Untitled (Malibu Figure) (1968)

William Brice

L.A. Raw surveys the various styles and concepts that Los Angeles artists used to express their anxieties about life in postwar America. In the 1960s William Brice began to highlight human forms simplified into iconic, vibrant, sculptural compositions. Works like Untitled (Malibu Figure) demonstrate the reducion of Bruce's early sketchlike style into a punchy expression of color (reminiscent of Matisse), with its totemic nude confined in a doorway, tense with electric anticipation.

Oil on canvas 69 1/2 x 59 in
Courtesy of L.A. Louver, Venice, California © Estate of William Brice

My Lai (1968)

Hans Burkhardt

A mottled background of thick gray paint with etched lines covers the majority of this monumental work. Human skulls and other objects embedded into the paint protrude at various angles from the canvas.

Oil assemblage with skulls on canvas 77 x 115 in
Jack Rutberg Fine Arts, Los Angeles © Hans G. and Thordis W. Burkhardt Foundation

Untitled (F-23) (1962–63)

John Altoon

Amidst a stark charcoal grey background, the figure of a nude woman occupies the center of this piece. Her back is to the viewer, with her knees bent and her buttocks in full view. Her right arm is tucked into her right hip, and her left arm is stretched out as if asking for something. Her hair is mottled and her face, which appears masklike, is partially visible.

Pastel and ink on illustration board 60 x 40 in
Image courtesy of The Box, Los Angeles, and the Estate of John Altoon

Dead Homeboy Killed by a Placa (1974)

Judith Baca

The figure of a faceless man's body rests on top of a bold-striped plane of gray-toned red, white, and black. The figure, ostensibly a young Latino, lays face up with his right arm outstretched, palm up, and his left arm hugging at his torso, his palm resting on top of an open wound, which is spilling blood. A placa denoting a Latino gang covers his face, and "17yrs" is stenciled below his head on the curb of the sidewalk.

Wood stain on paper 41 3/4 x 31 3/4 in
Courtesy of SPARC Judith Baca Archive. Work completed after the death of a seventeen-year-old mural crew member

Allegory 2 (1958)

Arnold Mesches

The artist uses broad brushstrokes and a muted palette to depict three clustered clownlike figures, which dominate the upper right portion of the painting. A galloping horse juts out from behind the figures in the upper left corner of the painting. Below the group is a row of old-fashioned trucks that span the painting's entire bottom portion.

Oil on canvas 24 x 36 in
Collection of Vincent Price Art Museum, Los Angeles

Nubian Shadows (1977)

Betye Saar

Delicate and intricately composed translucent photographic layers envelope an abstracted dark male figure in the center. An orange flame stretches across him, as lush textures and geometric patterns surround him.

Mixed media collage on paper 19 1/2 x 23 1/4 in
Courtesy Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, LLC, New York

Animal Trap (1962)

Edward Kienholz

A mouse trap, an antique female figurine with only one dangling arm, a U-shaped copper tube, and other assorted materials comprise this assemblage work. Most of the items are arranged inside of a rectangular box. The U-shaped copper tube juts out from the left side of the box, leading to ornamental red and blue knobs at the end.

Mixed media assemblage 11 x 14 1/2 in
Collection of Joni and Monte Gordon, courtesy of Newspace Gallery, Los Angeles