Still Life #41

A leading figure of Pop Art, Tom Wesselmann approached contemporary American culture in terms of classical art-historical genres, like the nude and the still life. His early still-life assemblages, begun in 1962, melded painted forms with readymade objects and popular advertising images, creating a tension between the real and the depicted. A trip to a retail display manufacturer specializing in decorative objects inspired Wesselmann to have objects made in plastic from wooden molds and then painted and placed onto Formica shelves. Still Life #41 features both flat and dimensional objects. Removing identifying brands and labels, the artist emphasized the formal qualities of these purified, isolated shapes. Here the wooden facade of a 1930s table radio, a plastic half orange, and a plastic beer bottle become timeless, ironic icons.