Ed Ruscha

Ed Ruscha was born December 16,1937 in Omaha, Nebraska.  He spent most of his formative years in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma before moving to Los Angeles in 1956. There he studied at the Chouinard Art Institute (now the California Institute of the Arts) under Robert Irwin and Emerson Woelffer.  While at Chouinard, he encountered Jasper John’s Target with Four Faces in Print magazine which had a profound effect on him.  One of the most iconic artists of the 20^th century, his work ranges from paintings to printmaking to photography and is often associated with the Pop art movement due to his use of typography and interest in commercial culture.

His work relies heavily on the vernacular and landscapes of Los Angeles and Southern California.  Laconic phrases in Boy Scout Utility Modern, a typeface Ruscha created himself, plastered over pictorial images or fields of color, the observer becomes privy to the idiosyncrasies of everyday Los Angeles life.  His work recalls the commonplace vulgarities of life and urges the viewer to question their place within it through use of commercial imagery. He also experimented with a variety of unconventional materials including gunpowder, blood, fruit juice, coffee, grass stains.