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Martin Wong Visual Analysis

Decent Essays

Martin Wong is an Asian-American modern artist that is known for his innovative painting through expressive paintings that explore the subject of sexuality, ethnic, and racial identities. He became famous in his contributions in the urban art expressionism. There is a sense of poetic depictions in his images that paved way for the widening of the development of twentieth century modern art. He is considered to be one of the pioneering artists that explore expressionism representing the urban life with controversial motifs and concepts such as gay homosexuality and queer perspectives. Martin Wong was one of the strong drivers for graffiti art. He incorporated graffiti with urban neo-expressionist art in the 1980’s, despite the intensive resistance …show more content…

Urban art dwells on subjects about life in the city. The pure form of the urban art is graffiti, which means to scratch. This form of art largely became popular in New York, where street artists like Martin Wong joined with the others showing their exhibits that portray urban street culture of nightlife, squatters, and graffiti writings. At that time, New York had series of galleries and exhibitions of “mixed indigenous art of the area (notably graffiti) with contemporary impulses of young artist from downtown Manhattan… where various groups solicited items with sentimental, cultural value from their neighbors and exhibited them in a local storefront” . He contributed to the modern day contemporary art with his emphasis on the subjects about urban settings. Martin Wong, Attorney Street (Handball Court with Autobiographical Poem by Pinero), 1982-1984 The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Edith C Blum Fund, 1984 was the start of his passion for graffiti art that incorporated an urban landscape approach. He captured a realistic setting where he examined the details of buildings, advertising signs, exterior textures and discolorations of establishments, windows, and other day-to-day observations. He focused on realities in the urban life that explored concepts of being burnt out, drug dealings, abandoned buildings, and a population found in cheap housing settings. His artwork served as …show more content…

The Government no longer considered graffiti a ‘quality’ of artwork. Martin Wong was an avid believer of graffiti art. He strongly believed that it is a significant form of art that caused movements in the twentieth century. He collaborated graffiti art work and urban street art to create his lifestyle. It was important for him to display his art work. He confounded his art works with Peter Broda in the 1986 at the Graffiti Museum that is now incorporated to the current Museum of the New York City. This exhibition showcased the various works of the artists of graffiti arts like Lee Quinones, ‘Crash’, LA2, ‘Daze’, A-One, Sharp, and many more. As a group they were able to address the personal, poetic and social concerns. The recognition of neo-expressionist and neo-conceptual movements was the glue that held the Graffiti museum together. He never allowed the postmodernist agenda to effect his work. Unfortunately Martin Wong was one of the artists that acquired AIDS during the 80’s epidemic. Artists like him that include David Wojnarowicz and Keith Harring collaborated with each other to work on art with emphasis about AIDS. Martin Wong’s continued to live his life through his art

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