Swingin’ Picadilly

“Swingin’ Picadilly” is a painting using gouache and copic ink that resembles Picadilly Circus in London in the mid 1960’s (roughly 1965-67).  The piece is a reference to “Swinging London” of the 1960s and unlike other pieces, took a week to create.  London was eventful in the ’60’s with the popularity of the Beatles and other bands from the UK.   Instead of re-creating Big Ben, Abbey Road, or the London Bridge, Max re-created Picadilly Circus.   The Piccadilly Circus was a popular hangout spot in the ’60s.  The Beatles premiered both their “Hard Day’s Night” and “Yellow Submarine” films in Picadilly Circus.  Max has also visited London a couple of times with his family and particularly liked Picadilly Circus.

The painting is a stencil drawn with a copic pen and colored with pink and yellow gouache.  The style of the painting is inspired by the “Eleanor Rigby” sequence of the Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine” film.  The pink shades are for the shadows while the yellow shades are for the highlights.  The street is filled with double-decker busses, cars, and cabs.  Coca Cola, wine, beer, and rum ads dominate the left side of the piece.  Singer Tom Jones has a theater marquee for one of his concerts on the right side of the piece.

14*10.5 Mixed Media Print Paper
Gouache, Copic Pen
August 2017