Name/Title
Island HouseEntry/Object ID
5821Description
Repeated image of an Island House advertisement.Context
Greek-borne artist Chryssa grew up during WW2, where she first learned the influence of symbols and mass culture. She moved to New York City in 1958 and began creating art inspired by newspapers and advertisements. This painting shows an “Island House” advertisement repeated over and over in a large grid. Chryssa made a series of paintings similar to this, using repetitive patterns of newspaper sections, perhaps to create a sense of the repetition of pulsating city life. Eventually, neon signage became her signature style, another homage to New York City. This shows that her art was focused on finding meaning, beauty, and excitement in something often taken as mundane, like a newspaper or neon sign, seen everyday by millions. She was highly inspired by her surroundings, and in her own words she claimed; “America is very stimulating, intoxicating for me…” These words are echoed even in a painting such as this, where seemingly every day subject matter becomes grand and hypnotizing on a sprawling canvas.Acquisition
Notes
Collection of DePaul Art Museum, gift of Mr. David L. HusmanEthnography
Notes
North America
United States
Greece bornDimensions
Dimension Description
canvasWidth
44 inDepth
1-1/4 inLength
62 in