Psychedelic Art

The Psychedelic Movement:

Psychedelic work is inspired by Psychedelic experience which originate and are induced by certain drugs. This movement began in the 1960's counterculture. The art was displayed through music posters, festival posters, light shows, album covers, comic books and underground newspapers. It was said that the art looked like "kaleidoscopically swirling patterns of LSD hallucinations, but also revolutionary political, social and spiritual sentiments inspired by insights derived from these psychedelic states of consciousness." The digital age has expanded the horizon of Psychedelic Art.

Artist from the Psychedelic Movement:

Robert Venosa:

Carlos Santana says that Venosa's work "truly captures the imprint of a spiritual force, each painting so alive, seeming to breathe, pulsate and stare back at you, challenging the viewer to also reach their highest potential."

The colours that Venosa uses contrast strongly creating a strong statement.
His use of line is experimental and vigorous. Smooth edges, and some sharp. Instantly your eyes move to the centre of the piece focusing on the main lady in the middle, after that your eyes wonder all around.

Pablo Amaringo:

Amaringo's work is inspired from the ayahuasca visions that he has.
He uses a lot of colours, ranging from blues and purples to yellows and bright pinks. His work is very specific and detailed. The line is quite thin and smooth.
















Rick Griffin

The late Rick Griffin was an American artist, a comic and psychedelic artist, and one of the leading designers of psychedelic posters in the 1960s. This is a poster that he created for a Greatful Dead Concert. His art has almost a dark side to it, it's grungy. Red is the most dominate colour in this piece, which reflects passion, heat, and anger. The hierachy begins at the yellow centre, then gradually moves through out the poster.

John Van Hamersveld

John Van Hamersveld was a great artist and helped give the phychedelic era a vocabulary, a voice. I love his style, the colours he uses, the bold statements he makes. He ranks amongst one of the great illustrators of pop culture. Due to the fact that his work is so popular, his work was printed on t-shirts and worn by fans.