Highway Culture

In preparation for the final class in Abstraction in Watercolor today (before new classes start next week), I read Lawrence Alloway's book, "Topics in American Art Since 1945". He says, "Highway culture is the hardware and sociology generated by automotive transport and the road system...Highway culture is invisible because it's taken for granted, except by those who don't like it."

I think about Monet and Pissarro–their facination with all things in the landscape that pointed to the Industrial Revolution of the late 19th century. Trains, roads to train stations, "gares" all point to a new wave of motion for humans. The gray tone of "Sunrise, Rouen" by Pissaro from 1895 shares his fascination with engineering and this curiosity about the ant-like work of humans. Smoke stacks and rippled water imply action and time passing. We know between the specs of paint, daubed on the surface, life is going on in Rouen. Commerce is bustling.

Last night, I drove to Lebanon, NH to take some photos for the class. I have always liked neon, growing up in New Jersey. And night time offers a whole new look at a magic world of lights against the dark. Glows in watercolor should be easy to achieve, with a patient hand and a wet-in-wet technique. I like how text from signs become shapes or meaning. Logos become compositional conundrums for the artist, because they can be read without the context of the setting.

In class today, we're going to take the theories of abstraction we've begun to study and use them in a painting of "highway culture." The American landscape is a ripe resource for imagery. We are too quick to dismiss the "ugly" or "banal." At the hand of the artist, all could become beautiful.