ART COLLECTOR WORLD MAGAZINE - REPURPOSING DINOSAURS OF PAST CULTURES

FINISH FETISH RETURNS

LOS ANGELES, CA

BY ArtCoWo Press © 1 - 10 - 17

Finish Fetish returns. The popular style that emerged from the car culture of the 60's in Southern California finds rebirth around the world from galleries to garages. From high sheen processed photo prints and then mounting the pictures to resin and high gloss.

The days of dry work like De Kooning seem long distant though I see many opposite artists fighting the trend. Colors blowing up everywhere we turn when we explore our gallery nights. Finish Fetish arouse in So-Cal in a place called the Ferus Gallery in LA.

It was there that artists who were obsessed with clean shiny cars and surf boards wanted the same effect for their art. Experimenting with a multitude of finish types, the artist perfected the very early raw version of this style. It is even said that Picasso's famous "Guernica" has such a high gloss that when Tony Shafrazi vandalized the work it simply just wiped off.

Billy Al Bengston from the Ferus Gallery was one of the more popular artists who would often resin his work to the point it was like a thick piece of glass surrounding the painting. Encasing his military symbols inside this faux-glass had quite a profound effect. These works even made their way onto movie sets and ads of the late 50's and 60's forever branding this artistic style into popular culture.

Today it is very common but the "finish fetish" resurgence is now extended to photography and multimedia works. Clean as a whistle. Estelle Chojnicki, Boston based artist is one of the best known artists leading this resurgence. Her work looks like molten glass or better yet granite ripped from the earth's core.

The piece "LIGHT MY FIRE" by Chojnicki (right), is a stunning example of this style and proof that it will be sticking around a few more years.

ARTCOWO © PRESS

ESTELLE CHOJNICKI "LIGHT MY FIRE" AT D+H CONTEMPORARY

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