Hollywood 1999

Editor: This print by Edward Ruscha, simply titled "Hollywood," really strikes me with its almost dreamlike sunset. What cultural echoes do you hear when you look at this piece? Curator: The Hollywood sign itself is a potent symbol, isn't it? Initially erected as a real estate advertisement, it quickly became a visual shorthand for the entire American dream factory. Think about the psychological weight of that transformation. Editor: That makes sense. So, the image itself has been transformed into an icon. Curator: Precisely. Ruscha captures that duality, the promise and the perhaps artificiality of the Hollywood dream, through this iconic symbol. The image is also infused with a sense of melancholy by the darkening sky. Editor: I hadn’t considered the melancholy, but seeing it as a symbol now helps me understand the image in a new light.