Sketch For Forest Ranger

Name/Title

Sketch For Forest Ranger

Entry/Object ID

82.23

Artwork Details

Medium

Screenprint on fringed plastic film

Context

Credit Line: Gift of Wilton S. Sogg

Made/Created

Artist

James Rosenquist

Date made

1967

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Frame Size

Dimension Notes

N/A

Dimension Description

Image Size

Height

24 in

Width

20 in

Interpretative Labels

Label

"Sketch for Forest Ranger" features various images: a swing, illustrated with the style and bright colors characteristic of Pop art, intersected with a more photorealistic depiction of a stalk of celery, radishes, and lettuce in a bed of ice, similar to what you might find in the produce department of a grocery store. Both images are likely imitations of advertisements, as was Rosenquist's style. What connects the two images is the idea of a consumable, domesticated nature, or turning nature into a consumerist product for purchase. The vegetables provided by the earth are claimed by consumerism and made a product no different than a car or toy. Food and entertainment once naturally provided have become objects of consumer society: nature is now a product too. The work is not a static, unchanging object, but one that shifts and evolves. Drawing from his background in sign painting, Rosenquist's pieces often explored the role of advertising and consumer culture in art and society. By working with commercial imagery, Rosenquist helped define Pop art and was one of its seminal figures.