Ruscha's diverse practice includes photography, film, drawing, printmaking and painting. Often associated with the Pop Art movement, his work is as much a commentary on contemporary life in America as a wider take on man's place within ever-changing worlds and societies.
Characteristically, Ruscha layers text over his imagery presenting deadpan, ambiguous statements or questions. 'Thinks I, To Myself' follows his celebrated exhibition of new paintings 'Extremes and In-Betweens' (Gagosian Gallery, 2016) where the artist stencilled phrases over images of monumental mountain ranges. This new work's text appears to be racing past the viewer, perhaps a reflection on the rapidly moving, turbulent climate in Ruscha's home country. It takes its title from the 1827 book by Edward Nares, described as a 'a serio-ludicro, tragico-comico tale'.
"Thinks I to Myself has always sounded vaguely Shakespearean. I have been saying it for years. But upon researching, I see it coming from an Edward Nares book of the same title (1812). But with the mysteries of language, it could possibly be traced back to the Bard."
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