Wayne Thiebaud
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"Thiebaud, like any traditional painter became interested in how light affected objects, particulary the garish glare of bulbs and fluorescent tubes that made objects seem to swell with importance."--"The Slice-of-Cake School" (1962) by Bruce Barton, Jr. "A pie has all kinds of marvelous complex associations. The whiteness of meringue became for me of great poetic preoccupation; it's like snow, like frost, like the concept of purity and, from a painter's standpoint white both absorbs light and reflects light, it's composed of all colors, like Chardin's tablecloths. But then, I know you wonder -- why a pie instead of a snow bank. Well, pie has a long history other implications: the idea of 'Pie in the Sky', the old American preoccupation with Mom and Apple Pie, pie throwing contests, pie eating contests, pie throwing in Chaplin films. One makes a pie out of ordinary stuff, like raisins, squash or apples and gift wraps it, in a sense, with a crust. It's very magical, very special."-- "An Interview with Wayne Thiebaud" (1966) by LeGrace Benson and David Shearer |
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Wayne Thiebaud (1920 – 2021) was an American painter known for works such as Refrigerator Pies (1962).
His colorful works depicted ordinary objects—pies, lipsticks, paint cans, ice cream cones, pastries, and hot dogs—as well as for his landscapes and figure paintings. Thiebaud is associated with the pop art movement because of his interest in objects of mass culture, although his early works, executed during the fifties and sixties, slightly predate the works of the classic pop artists. Thiebaud used heavy pigment and exaggerated colors to depict his subjects, and the well-defined shadows characteristic of advertisements are almost always included in his work.
Work
Thiebaud is best known for his paintings of production line objects found in diners and cafeterias, such as pies and pastries. Many wonder if he spent time working in the food industry, and in fact he did. As a young man in Long Beach, he worked at a cafe named Mile High and Red Hot, where "Mile High" was ice cream and "Red Hot" was a hot dog.
He was associated with the Pop art painters because of his interest in objects of mass culture, however, his works, executed during the fifties and sixties, slightly predate the works of the classic pop artists, suggesting that Thiebaud may have had an influence on the movement. Thiebaud uses heavy pigment and exaggerated colors to depict his subjects, and the well-defined shadows characteristic of advertisements are almost always included in his work.
In addition to pastries, Thiebaud has painted landscapes, streetscapes, and popular characters such as Mickey Mouse. His recent paintings such as Sunset Streets (1985) and Flatland River (1997) are noted for their hyper realism, and are in some ways similar to Edward Hopper's work, who was fascinated with mundane scenes from everyday American life.
In his painting, he focuses on the commonplace in a way that suggests irony and objective distance from his subjects. He also makes a point of keeping an independent distance from the New York School.
Thiebaud considers himself not an artist, but a painter. He is a voracious reader and is known for reading poetry to his students. His favorite poet is William Carlos Williams.
Notable works
- 1961 Drink Syrups
- 1961 Pies, Pies, Pies
- 1962 Around the Cake
- 1962 Bakery Counter
- 1962 Confections
- 1962 Candy Machine
- 1963 Display Cakes
- 1963 Cakes
- 1963 Girl with Ice Cream Cone
- 1964 Three Strawberry Shakes
- 1964 Eight Lipsticks
- 1964 Man Sitting - Back View
- 1964 Lemon Cake
- 1966 Powder With Puff
- 1968 Coloma Ridge
- 1970 Seven Suckers
- 1971 Four Cupcakes
- 1975 Shoe Rows
- 1976 Potrero Hill
- 1977 24th Street Intersection
- 1981 Hill Street (Day City)
- 1987 Two Paint Cans
- 1991 The Three Cows
- 1992 Thirteen Books
- 1993 Apartment View
- 1993 Coastline (California Arts Council specialty license plate)
- 1996 Farm Channel
- 1999 Reservoir
- 2000 Clown Cones
- 2002 Jolly Cones (Ice Cream Cones)
- 2008 Three Ice cream Cones
- 2010 The Google 12th Birthday Cake
- 2010 Tulip Sundae
See also
