The evolution of the rock poster as an art form began in San Francisco in the mid Sixties, as artists who were commissioned to create affordable advertising for concert events broke free from the confines of commercial poster design. In particular, the influence of French Belle Époque figures Mucha, Toulouse Lautrec and Cheret began to dominate, notably through their use of lettering as a prominent compositional element, nouveau lines and the fluid melding of text.
The result of this intense exploration of positve and negative space led to the eventual creation of psychedelic imagery portrayed in the "vibrating" color, reflective of the psychedelic experience.
High Art explores both the creation of psycedelia and the imagery born of this movement. Among the major protagonists, it features both the Avalon and Fillmore ballrooms who commissioned the art, the UFO club in London and more obscure pockets who were aware of the psychedelic movement.
It traces the history of the phenomenon, from its origins and influences, through American psychedelic art — including interviews wi;th leading American artists such as Stanley Mouse, Alton Kelley, Rick Griffin and Victor Moscoso — to the British Scene anad leading British rtists Michael English, Nigel Waymouth, Big O and Osiris Visions. It ends with a discussion of the New Wave of psychedelic art and a collectors' guide.
