Retro Framed Art
A popular artistic style is framed retro art. These works are meant to remind the viewer of the past in some way. This could be by trying to recreate images similar to those that were common in a particular era, or sometimes simply by incorporating patterns, textures, and colors that have been popular in the past.
One way that the creators of framed retro art images evoke nostalgia in the viewer is by portraying objects or locations that were more common in a previous time. Catherine Jones recalls the 1950s-style diner in “Mom’s Diner” and “Ruby’s Diner.” Her “Palm Tree Diner,” interestingly, does not contain a picture of a diner as such, but rather looks like an advertisement for such a diner, with color and font choices consistent with advertisements from the 1950s.
Other artists take a less literal approach to re-creating the past. Rex Ray uses color, shape, and pattern to suggest a particular era, although the images themselves are abstract. His “Acapulco Two” uses predominantly red and orange in oval shapes, which is similar to the graphic style in many 1950s advertisements. Ray’s “Macilenta,” on the other hand, shows softer colors in radial patterns, making for a tie-dyed look reminiscent of the late 1960s.
Another way that framed retro wall art taps into nostalgia is by actually evoking art from previous times. Although Roy Lichstenstein painted many of his most famous pieces in the 1950s, works like “Drowning Girl” and “Masterpiece” contain a clear influence from comic books and comic strips of the 1930s and 1940s.