Art and Adertising

"Publicity images often use sculptures or paintings to lend allure or authority to their own messages" - John Berger

Left: Advertisement for Hi-Fi Audio, Right: The Madonna of Port Lligat by Salvador Dali.

Art and Advertising

"Publicity images often use sculptures or paintings to lend allure or authority to their own messages" - John Berger

(Left:advertisement for Pizza Hut Classic Italian Crust, Right:Portrait of Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci)

Art and Advertising: Matrix Move Edition

{John Berger's book Ways of Seeing claims that publicity relies on historical artistic references to sell products, because advertisements would lack credibility if they used a strictly contemporary language. In honor of this idea, I post an ad each week which references a particular work of art.}

Henri Matisse

Two Dancers (Study for Rouge et Noir)

Wii Advertisement 

Art and Advertising

"Publicity images often use sculptures or paintings to lend allure or authority to their own messages" - John Berger

Advertisement for Kohler's Karbon kitchen faucet

Painting from the Seattle Art Museum's exhibit 'Painted Visions from India and Pakistan, Past and Present' of the Hindu God, Krishna

Art and Advertising

while we're on a Manet kick...

Édouard Manet, Olympia

ad for The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas

Art and Advertising

"Publicity images often use sculptures or paintings to lend allure or authority to their own messages" - John Berger

Acura Advertisement. Subtext translation: This is not a car. (It is an object of "elegant aggression.")

René Magritte. Text translation: "This is not a pipe."

Art and Advertising

"Publicity images often use sculptures or paintings to lend allure or authority to their own messages" - John Berger

The Last Supper  by Leonardo da Vinci

Advertisement for the show, House

Art and Advertising

"Publicity images often use sculptures or paintings to lend allure or authority to their own messages" - John Berger

'Le déjeuner sur l'herbe' by Édouard Manet

Yves Saint Laurent advertisement

Art and Advertising

Comparing Chris Brown's 'Got Milk?' advertisement...

and Gene Kelly in 'Singin' in the Rain'

Art and Advertising: Let's Dance

Comparing ipod ads....

with the work of Erté

Art and Advertising

 J. Crew's September 2011 catalogue

Edgar Degas

Art and Advertising

John Berger's little gem of a book, "Ways of Seeing," is crammed full of fascinating information on, well, ways of seeing. One of my favorite chapters in the book addresses the function and intent of publicity. One of his claims is that publicity relies on historical artistic references to sell products because 'it would lack credibility if it used a strictly contemporary language' (chapter 7, p. 139). So in honor of this idea, I will be posting an advertisement each week which appears to reference a particular work of art. 

Vera Wang by Serta

Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss"

Have you noticed any good ones? I'd love to see them! You can mention them in the comments section or send me an e-mail and I'll post one each week.