LIGHT UP YOUR DAY: When Light becomes Art...

LIGHT UP YOUR DAY: When Light becomes Art...

Until the first half of the 1700s, when speaking about light, we used to refer to natural light or archaic means of lighting such as candles. Only from the end of the 18th century scientific experimentation led to the introduction of the new sources of artificial lighting. In 1783 gas light was introduced, followed almost a century later, by the invention of electric light.

However, artificial light was considered only a functional mean in the absence of natural light sources, but in the early twentieth century, with the emergence of new artistic avant-garde movements such as Futurism, a more important and strongly cultural value that specially referred to expressive communication was established.

Light thus achieves the same importance as pictorial materials that are transformed into linguistic means, expressive instruments and sometimes poetic vehicles, a perfect element for the transmission of universal sensations, emotions and thoughts that make up the wonderful world of art.

Since the 1930's, among the various types of artificial light,  neon has crossed all the international artistic research of the second half of the XX century, making a path of conquest between technique and art. The light with its warmth and its light rays intensifies the strength of an image, in the same way color does and even more.

In the first years after its discovery in 1912 by Georges Claude, neon gas light was initially used as a means of advertising, with large signs and installations around the largest European and American metropolises.

Only a few artists approached it at first, among them the Italian artist Lucio Fontana who in 1951 for the IX triennale of Milan created a structure entirely made with neon tubes positioned at the entrance of the event.

Three decades later, an all-female contribution comes from the artist Tracey Emin, who at the end of the 1980s established herself on the London art scene. She creates hand-written texts on which she overlaps the bent luminous tube, thus making neon works that give voice to thoughts, declarations of love and disappointments too.

Eventually, also Mario Merz who in the 90s linked neon to word and numbers and transformed them into means of materialization of thought, which strengthens the meaning of the word, highlighting it and making it tangible.

"Neon represents the infinite sign of light and the imprint of its literary form..."

M. Merz

In the following paragraphs we will present a brief excursus through some of the most famous and iconic artists who have made light and luminous installations part of their art.

Starting from the Street-art by Mr. Brainwash and Mr. Savethewall to the luminous sculptures by Marco Lodola, we will analyze some beautiful works that you can also find in the wide selection of contemporary art on our website deodato.com.

Mr. Brainwash and Neon-Pop Art.

The street-artist Thierry Guetta, aka Mr. Brainwash, renowned for his contemporary and Pop-Art style works, has made neon as an integral part of his artistic production. In fact he often inserts colored neon components in his artworks, applying light tubes on the canvas.

In the unique mixed media work "Life is a comic book", the French artist reproduces his iconic motto "Life is Beautiful", one of the mantras of the artist that was also the title of his first exhibition in 2008 in Los Angeles.

The inscription is made with blue neon light tubes on canvas and the rest of the composition is made with mixed media and stencil protected by a plexiglass case. There are also references to the great artists of the past such as Keith Haring and Andy Warhol, art masters of the American Pop Art scene: thus we can see Campbell's soup cans and Haring's doodles.

A similar neon installation can be found in the beautiful and iconic work "Balloon Girl" also by Mr. Brainwash. The artist portrays a little girl with a heart-shaped balloon on the canvas, paying homage to one of the favourite subjects of his friend and colleague Banksy, a great international exponent of contemporary art and street-art.

In this case, neon was used for the heart balloon, which, emanating a warm and calm light, immediately captures the attention of the viewer. Moreover, the application of the luminous tube brings out the many and particular elements on the canvas, such as the references to the fantasy characters of the comics and the iconic spray-can of the artist himself.

Marco Lodola and his Luminous Neon Sculptures

An all-Italian artist, who in his subjects and artistic themes often celebrates Italy in its forms and beauty with luminous neon sculptures, is Marco Lodola. Often referring to icons made in Italy known all over the world, such as the Vespa and the Fiat 500, which we will see later in more detail.

The artist par excellence of the luminous sculptures, approaches the use of plastic materials from a very young age, that he shapes and colors thanks to a technique, which he develops and customizes by means of acrylic colours.

Only a few years later he physically inserted light in his works, hence marking the birth of the Lodola's luminous sculptures. They are plexiglass sculptures  illuminated with neon light tubes from within, which from that moment on will characterize most of his artistic production.

The electrician artist, as defined by many, creates among his most interesting works, the luminous sculpture "Il volto degli altri", which, in 1998, was the subject chosen for the creation of the cover of the very successful album "Gli Anni" by the Italian band 883.

The sculpture therefore represents several people arranged in a circle and depicted in brightly coloured clothes. The entire work is illuminated by an internal neon structure that illuminates the warm colours and faces without features, making it unique and extremely appreciable.

The neon light rays fit perfectly into the artistic work, enhancing the colours and characteristic elements and at the same time capturing the attention at first glance.

Marco Lodola, manages to combine art and light like no other contemporary artist, making this combination his trademark. Not only with regard to sculpture but also with regard to the creation of artistic sericollages.

In this regard, it is impossible not to mention the all-Italian work of the "Fluo Red Fiat 500". It is a sericollage part of the series created by the artist in homage to the iconic Fiat 500 car, symbol of Italy in the world.

In this case the subject of the car is reproduced on a PVC support with special fluorescent pigments that make the colors very bright and fluo, an effect similar to the use of neon in the sculptures. The light here is fundamental, it creates the effect of depth and almost hints at a sense of perspective, as well as enhancing the colours.

Mr. Savethewall brightens the classic masterpieces...

The artist who is exponentially gaining international popularity is Mr. Savethewall, street-artist who native of the Milanese scene. In his works you can perceive an interpretation of today's society in an ironic and critical key, featuring strong and provocative messages that come directly to the viewer.

His visual and artistic language is enhanced in the series "Love me or Like me", where the artist, in addition to the normal colors on the canvas applies a UV vernice, illuminating the work of art and giving the public a unique effect.

The series "Love me or like me", made with different background colors, represents in a contemporary way the mythological lovers of Canova, Amore and Psyche. Psyche, eager to immortalize her tender embrace with the God of love, takes a selfie, symbol of contemporary media society.

The artist reinterprets a great classic with skill and elegance, inserting elements of the present day that convey the timeless quality of the artwork. The luminous effect is created by the light that emanates from the screen of the mobile phone, from which the UV paint radiates, illuminating the main section of the work and giving the viewer an unexpected detail and a stunning scenographic experience.

Conclusion

Light intensifies the strength of the image, regardless of whether it is painted or photographed. It is an extraordinary expressive medium of great effectiveness especially in contemporary art, where more and more artists are approaching this expressive technique, creating new, refined and breathtaking effects.

Light, as much as and even more than colour, can communicate feelings of restlessness, tranquillity or joy; with its characteristics it can highlight the volume of an object or accentuate the effect of a spatial depth.

In art, light brings you face to face with the details, with the sensations that emerge from the work, connecting to your most intimate and hidden emotions.

So don't hesitate, discover our beautiful selection on our website and... LIGHT UP YOUR DAY!