The Neo Art Magazine

The constant involvement of New York as an art market place can be effortlessly seen during the 20th Century Evening Sale where it can be seen that its a sale of haircuts for artists and designers as well as for collectors, critics and curators and is a spectacle for many. This year, the exhibition will feature the works of artists who were at the forefront of the cultural development during the modern and post-war consolidations in November. This sale, which includes work by René Magritte, Marcel Duchamp, Willem de Kooning and Claude Monet, presents a unique chance to see and own some the greatest masterpieces from the past century. In this context, Ed Ruscha’s Standard Station, Ten-Cent Western Being Torn in Half, which is the most of the sale, retains elements of Pop Art, abstract art and Ruscha’s unique way of seeing America’s geography.

As people round the globe also commemorate countless events over the last decade art in context to all the events it has seen over the past hundred years is celebrated making it a fitting one for this sale as well. Breton illustrated the magnificent pieces created in a manner daring to dominate the public consciousness in October nineteen twenty four therefore celebrating 100 years of Surrealism whilst Masquerading Turbulently about Magritte and Duchamp only to in the corner of the gallery awaited for definition from the Sierra women and their attitudes toward fine arts.

The experiences that defined the outlook of Ed Ruscha

There is no way of comprehending the series that is Ed Ruscha’s Standard Station without first understanding the experience that fueled it. In August of the year 1956, a young Ruscha undertook a road trip covering the distance of 1300 miles, starting from Oklahoma City and reaching the city of Los Angeles. The 1950 Ford that he drove around was not only a vehicle for him and his friend Mason Williams; it was a canvas for a young artist to be inspired as he drove across America, and its endless roads, “gas stations,” and “billboards” were to be part of him.

Route 66; the highway linking Chicago and Los Angeles has always been viewed as an embodiment of the American Dream, capturing the ideals of freedom, movement and opportunities. For Ruscha, however, the real sentiment of the road was its ordinariness and familiarity. Gas stations, motels, roadside signage and other beige structures were in much more monotone and Palmer had grown a fascination with them. With his camera, Ruscha photographed these common buildings and made them identifiable with ordinariness and utilitarianism like never before.

These photos would provide the source material for Twentysix Gasoline Stations, an artist’s book published in the year 1963 and which was met with scorn by both critics and institutions. The artist sent a copy for consideration to the Library of Congress, which returned it claiming it had no aesthetic or informational value. In due course, however, Twentysix Gasoline Stations came to be regarded as part of Ruscha’s most famous and recognized works and as a critical work of the Pop Art Movement in modern America.

Standard Station: A Monumental Transformation

When on his travels, there were several gas stations where Ruscha took photos, but there was one that flashed in Ruscha’s travels: a Standard Oil station in Amarillo, Texas. This simple black-and-white photo was to provide the basic design of Standard Station, Amarillo, Texas, which is one of the most recognized artwork pieces in Ruscha’s career. Ruscha deliberately rendered the American backyard into a bigger than life gas station oil symbol in this monumental painting. Striking red, white, and blue colors dominated the canvas in an overly steep perspective that enhanced the almost cinematic appearance of the station. Three yellow spotlights on the surrounding dark and endless night sky complement the image by placing the gas station in a heroic tone.

Standard Station, Amarillo, Texas, by Ruscha, is an example of wide angle shots that you find in the classic Hollywood films, injecting even the still picture with an impact of motion. A gas station, which previously served as one of the stops in Route 66, has turned into a shrine for generalization, a true representation of the fast and cutthroat nature of the business that is captured so well in the Ruscha’s works. As the artist himself would later say, the painting ‘brings glory to itself in front of people’s eyes’. For the viewer: what started as a portrait of a neglected part of Texas has been placed in the context of art glorifying the United States.

Ruscha did not, however, stop investigating the Standard station. Again in 1963, he created Standard Station, Ten-Cent Western Being Torn in Half, a painting that was a variation of the previous theme but included more factors and even more layers of meanings. In this instance, the vista is different, for instead of the dark in which gas station was placed the color is simplified to the blue sky, and instead of night the sun shines bright. These dramatic spot lights are absent, but instead of them Ruscha includes some other bizarre touch—torn Western magazine, which is made in the dime store, and which is located at the top right corner of the canvas. This odd addition to the composition which can be termed as a visual non-sequitor but adds a sense of humor and irony to the whole composition, one which is typical of Ruscha whose works attempt to explore the contradictions between high and low cultures.

The 20th Century Evening Sale:  The Vanguardist Struggles Experienced in Art

The significance of Ed Ruscha’s artwork in American art after the Second World War is embedded in the artworks Standard Station, Ten-Cent Western Being Torn in Half which will feature in the 20th Century Evening Sale this November. This auction encapsulates the essence of the avant garde movements within its context of liberating artworks created by Surrealist masters René Magritte and Marcel Duchamp, whose work subverted experiences of reality. One stoic figure at the core of such advancement would be the creator of this year’s milestone and the first surrealist document, André Breton who pioneered the First Surrealist Manifesto back in 1924.

Alongside these Surrealist icons, the sale highlights the groundbreaking work of Abstract Expressionists such as Willem de Kooning. De Kooning’s Untitled, 1982, which marries figures with abstraction, will be the lead piece in the Beyond Form: A Revolution in Abstraction Series, which shows the evolution of art changes after World War II. Other notable artists showcased during the auction whose work undoubtedly set the foundation of modernism include Pablo Picasso and Claude Monet.

What makes this auction unique, however, is the presence in it of Ed Ruscha, whose series Standard Stations is loved by many collectors. His works offer a visually accessible and, at times, complex portrayal of life and culture in America. Almost one-hundred percent recognizable are his original paintings, which play with strong forms and significant color palettes. His subtle humor brings warmth to otherwise emotionally cold architectural designs. This is what separates Ruscha from other artists.

Also fascinating is the manner in which he approaches shape in his creative expressions, as reflected in his more traditional art pieces. His cinematic landscapes played a major role in his overall creative approach. With this in mind, it is safe to ascertain that the presence of Ed Ruscha in an auction will ensure better attendance based on the content of his art pieces rather than the artist himself.

This art represents the different facets of 20th-century art, along with minimalistic pictures made by Ellsworth Kelly and American modernism represented by Georgia O’Keeffe and Frank Stella. All together they create an intermovement and inter style discussion depicting the history of visual culture from the beginnings of modernism till present.

Ruscha’s Lasting Contribution to the World Today

As the auction progresses, Ed Ruscha’s Standard Station works will be rejected among the masterpieces of modernism and post of the war period. Ruscha has always challenged our understanding of society’s icons by painting and creating more than just gas stations, he tells us how to appreciate the mundane, how to marvel at the basic, and how art has the power to transform the commonplace. He single-handedly elevated the humble gas station from a utilitarian aesthetic to an iconic feature of the American landscape.

Ruscha, 86 years of age, is actively practicing in his studio located in Culver City while considering the route that has shaped his entire life and career. Featuring razor intelligence, intense hues, and blockbuster camera work, his illustrations remain highly relevant today and still guide the creative direction of numerous modern artists. And in the words of Ruscha himself, ‘Everything you see on the street I’m influenced by’. He has also managed to find purpose in the banal, and wit, and beauty in the everyday— and in so doing, he offers all of us the ability to look at the world through his stoic yet ever-watchful eye.

A Sale for the Years

Two different great auctions; 20th Century Evening Sale in this November and Beyond Form: A Revolution in Abstraction, will mark a new chapter in the history of art. Understandably, deserts by René Magritte and giant gas stations by Ed Ruscha are impressive in their ability to portray the potential contained within the modern perspective of art. The last hundred years has undoubtedly been a consolidation phase for the advancement of art development, but make no mistake; that phase has not only not reached its peak but continues to require any advancements for new possibilities to share with the artistry created in every new Hanguy.

Take a look at the 20th/21st Century Art auction series that is currently ongoing in New York; boastfully witness modern and contemporary art historical moments that have shaped the many today over hasty styles.