John Clem Clarke (b. 1937 American)
Battle of Texel by Willem van de Velde the Younger, 1982
Oil on canvas
Gift of Louis K. and Susan P. Meisel
John Clem Clarke is well known for his pop art style and his use of appropriation.
This painting provides us with a good example of each.
Appropriation is when an artist takes an existing work of art and makes it his or her own, sometimes imposing a personal style, sometimes just copying it wholesale. The concept, current in the 1970s, challenges ideas of originality and creativity. In this painting, Clarke appropriates a work by the Dutch maritime artist William van de Velde the Younger (1633-1707), The Battle of Texel, which took place in 1673 between the Dutch and the combined English and French naval fleets. He imposed his commercial style on the image: “For the actual painting, I use large stencils. I lay them onto the canvas and sponge the paint on. This way there are no brush strokes. Sometimes, I overlay the stencils so that you get the sort of effect you see when a picture isn't printed quite right--just a little offset. I like that irregular edge.” |
