Hippy Art

Hippy Art, and in general is defined as a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of what constitutes art, and ideas have changed over time.

The art consists of : are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both highly dynamic and a characteristically constant feature of human life, they have developed into innovative, stylized, and sometimes intricate forms. The arts can refer to common, popular or everyday practices as well as more sophisticated and systematic, or institutionalized ones. They can be discrete and self-contained, or combine and interweave with other art forms, such as the combination of artwork with the written word in comics. They can also develop or contribute to some particular aspect of a more complex art form, as in cinematography.

How hippy art started : Many young American people had their conversation many they establish a new community “the hippy commute” They wore draping, ethnic clothes and T-Shirts with bright psychedelic swirls; they had a unique and a rather extraordinary life philosophy for their time, as they believed in the possibility of absolute peace and harmony, both with nature and each other. The art they gave birth to, just like their ideas, varied in origin and form, yet it presented the distinctive hippie “vibe” that has kept influencing our visual culture even to the present. To better understand their visual culture.

 The visual culture the hippie movement created was a mixture of components, beliefs which were derived from their various where. From body painting to their VW minivans, from the rock festival posters to the dresses they wore – it is not difficult to see the influence of their diverse and distinct philosophy. Moreover, it was not only professional artists who lead their visual culture – hippies themselves were the main contributors who created the hippie visual culture that we imagine even nowadays.

The hippie people just wanted to share the nonviolence and love, a popular phrase being “Make love, not war,” for which they were sometimes called “flower children.” They promoted openness and tolerance as alternatives to the restrictions and regimentation they saw in middle-class society.

Now the hippie movement declines because of :

 1-Drug Addiction and Crime Achieving a higher level of consciousness via drugs was a central tenet of the hippie movement. But the abundant availability of drugs resulted in overdosing and crime—in fact, by the fall of 1967 there were a considerable number of drug-induced rapes and violent crimes. By the end of that year, Haight-Ashbury was full of burnouts and homeless people, and many of the kids who came in search of ‘free love’ returned home sick and penniless.

2-The Destruction of the Hippie Capital The de facto capital of the hippies, San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury, was in ruins by the end of 1967. The influx of people into the district during the ‘Summer of Love’ was so high (pardon the pun) that overpopulation and unsanitary habits resulted in the spread of disease as well. Ultimately abandoned and trashed, the hippie hub was destroyed. With most of its citizens gone, it was unable to continue as the epicenter of the movement.

3-The Manson and Altamont Murders The hippie movement’s image suffered further damage after the heinous Manson murders. In 1969, at the behest of Charles Manson, actress Sharon Tate was brutally murdered by Manson’s ‘family’ members. Another counter culture tragedy happened at the 1970 Altamont Music Festival, when the Hells Angels (who were hired as security for the festival) needlessly killed a teenager while the Rolling Stones performed on stage. Combined, these events presented a warped image of the hippies in the eyes of common folk.

4- The End of the Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1959-1975) was a major issue that the hippies vehemently opposed. But by the 1970s, the war was gradually winding down, and finally by 1975 (when the war ended) one of the core factors for their raison d’être was gone. Protesting the war was a mutual goal that held the movement together, but when it ended members started to dissipate.

5-They Just Grew Up After momentarily dabbling with hippie ideals, those who survived the movement matured and headed in pursuit of ‘normal’ vocations. By the early 1970s, many came to realize that the optimistic idealism of the counter culture —no matter how noble—was not practical, and moved onto jobs in the ‘real’ world.

Writer | Sura Natiq
Proofreading and editing | Mohamed Raheem

 Sources:
Hippie – britannica
Hippie – wikipedia