I ventured to The Huntington to see their soon-to-close exhibit The Color Explosion: Nineteenth-Century American Lithography from the Jay T. Last Collection. It’s about how the newly created printing process impacted communications and popular culture, which happen to be two of my favorite things to think about. As I learned, earlier printing methods required cutting of metal or carving into wood, where lithography utilizes a chemical process to create the image. Add the relative ease of printing with color – as opposed to black on white and hand painting each image – and now the explosion part really makes sense.
Note that “modern” advertising and branding techniques dovetail nicely with the rise of lithography, and you’ll look at the examples in a whole new light. It was cool to view the sheet music, maps, children’s books and games, advertising posters, cigar box labels, promotional calendars and seed catalog art through that lens. Knowing that the lithographic process made it possible to produce these objects and get them out to the masses, the advertising philosophy is really kicking in. Go see for yourself!
Afterwards while walking to the café, I saw this burst of vibrant poppies, and that became my second color explosion! Oh, and the freesia was wafting its intoxicating scent, and the camellias were blooming with their varying hues. Awesome visit, as brain, eyes, and nose were all engaged!
The Color Explosion exhibit closes February 22; I can’t vouch for how long the poppies, freesia or camellias will last!
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