About Vintage Surf Art
Vintage Surf Art comes in many permutations, distinguished by its content of sand, sun and waves. There are the original oil paintings by John Comer that celebrate the power and beauty of an ocean swell. There are watercolors, photographs and block prints by John Severson that depict surfers in action, or posed by their boards. Then there are the surf posters, created to promote movies, tourist destinations or just the pure joy of the sport. The styles range from surreal to impressionist, beatnik to psychedelic.
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Invented
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Although no single person can be credited with inventing surf art, Kerne Erickson is a notable early figure. His work centered around creating posters to advertise the bounties of Hawaii, and he frequently emphasized surfers in his compositions. In "Hawaii, Land of Surf & Sunshine," he created a travel/tourism poster that shows a tranquil scene of surfers slowly approaching the shore to begin their day on the waves. Decidedly more active is "Waikiki, Hawaii," an advertising poster that shows people canoeing as a wave breaks. Coasting alongside them are several surfers, including one in the improbable position of holding a lovely wahini (a female surfer or Polynesian woman) in his arms as he calmly glides to shore.
Expert Insight
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Murray Walding has created a compendium of over 800 vintage surfing posters in his book "Surf-O-Rama." He underscores that the posters have both an evocative appeal, inspiring recollections of favorite holidays and places, as well as a historical appeal, capturing a specific era and its style. The book also contains photographs of vintage surfboards and surfing hot spots. He asserts that classic surf art has its place in the world of art. "It's fine art in what they offer to us."
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Features
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Not every vintage surf poster takes itself seriously. The 1967 surf movie poster for "It's a Bikini World" has a bevvy of bikini-clad beauties cascading over a seascape of guys intent at their sport. The poster proclaims, "The Bikini-Bunnies are bustin' out all over!" The mod typeface and over-the-top style recall the covers of pulp fiction novels that were also popular during this era.
Evolution
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One interesting invention marks a development in the style of surf art. Once photography became widely used, in the early 20th century, surf art became less romantic and more realistic. In the 1960s, cinematographer and shutterbug George Greenough broke new ground in action photography, capturing the moment a surfer was visible in the curl of the wave. These sport photographs informed the era's genre of surfing illustration.
Misconceptions
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There is great debate over a series of ancient petroglyphs, or rock carvings, that were discovered in Hawaiian lava fields. Many elements in the petroglyphs depict aspects of coastal life, such as canoes, sea life, fishing tools and sails. Some petroglyphs show a human figure that appears to be astride on a flat board, though no expert has been able to confirm that this image conveys surfing. What is certain is that the first Westerner to capture such a scene was John Webber, an artist who was on a sailing expedition in 1777 with Captain James Cook.
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