Kitschy 50's/60's Sand Paintings?

[3113]

In the late 50's and early 60's everyone and their bother had these kitschy sand paintings framed and hung on the walls. Some of the sand paintings featured a modern art style images, others were images of beaches and such, but all were made of brightly colored, rough sand (it tended to glitter). Turquoise, and ochre red were common colors, also that white quartz that seemed to be everywhere in the 60's (gardens around ranch homes were often full of that rock).

Can anyone tell me (or get me a link) to the history of this sort of art? Exactly where it came from, how popular it was, etc? The only link I've found connects it to Navaho sand paintings, but I want to make sure that is right. The reason I want to make sure is because I recall this art being used for Hawaiian themes as well (tiki faces and surfing! ). Of course, Hawaii was another kitschy, popular style in the late 50's early 60's so maybe someone just smashed the two together.

 

[oggbashan]

Here's a start: http://ukirishhistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/sand-pictures-a-victorian-fashion

And http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandpainting

Og

 

[jomar]

Don't forget these

http://simplygraciousstyle.net/clicpic/lg_c43709_26.jpg

and these...

http://www.artmajeur.com/0/images/images/goodaboom_3224913_Bullfight_Painting_Corrida_69.jpg

 

[3113]

http://www.artmajeur.com/0/images/images/goodaboom_3224913_Bullfight_Painting_Corrida_69.jpg

Ack! Not the bullfighters!

 

[Weird Harold]

Exactly where it came from, how popular it was, etc? The only link I've found connects it to Navaho sand paintings, but I want to make sure that is right.

As I recall, the Navajo connection was to Hippy/New Wave mysticism and street artists who made ephemeral grafitti with sand or chalk. Very few of those works were preserved except in (usually bad) photographs. To fix those deliberately ephemeral works would be like writing a letter to the Great Spirit and never mailing it.

Where I grew up, Sand Paintings such as you're talking about were very rare. Paintings and posters that reacted to black light were far more popular. I do recall one sand-painting that was also a black-light painting, using UV sensitive minerals to turn a ordinary desert landscape into an eerie moonscape under black-light. That particular painting was almost more a diorama than it was a painting though, being some four inches deep.

ETA: I also recall sand-painting kits, like paint-by-number kits, being available, and doing glue-and-glitter style artworks with sand and gravel in summer crafts day-camp.

 

[Weird Harold]

While looking to see if sand-painting-by-the-numbers kits I found another line on another religious sand painting tradition.

Sand Mandelas are a Budhist tradition, similar to the Navajo Sand-painting.

 

[mynameisben]

Ack! Not the bullfighters!

The bullfighters aren't as bad as the sad faced clowns on velvet.

 

[oggbashan]

The bullfighters aren't as bad as the sad faced clowns on velvet.

Nor as ubiquitous as Vladimir Tretchikoff's green-faced Chinese Girl.

Og

PS. Tretchikoff made more money from his art during his lifetime than Picasso!

 

[3113]

As I recall, the Navajo connection was to Hippy/New Wave mysticism and street artists who made ephemeral grafitti with sand or chalk.

The pictures I'm talking about were much earlier than that and they were everywhere. 50's modern art, not at all hippy. I've been trying to find a picture of one of them online to show what I mean, but I'm having trouble because I don't know what to call them besides "sandpaintings" or "sand pictures."

This was not fine sand as one sees in Buddhist sand pictures, nor ephemeral (done for mystic purposes on the ground then erased). It was a rough, almost gravel-ly sort of crushed-rock art, a little glittery. Turquoise blue, black, white and orange-red predominated. They were framed and hung on walls and very common in the homes of middle-class Americans.

 

[TxRad]

The pictures I'm talking about were much earlier than that and they were everywhere. 50's modern art, not at all hippy. I've been trying to find a picture of one of them online to show what I mean, but I'm having trouble because I don't know what to call them besides "sandpaintings" or "sand pictures."

This was not fine sand as one sees in Buddhist sand pictures, nor ephemeral (done for mystic purposes on the ground then erased). It was a rough, almost gravel-ly sort of crushed-rock art, a little glittery. Turquoise blue, black, white and orange-red predominated. They were framed and hung on walls and very common in the homes of middle-class Americans.

sounds like you are taking about mosaics made from small glass or ceramic tile. I remember those being around.

 

[bronzeage]

The pictures I'm talking about were much earlier than that and they were everywhere. 50's modern art, not at all hippy. I've been trying to find a picture of one of them online to show what I mean, but I'm having trouble because I don't know what to call them besides "sandpaintings" or "sand pictures."

This was not fine sand as one sees in Buddhist sand pictures, nor ephemeral (done for mystic purposes on the ground then erased). It was a rough, almost gravel-ly sort of crushed-rock art, a little glittery. Turquoise blue, black, white and orange-red predominated. They were framed and hung on walls and very common in the homes of middle-class Americans.

I see things like this occasionally. They are mostly craft projects similar to "paint by numbers" kits, but use colored aquarium gravel instead of paint.

The kits were sold in dime stores and were usually children's art.

 

[3113]

sounds like you are taking about mosaics made from small glass or ceramic tile. I remember those being around.

Ah-ha! Following the word mosaic I found it! It's being called "gravel art"

Example:

http://whipup.net/wp-content/images/kcats.jpg

Stylized cats like these were weirdly popular. I think they went with the cat's-eye glasses women wore.

 

[Weird Harold]

In the late 50's and early 60's everyone and their bother had these kitschy sand paintings framed and hung on the walls. Some of the sand paintings featured a modern art style images, others were images of beaches and such, but all were made of brightly colored, rough sand (it tended to glitter). Turquoise, and ochre red were common colors, also that white quartz that seemed to be everywhere in the 60's (gardens around ranch homes were often full of that rock).

Can anyone tell me (or get me a link) to the history of this sort of art? Exactly where it came from, how popular it was, etc? The only link I've found connects it to Navaho sand paintings, but I want to make sure that is right. The reason I want to make sure is because I recall this art being used for Hawaiian themes as well (tiki faces and surfing! ). Of course, Hawaii was another kitschy, popular style in the late 50's early 60's so maybe someone just smashed the two together.

I take it that the Victorian style sandpaintings that Ogg linked above, like this one, aren't what you were looking for?

http://images.suite101.com/1540371_com_suite10107.jpg
http://images.suite101.com/1540371_com_suite10107.jpg

 

[3113]

And here's the ubiquitous Tikis...

http://www.gravelart.com/ktikis.jpg

A modern flare here:

http://ny-image1.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.62841881.jpg

 

[3113]

I take it that the Victorian style sandpaintings that Ogg linked above, like this one, aren't what you were looking for?

Very cool, but no.

 

[3113]

So now that we know what it's called, can anyone find me a history of how it came about? When exactly and why?

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Curiosity is usually a good thing but given the horror of the subject, why on earth would you want to know? Brrrrr . . . .

 

[3113]

Curiosity is usually a good thing but given the horror of the subject, why on earth would you want to know? Brrrrr . . . .

Pull yourself together, man! You knew when you became a historian that it was not for the faint of heart! Sometimes we must venture in to the very belly of the beast...