Peter Blake, the godfather of British Pop Art, has long fostered a fascination with alphabets – an extension of his interest in nostalgic childhood ephemera and Victorian and Edwardian graphic illustration – and over the course of his esteemed career has used alphabetical formatting to underscore various series' of compelling collages. Three of these, and a hand-picked selection of related artworks, are currently on display at the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea, providing particularly pleasing viewing.
Sometimes a single print will bear the entire alphabet rendered in a playful font – a typography crafted from animals and sea creatures, for example, which sees a stag's horn form the tail on the Q and a sprawled lobster making the Y. While in Alphabet Series (1991), each letter has its own dedicated silkscreen print – S is for Sumo sees images of bulbous sumo wrestlers laid out in a grid, while K is for King celebrates Elvis, with many smaller versions of the rock 'n' roll icon, quiffed and gyrating, forming a frame around one larger, beaming publicity shot of the star. At once whimsical, funny and intriguing, these works not only showcase the artist's impeccable eye for printed paraphernalia and appreciation for lettering – as a young artist, he "allied himself with decorators, sign painters and commercial artists," the gallery's website informs us – but also make for a uniquely uplifting start to the week.
Happy Monday! #anotherhappymonday
Peter Blake: Alphabets, Letters and Numbers runs from August 13, 2016 until November 27, 2016 at De La Warr Pavilion, East Sussex.
