Hommage à Chrysler Corp.
1957
Oil, metal foil and collage on wood
unconfirmed: 1220 x 810 mm
frame: 1479 x 1074 x 67 mm painting Purchased with assistance from The Art Fund and the Friends of the Tate Gallery 1995 T06950
This is one of a series of five by Hamilton that explore the relationship between women and cars, an association that had become a cliche of advertisements then in vogue. The image is somewhat due to the elimination of certain details and the way the remaining areas appear as disconnected shapes and marks. Such passages echo abstract paintings of the period. Nevertheless, the centre of the image can be read as a voluptuous woman, identifiable by her red lips and diagrammatic bra, seen caressing a gleaming car. These elements were derived from, or inspired by, adverts and popular imagery, themes which preoccupied Hamilton and other artists associated with the in London.
(From the display caption September 2004)
|