Mark Bradford - Pickett's Charge Flashcards
Bradford’s DOB
1961 in Los Angeles
Bradford’s artistic education
California Institute of the Arts, 1995 (BA) and 1997 (MFA)
Important background information on Bradford
- Moved to majority white neighborhood at 11 yo
- Mom owned beauty salon; he turned her beauty salon into his studio which he still uses
- Won Medal of the Arts in 2015
- Represented USA in Venice Biennial 2017
- Has been exhibited around the world
What type of art is Bradford known for?
- Combines collage and painting
- Uses abstraction
- Themes of history and politics
Why does Bradford prefer abstraction over figuration?
He is not interested in linear histories. Abstraction allows open interpretations.
How does Bradford conceive of paper?
- He sees paper as “frozen pigment” and wants to “free the color.”
- He started dipping the paper in water.
- He uses paper from the streets and materials from the everyday world, wants to elevate them to the height of painting
What does Pickett’s Charge refer to?
Gettysburg Battle during American Civil War, July 1-3, 1863
Why is Gettysburg’s Battle important?
It was a decisive event that allowed the Union to win the war.
What are some key events from Gettysburg’s Battle?
- Confederates (Army of Northern Virginia) had a lead until July 3
- The troops were ordered back to Virginia by Confederate general Robert E. Lee
What was the aftermath of Gettysburg’s Battle?
- Over 20,000 soldiers injured.
- Not enough staff to treat them; were taken to hospitals in other states, and graves of the dead were scattered around
What is the story of the National Military Park at Gettysburg?
- Portion of battlefield was purchased and cemetery was created to commemorate the lives of Union soldiers in fall 1863
- In 1864, founding of Gettysburg Battlefield Memorial Association to preserve portions of battlefield
- In 1895, land holdings transferred to federal government, which makes Gettysburg a National Military Park
- In 1993, administration of the park goes to Department of the Interior, National Parks Service
What artwork does Bradford’s Pickett’s Charge reference?
A cyclorama in Gettysburg National Military Park called “Pickett’s Charge” (1883) by Paul Dominique Philippoteaux
Who is the artist of the Pickett’s Charge cyclorama?
Paul Dominique Philippoteaux
What is a cyclorama?
- A panoramic painting popular in the late 19th century
- Exhibited in a special auditorium
- Decorated with landscape foregrounds, creating a 3D experience for the viewer
- Viewer is placed in middle of a historic event
- Most cycloramas haven’t survived
How was Philippoteaux hired to paint Pickett’s Charge cyclorama?
- Contacted by entrepreneurs. Arrived in America in 1879.
- Traveled to Gettysburg in 1882
- Visits battlefield several times, creates sketches, hires photographers for accuracy, talks to veterans
