(Willock, H. 1969 Revolution, from The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics)

(Mouse, S and Kelly, A .1966 Skeleton and Roses)

(Rothschild, A. R. 1966 Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention perform with Joshua Light Show)

The artwork from the 1960s was about revolution and rebellion. The generation of the time found a way of responding to the Vietnamese war and government through music and art. The idea of flower power and peace spread through the 60s and 70s. Harry Willock an illustrator made the revolution poster for the Beatles. I like the use of text and the busy composition, really representing the ideals of the youth of the 1960s. “Multiculturalism, feminism, gay liberation, environmentalism and community spirit all draw on the idealism of the 1960s.” (Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, 2017) The counter culture revolution has made a difference in society today, my ideals match up with the themes of anti-war, environmentalism, feminism and equality.

Psychedelic artwork became very popular, an aesthetic influenced by drugs and sex. Skeleton and Roses by Mouse and Kelly has a different mood to other psychedelic artwork being produced. His style is darker than other psychedelic artwork and the colour scheme is less hypnotic. I think the big curled text is very much an iconic style of this period. The design also looks to be influenced by art nouveau, which I am a big fan of. “Comics, cartoons and ‘pop art’, the paintings and icons of Far Eastern mysticism, decorative embellishments from art nouveau and art deco, and the fat, chunky alphabets of old circus and theatre playbills all came into play.” (McQuiston, 1993 p.142)

Another way in which rock bands added psychedelia into their aesthetic was concerts. Joshua White developed the light shows for these bands. Layers of oil and alcohol move under heat and change colours, creating hypnotic patterns. These where then projected behind the band at a concert. By taking the focus off the musicians, perhaps, a liquid light show has a way of dissolving the divide between performer and audience member. It equalizes.” (Farberman, 2017) I think this quote really gets the message across of what the sixties was about and that was equality. The artwork and music had real meaning and that’s why it is so iconic today.

Farberman, B. (2017) Inside Joshua Light Show’s 50-Year Quest to Make Rock & Roll Visual. New York: Rolling Stone. Available from: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/joshua-light-show-founder-on-fillmore-east-janis-joplin-w501262 [Accessed 17 November 2017]

McQuiston, L. (1993) Graphic Agitation: social and political graphics since the sixties, London: Phaidon

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. (2017) Revolution. Montreal: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Available from: https://www.mbam.qc.ca/en/exhibitions/past/revolution/ [Accessed 17 November 2017]

Mouse, S and Kelly, A (1966) Skeleton and Roses. Available from: https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TAJog7lUjKg/WOYnzzb2yCI/AAAAAAAAAwo/UqcpDKcULa0-YoJ-ruPhR2sdODz6n8B2wCLcB/s640/Rick%2BGriffin.jpg [Accessed 17 November 2017]

Rothschild, A. R. (1966) Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention perform with Joshua Light Show. Available from: http://img.wennermedia.com/760-width/joshua-light-show-zappa-9b01e8ef-54c7-4477-afab-5cd9786f2621.jpg [Accessed 17 November 2017]

Willock, H (1969) Revolution, from The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics. Available from: http://www.peopleofprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/7._The_Beatles_Illustrated_Lyrics_Revolution_1968_by_Alan_Aldridge__Iconic_Images_Alan_Aldridge.jpg [Accessed 17 November 2017]