356 || Week 2 || Gallery Visit

During todays visit in the gallery, we had discussions over a few specific pieces that really sparked my interest. I should have paid more note to the titles, but there was quite a handful I found myself drawn to. The first was on the right when you walked in the door, hung on the wall and with a ceramic mask mounted in the center. Joe read the words around it for us, and I remember when I'd read it, I had a chill. I get a certain satisfaction out of things that rhyme, and this one had an eerie vibe to it.

Next was the most striking piece in the room, dominate in terms of size and in statement. I recognized the caricature of Obama by his hairline, the prominence of his ears and the toss of his tie over the right shoulder, a trait in his style I've seen a few times in the media.

I titled this piece "Truth Spread Thin". Summer's story was not only amusing but did seem to lend this piece some context. She told the story of Pinocchio. When Pinocchio lied, his nose grew in length. Obama has been caught in lies himself, not always directly, but by not making promises he said he'd keep. I hadn't noticed myself, but he's holding a bowling ball. At first glance, I'd thought it was a basketball. Quinn had said that he "looks black", and upon further examination we discovered that the face was an exaggerated representation of Obama, so that we recognized him as Obama. Someone else mentioned that these caricatures are often featured in political comic strips, and even white presidents can be recognized as a caricature. I agreed with this, I didn't recognize him as a black man, but as Obama.


"THE POLITICIAN WITH WARTS AND ALL"
The artists statement was a piece of its' own. "I AM STRUCK..." (there's the reason for the bowling ball) "BY THE MEDIA AND IT'S CONVOLUTED PORTRAYAL OF REALITY" (stretched legs - convoluted reality?) "THE POLARIZATION ON THE INSTITUTION OF MARRIAGE, THE CONTINUED WAR ON TERRORISM< THE BLAME GAME OF THE AFTERMATH OF MANMADE AND NATURAL DISASTERS, TO THE ARTIFICE OF POLITICIANS."

 It being in uppercase made it quite the shout as I read it to myself, probably intended by the artist.