme of Pop Art and Kitsch.
I saw this as an opportunity to discover the bold constructs of the lily giving it’s petals a 3 dimensional quality. Then after countless studies I felt I could then stylize the work exaggerating the scale and hue to bring it perfectly into the realm of Kitsch.
I am consistently intrigued by the lily, their simplistic yet engrossing shadows, their curling petals, their light that seemed lit from within. The lily is extremely fragile flower, on a primitive level I could relate to this, also being sensitive and vulnerable the flower became my mirror. Yet the flower was free and seemed to dance on the page and canvases. This gave me hope for in it’s stillness and despite it’s fleeting life, the lily is happy and radiates a positive energy.
Miriam initially expressed her difficult inner feelings of isolation and loss at the time, using her artistic creation as relief from the complexities of the external world. This escapism lead her to a new found confidence both in her ability and in herself.
Painting with acrylic became a whole new medium to Miriam. The bright colours expressed the vibrancy of the exotic lilies. This is evident in the first series of loud yellow asian lilies painted onto an intensely blue background. Also the quick drying ability of the acrylics suited Miriam’s fast painting style brilliantly.
When she settled on the subject of flowers she recognised that in painting they had often been overused and over represented. Aware that painting flowers is an exhausted subject matter, rather than allowing this to put her off, Miriam embraced the lily and sought new way in which to re-invent it and make it new again. Miriam found a way of looking on the lily with fresh eyes, and thus re-invented the flower with a bright realism that was unique to her. The flower took more of a prominence in the painting that demanded attention of the viewer. She did this by over-sizing and over-saturating the canvas with paint, out came a bright realism beginning to veered more toward Pop Art. It was through this over exaggeration and boldness that the flower was transformed from a simple lily painted in a realist style into represent carefree kitsch. This is her description of her work;
High caliber brush stokes, painted at speed, describe the movement and direction of the outsized petals. The light and dark shadows played on these petals to draw in the eye in, then the eye is pulled back out, by the astute dominance of the stigma and stamen always demanding the viewers’ attention. Then these lilies are surrounded by an absorbing background of blue, green or black. The flowers seems to dance and are free upon the dark uncertain current beneath acting like a fast moving sky or swirling ocean.
Miriam began using naturalism in her art, this is a way of representing objects as they are seen. Art has been her best means of expression in the world. Studying sculpture and Life drawing alongside this project.
When choosing flowers Miriam explored a very feminine subject matter. The lily is often associated with women, most noticeably for it’s use as Lily the common name. The role of the flower in society is much like the woman, who dresses up and has the captivating ability to catch men’s eyes. The lily as well as attracting people for centuries also attracts the bee for pollination in order to reproduce. The scent can draw the bee from miles, so it’s scent and visual beauty are imperative to survival.
Each painting has a very personal meaning for the artist. Who has become very attached to them as each of these works has been through a personal journey of healing with her. Miriam has lived surrounded by these paintings in her home. Ultimately she has answered a very deep desire to paint and has thrived, becoming a very prolific artist in doing so. The intensely strong and lively lilies expanded Miriam’s artistic energies and skill. This finesse brought Miriam a new found confidence and a conviction to enhance and explore the world using her art.