Adrian Camps-Campins is one of the most known artists in
Larry Bascombe. At one point Mr. Bascombe�s work was extremely commercial. It is likely that a whole generation of Trinidadian and Tobagonian people see his work as classical art of the island because he painted vanishing images of the islands, many with people going about the rituals of washing clothing, cooking and cleaning. His work is still in print, still available in stores, and can still be seen in many businesses throughout the island. He tested the saturation point of the genre, as Mr. Camps-Campins has done.
But unlike Mr.Bascomb, Mr. Camps-Campins continues to create work that he shows constantly. Showing work in more commercial ways was considered controversial because it seemed like suicide to many artists. The thought in the 1980�s was that if you went the way of the greeting card business, you were somehow diluting your messages, and making the work similar to poster art. If your work looked commercial like poster art, then you couldn’t play with the” big painters” like Leroy Clarke.
However today, many artists have let their work be reproduced for sale, Dr. James Isaaih Boodhoo, Carlyle Harris, Noel Vocrossen. Even Leroy Clarke has allowed the reproduction of his work in book format, it is only a matter of time before he allows some of his work to be reproduced even more commercially.
In 2005 what was perceived as selling out in 1982 is now considered fiscally sensible. The fact that some artists want many people to see and appreciate their work is no longer in question. Artists have many more choices today than ever before.
Mr. Camps-Campins saw this need twenty something odd years ago and to his credit has remained steadfast in his resolve to do for his work what he sees it needs. He has been painting the rapidly vanishing architecture of
YUFE's ? - Public Art on the walls of Port of Spain
YUFE's ? Of all of the wall signage that I have written about, this one is a head scratcher. I have to say first off that the people look like images straight out of magazines from the 1980�s. They also look like clowns because of the unusual amount of white in the faces, and most of all they look like clowns in a Camps-Campins painting or postcard. I feel much better getting that one out from the start.
No comments:
Post a Comment