Ed Ruscha

Teresa Bjornson, Los Angeles
Edward Tyler Nahem Fine Art, New York
Private Collection, Chicago (acquired from the above by the present owner)

Nagoya, Institute of Contemporary Art; Tokyo, Toukou Museum of Contemporary Art, Edward Ruscha, 1988, p. 41, illustrated in color 

Robert Dean and Erin Wright, Edward Ruscha: Catalogue Raisonné of the Paintings, Volume Three: 1983-1987, New York 2007, cat. no. P1986.20, pp. 210-211, illustrated in color 

This work is in very good condition overall. The edges of the canvas are taped there is evidence of light wear and handling along the edges with some minor hairline craquelure at the pull margins. Under raking light, a very minor and barely perceptible surface diagonal scratch is visible in the lower portion of the tree stump, a quarter inch possible graphite mark is visible at the lower left corner and two barely perceptible pinpoint outward protrusions are visible in the lower right corner. Under Ultraviolet light inspection there is no evidence of restoration. Framed.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
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"I was raised with the Bible Belt mentality, and by coming to California, I came out of this dark place and unlearned a lot of things I'd been taught."

Ed Ruscha 

Executed in the mid-1980s, Ed Ruscha’s Yes Tree simultaneously alludes to the artist’s break from his rigid, religious upbringing, and represents his creative journey into the realm of Pop art. "I was raised with the Bible Belt mentality, and by coming to California, I came out of this dark place and unlearned a lot of things I'd been taught" (Ed Ruscha in conversation with Emma Forrest, "A Man of Few Words," Guardian News, 6 February 2008). Legend maintains that Mormon immigrants named the tree after the biblical figure Joshua: upon encountering the tree in the mid-19th century, its branches outstretched and guiding them west, they recalled the moment when Joshua’s arms stretched forth in supplication. Found in California's Mojave Desert, the Yucca brevifolia, or 'Joshua Tree,' is characterized by its split, thick branches. Yes Tree symbolized Ruscha's past and present, evoking his departure from the traditional path carved out by his parents in Oklahoma, and subsequent journey into artistic enlightenment, inspired by the culture and atmosphere of the American West.

The composition closely recalls that of René Magritte's Sixteenth of September from 1956, with the tree centered and the contrast of the crescent moon against the branches in a similar way to Ruscha's white word box. What stands out in this work is the creative artistic process—Ruscha's reverse-stencil technique involved a masking process in which he taped the letters to canvas, removing them once he had completely painted the background and creating figures from the negative white space of the gessoed canvas. Where Magritte's moon lay over the initial layers of paint, Ruscha’s reverse-stenciled "Yes" is both the bottom and top layer of the work. In this sense, Ruscha called particular attention to the way in which these works are created, and lends meaning to the words beyond their literal definitions. "I like the idea of a word becoming a picture, almost leaving its body, then coming back and becoming a word again" (the artist in Olivier Berggruen, Ed Ruscha and Alanah Weston, Ed Ruscha: The Drawn Word, Vero Beach 2003).  Encouraging this way of viewing propelled Ruscha’s word paintings into the forefront of Pop art in the late 20th century America. In the present composition, "Yes" is a pictorial element in itself, working in conversation with the both the viewer and its surrounding elements.

The sunset background was painted under the stencil in 1983, during a time when Ruscha reintroduced more traditional painting methods into his works. By 1986, he was experimenting with more modern methods like the airbrush with which he overlaid the tree. This disengagement of the artist’s hand maintained the concept of painting, only removing from it the sense of authorship associated with a traditional painting process, yet the white box is unevenly hand-painted, further embedding it as a visual object within the overall composition rather than superimposed text. The canvas both begins and ends with the mask and stencil, and the silhouette of the airbrushed tree mimics the form of the "Y" three years later.

Defying all notions of a conventional linear composition, Yes Tree is the perfect testament to Ruscha's role within contemporary art in America. Often incorporating the culture of Los Angeles that so inspired his artistic endeavors, Ruscha created a subset of contemporary Pop art that elevated seemingly mundane text to a level of fine art worth careful consideration and interpretation. Is Yes Tree a positive message of encouragement? Is it an homage to the American West and Ruscha’s artistic awakening? Just as the artist was forced to ‘unlearn’ what he had been taught, he urges his public to unlearn preconceived definitions, stretching his word paintings beyond conventional boundaries. In Yes Tree, word and image are not mutually exclusive; Ruscha plays both author and painter, challenging his audience to assume a dual position of reader and viewer, and to interpret his words as having meaning within the visual composition of his work.