A map for countercultural art in the 1960s: Transcultural mobility and Art History
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.13133/2532-1994.14790Abstract
This article discusses the countercultural artistic expressions of the late 1960s as a transcultural phenomenon. These artistic expressions are the result of a network of ideas and trends, with an aesthetic born from the interchange among its participants. Despite its innovative character and the impact at the time, the relation of countercultural artistic practices within Art History is complex, not fitting into any precise artistic category or style. The 1960s, stage of several social and political revolutions around the world, saw the rise of manifestations such as Psychedelia. The decade was also noted for an increment on migrations, with more people being able to travel overseas, leading to the fading of geographical, social, and mental barriers. With more connections and means for traveling, more countercultural artists and young participants, from all social ranges, had the opportunity to go abroad and overseas. That increased the attendance at events, from rallies to psychedelic gatherings, influencing music and other countercultural artistic performances, including graphic design, painting, or light shows. Following the border-crossing tradition of the Beat Generation that got inputs from places such as Mexico, France, and even Russia years before, counterculture’s participants created a multicultural mosaic composed by music, poetry, visual arts, and graphic design. From the analysis of the mobility of prominent counterculture figures such as Allen Ginsberg, Timothy Leary or the Beatles, as well as of the artistic expressions, it is possible to map the countercultural artistic flows during the late 1960s between the United States, Britain, and beyond. However, the transcultural combination of influences and trends, often boosted by hallucinatory substances, may explain why countercultural artistic practices such as Psychedelia got distant from Art History.
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