Zikkurat by Joe Tilson is a lithograph created in 1975. This limited edition print features a stepped, pyramid-like structure, composed of vibrant, horizontal bands of color, reminiscent of the ancient ziggurats. Each layer of the pyramid is distinguished by bright hues, ranging from blue and green to red and yellow. The artwork is framed within a grid structure, giving it a precise, almost architectural appearance. The word ZIKKURAT is prominently displayed in the bottom tier of the pyramid, emphasizing the theme. Tilson’s use of bold colors and geometric shapes reflects his background in Pop Art, while the structure pays homage to ancient architectural forms.
Joe Tilson (United Kingdom, 1928–2023) was a British artist and a leading figure in the Pop Art movement of the 1960s. His work encompassed paintings, prints, and constructions, often incorporating vibrant colors and popular culture imagery. Tilson's art is held in public collections including the Tate Gallery, London; MoMA, New York; and the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam.
LithographLithography is a printing method based on the principle that water and oil do not mix. It can be used to print artwork or text onto paper or other suitable materials. Traditionally, an image was drawn with wax, fat, or oil onto a lithographic limestone surface or plate. Today, metal plates and other surfaces are also used in lithographic printing.
Zikkurat by Joe Tilson is a lithograph created in 1975. This limited edition print features a stepped, pyramid-like structure, composed of vibrant, horizontal bands of color, reminiscent of the ancient ziggurats. Each layer of the pyramid is distinguished by bright hues, ranging from blue and green to red and yellow. The artwork is framed within a grid structure, giving it a precise, almost architectural appearance. The word ZIKKURAT is prominently displayed in the bottom tier of the pyramid, emphasizing the theme. Tilson’s use of bold colors and geometric shapes reflects his background in Pop Art, while the structure pays homage to ancient architectural forms.
Joe Tilson (United Kingdom, 1928–2023) was a British artist and a leading figure in the Pop Art movement of the 1960s. His work encompassed paintings, prints, and constructions, often incorporating vibrant colors and popular culture imagery. Tilson's art is held in public collections including the Tate Gallery, London; MoMA, New York; and the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam.
I think it's a mistake for painters or poets to get too involved in politics, any more than it makes sense for them to get swept up in being fashionable.
- Joe Tilson
One of the leading artists of the 1960’s British Pop Art movement, Joe Tilson has drawn from his own experience as a carpenter to create wooden reliefs and constructions, alongside prints and paintings. His earliest work was print-making; Tilson would craft unique prints on which he would paint directly, adding a handmade quality - he would often blur the lines between two and three-dimensional space, as evident in his Bela Lugosi Journal piece. Later in his career, Tilson began to widen his range of materials to include rope, straw and stone, all of which he used as a means to escape the constraints of time and culture by making use of pre-classical motifs for which he is now widely recognised. (Artist website)
Kitsch is a term used to describe cheap, commercial, sentimental, or vulgar art and objects commonly associated with popular culture. The word is borrowed from German, where it originally means trash. Since the 1920s, kitsch has been used to denote the opposite of high art, often implying that the work lacks sophistication or artistic merit.