Wayne Thiebaud

 

Wayne Thiebaud is best known for his works of pastries and sweets. Born in 1920, his inspiration came from comic strips. He followed his passion and worked as a cartoonist and even worked for Disney. After moving to New York during the Abstract Expressionist movement, he began to paint scenes reflecting consumerism and products in daily American life. His paintings are often high key, use playful colors, and thick textures. He still paints still life and landscapes in the San Francisco bay area. Thiebaud is commonly mistaken as part of the Pop Art movement. However, he does not associate himself with the genre because he views it as a critique or mockery on consumerism. He wants his paintings to be seen as nostalgic of traditional values. I chose to research him because of his experimentation with light and how that has an effect on the colors he paints with. I think the high key color choice reflects the subject matter since they are light, pastel, and sweet. I also love the use of repetition in many of his pieces. His works bring about a feeling of nostalgia for the 1950s and 60s in my opinion, taking me to places like little milkshake shops in a small town. I think it's important to be able to take a viewer to another state of mind in order for a piece to be successful.