Ed Ruscha: Gunpowder and Stains

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One of the most consistently inventive artists of recent times, Los Angeles-based Ed Ruscha has been a pioneer in the use of language and imagery drawn from the popular media. From his early powerful word paintings to his influential artist's books of the sixties and seventies to his recent colorful views of generic mountains, Ruscha has investigated the spaces between highways and journeys, images and words, abstraction and representation, public imagery and the contemporary landscape. "Ed Ruscha#58; Gunpowder and Stains" presents some of Ruscha's most amazing illustrations from the 1970s#151;images that feature cryptic slogans, often reminiscent of advertising language, at turns obscured and revealed by the artist's hand. The book also features two important essays#58; a very personal commentary on Ruscha's impact by Thomas Demand, and an article by Diedrich Diederichsen that offers an in-depth exploration of Ruscha's combination of images and typed letters.PAuthor Biography#58; Ed Ruscha was born on December 16, 1937 in Omaha, Nebraska, but grew up in Oklahoma City where his family moved when he was 4. In 1956, he moved to Los Angeles, attending the Chouinard Art Institute. Under the influence of teachers such as Robert Irwin, Richards Ruben, and Emerson Woelffer, Rushca gave up his original intention of becoming a cartoonist and instead began to focus on fine art. Working occassionally as a graphic designer, Ruscha began using words in his paintings#151;an interest that has continued through the present#151;and the books he produced during the sixties and seventies have been deeply influential on many artists.