They Called Her Styrene, Etc.

American artist Ed Ruscha began making prints and drawings consisting of one word on an often monochromatic, abstract background in the late 1950s. Since then the exploration of language-based imagery has become a hallmark of his work. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1937, Ruscha moved to Los Angeles in 1956, excited by the newness, mobility and freedom represented by the Southern California landscape. Pulling elements from the visual language of the commercial world, he has made hundreds of 'word' prints, drawings and paintings that exhibit an interplay between bold letters and atmospheric backgrounds. This book reproduces 575 'word' works by Ruscha. Arranged by the artist, these images become a sort of novel without an obvious plot, a series of words with an implied narrative.