Kenneth E. Silver

The years of John F. Kennedy’s rise to political power, his administration, and his tragic death evoke vivid memories, images of the photogenic young president, his political campaigns, his dramatic oratorical style, his beautiful family, and the momentous events of those times. These images were broadcast by the new and burgeoning medium of television, published in lushly illustrated magazines such as Life and Look, and reproduced seemingly everywhere in a culture of unprecedented visual abundance. "JFK and Art" examines how American and European artists helped to shape the Kennedy legend and legacy. Some of the works featured celebrate the optimism, promise and achievements of JFK, others highlight specific events of the Kennedy presidency while many more address the tragedy of the assassination and a nation’s mourning. the first comprehensive study of how the myth and mystique of the Camelot years coincided with the rise of Pop Art, reveals for the first time the pervasive influence that the Kennedy presidency had on the era’s artists, and the themes and strategies that those artists used to create the lasting impression of JFK. Includes works by such twentieth-century icons as: Andy Warhol, Pablo Picasso, Norman Rockwell, Jamie Wyeth, Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns, among others.… (mehr)