Hilbert Museum Analysis

Hilbert Museum Assignment 1. After exploring the exhibit on Severson and Griffin at the Chapman Hilbert Museum, this exhibit contributed to a deeper understanding of the surf culture. Severson and Griffin were two passionate artists who loved nothing more than waking up in the morning and riding the waves. These two young men founded what is now known as the Surf Art Culture across America. Rick Griffin began surfing when he was 14 years old and has enjoyed the beauty of it ever since similar to other professional surfers I have learned about in class. His art started when he was in high school which is when he used Mad Magazine to copy images and create surf doodles. Peers of Rick would pay him money to have his art on their t-shirts or …show more content…
In the Hilbert Museum, after exploring all the pieces of art that were influenced by the surf culture, there were some that I could relate to surfing or had the idea of surfing outside of the exhibit. George James piece of art titled “Newport Lifeguards” represented the surfing culture in Newport at the time. Many surfers were also lifeguards because back in the day, they would paddle out on surf boards to rescue a person in the ocean. I believe that this piece of art contributes to the overall theme of surfing because there is a Jeep car with people hanging out in it or beside it on the beach. It looks like to me that these people were watching the waves or were watching surfers catch some waves. These Jeep cars were designed for off roading. For surfers, this meant driving to secret beaches to find the perfect wave. James concept of his paintings emerged from observing everyday and this painting represented a surfer’s …show more content…
Within this museum, I picked another exhibit that related to surfing and the surf culture. This exhibit was by an artist, Bradford J. Salamon, who depicted a basket of In & Out french fries. He wanted to reflect how everyday, people buy these famous fries because they represent a Californian kind of lifestyle. Usually, artists paint a vase of flowers but he wanted to show that these french fries also have the same vividness as flowers have. After a day of surfing, a typical surfer most likely goes to get food whether it’s fast food or any kind of food. Salamon depicted how some surfers would swing by In & Out to pick up a burger and fries after a long day of catching some waves. Overall, Californians adopted this fast food chain because it emerged on the West Coast. Their burgers taste like home to all Californians because it is one of the most popular fast food chains on the coast. And it will continue to thrive as more and more surfers are stepping foot into this coastal themed