Home Movies 1963

Born in New York in 1926, Rosalyn Drexler is best known as a playwright – but did you know she is also a visual artist and professional wrestler? In 1963, Drexler created this artwork to promote her new one-act musical, ‘Home Movies’. It consists of bold shades of blue and red oil paint on canvas. Drexler then added figures using paper cut-outs. ✂️ The early 1960s saw new experimentation with mixed media. Here, Drexler has combined a traditional medium – oil paint – with the newer technique of collage. She also used strips of tape to cover parts of the canvas, leaving the clean white lines that you see cutting through the blue background. This grid technique is a signature style associated with the artist. Can you imagine her carefully peeling the tape to reveal the white canvas underneath? Drexler was inspired by the art of movie posters and magazines for this artwork. She makes use of vibrant primary colours, created an electric energy. Does the abstract flat background remind you of any other artworks? This lack of perspective is a common technique used by Pop Artists such as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. This artwork is huge in scale – almost the size of an actual movie screen! Drexler has also included other hints to the silver screen, such as the gangster imagery of the man on the far-right side of the canvas. He wears a smart suit and points a gun at the viewer, perhaps acting as a reminder of the crime film genre which was popular in this decade. The inclusion of this character sets a tone of suspense and drama. Would you watch Drexler’s play based on this poster? I definitely would!