(MENAFN- USA Art News)
They say that to be a neon artist is to be a sculptor of light. It is impossible not to agree with this statement. Neon can really take original forms. They make it easy to write or draw. Initially limited to illuminated signs on the streets, artists began using this material in the 1940s. Today we want to introduce you to 5 neon artists we love.
Martial Raysse, the Neon Pop Artist
Martial Rayssa, Nissa Mella, 1964, courtesy of the artist
Martial Raysse is a French artist. He is close to the American pop art movement and French New Realism. The artist gained recognition thanks to his works that are generally addressed the icons of our society: feminine beauty, art history, and hobbies. He gives them a pop and colorful touch. Although Raysse uses all types of materials: plastic, plexiglass, mirrors, photographs, neon marks some of his most famous works. The neon becomes like a small advertising logo like an eye-catcher, almost in an outrageous way.
Leila Pazooki, the Artist of Political Neon
Leila Pazooki, If the world is to be saved, it will be the women who save it, 2021, courtesy of the artist
Layla Pazuki is an Iranian artist. Her work touches, among other things, on the place of women in the Arab world and in Islam. The activity of this representative of contemporary art is devoid of provocation. Moreover, she even manages to bring some cheerfulness to her work. Despite the injustice they portray, her contemporary art works retain a positive charge. Sometimes these are paintings, sculptures, photographs, installations or neon sculptures.
Robert Montgomery, the Neon Poet
Robert Montgomery, Peace poem, 2018, courtesy of the artist
Robert Montgomery is a British artist who gained recognition thanks to his short poems written with light. Sometimes he also uses fire to make“fire poems.” But above all, he is one of the most famous neon artists. With this flexible and docile material, he displays his messages in public places. His slightly melancholy, sometimes ecological, always slightly philosophical texts can often be found on the edge of the beach or in the city center.
Dan Flavin, the Minimal Neon Artist
Dan Flavin, untitled, 1970. Installation view, David Zwirner, Paris, 2019
An American minimalist artist Dan Flavin unlike most neon artists is satisfied with fluorescent tubes of neon found in the trade. This artist strives for purity in contemporary art and not for any excesses. Following minimalistic principles, the artist creates installations that often consist of several industrial neon rods arranged in a geometric pattern in a room. The work itself eventually merges with the three dimensions of real space. According to Donald Judd, another famous American minimalist artist, Dan Flavin creates“special visual states”.
Gyula Košice, the Inventor of the Art of Neon
Gyula Kosice, Escultura lumínica Madi, 1946, courtesy of the artist
In 1946, Gyula Košice was the first artist who used fluorescent neon tubes in his works. Born in 1924, this Argentine artist is a pioneer and discoverer of the so-called light art: an expression that uses light as its main material. He contributed greatly in the development of neon art but also in optical art and kinetic art.