Similar remarks apply to Uranium 235
Sir Eduardo Paolozzi ; Richard Davis; Editions Alecto
Description
Subject Matter:
Like many of his contemporaries, Paolozzi used new printing techniques as a way to engage with modern mass media's new visual culture. At the same time, the photomechanical process made the work look mechanically manufactured rather than hand made, in the traditional artistic sense. Therefore, after he modified, transformed, and assembled the source image(s), the medium allowed for a more uniform final image.
This print is one of a large series of 50 prints included in the 1970 portfolio, which was a second edition of the an earlier group of slightly larger prints titled "Moonstrips Empire News." While the first series was strictly produced as screenprints, this second series "General Dynamic F.U.N." includes works of photolithography like this one. The themes seen in this portfolio are different in style and subject matter from other Pop works of the period, but engage with the images of a modern mass media, looking beyond just advertising and publicity images. Likewise, the title of the portfolio alludes to the General Dynamics Corporation, who was the manufacturer of the F-111 fighter used during the Vietnam War—the same one referenced in James Rosenquist monumental painting "F-111."
The title of this print directly refers to the ratioactive isotope that is used in nuclear fusion, enriched from naturally-occuring Uranium. It was an important isotope important for early nuclear power but, more pertinent to this project, it was the key element used in the development of the first nuclear weapons at the Manhattan Project. Produced during the height of the Cold War, Paolozzi's print visually references the circuitry used to run a bomb, while the title makes a dark reference to both the bombs dropped at the end of WWII and also those being produced by the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. during the period.
Physical Description:
This colorful print has an all-over design of grids, checkers and boxes. The many colors in this print include: red, black, yellow, green, magenta, tan, blue, purple, and orange.
Usage Rights:
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