First Impressions
“The art style was unique in a way that each portion of the image was intended to have symbolic meaning that is more so straight forward. An instance being the fire in El Pique that seems to have the rest of the painting revolve around it. Even the individuals within the painting are focusing on it, yet each remain convoluted except the person on fire. I found this interesting since there are so many things this fire could symbolize. This also backs on the form of art. Three dimensional while still remaining two dimensional in the same respect gives an interesting depth to the paintings.”
El Pique
Analysis
“‘Emerging at a time when mass audiences in Europe and America were barely literate and hardly cognizant of the rest of the world, the displays were an important form of public ‘education.'”
Fusco’s essay in its entirety seems to focus on the seemingly undesired obtaining of “exotic” performers and art from Eurocentric societies at an earlier time in history. Though it seems that this was looked down upon, was it not better for the Europeans to inevitably learn of other cultures first hand? Yes, they had went through the process in a way that leaves little to be desired, but it was something that was to be done eventually. In terms of the art, especially El Pique, it seems like race plays a large part in the symbolic representation. There is an individual in the top right that is evidently white behind what seems to be a car steering wheel. This could be an attempt to show how much people of white descent “control” the lives of others or society while also blending in their own respect. There are three people within the painting. The one that could be considered white is also partially yellow in a yellow compartment. The man/woman to the left of the painting is peeking out from behind a curtain, the face blending into the background darkness to the point of barely making out features. The clothing is clear, yet more stained than the others. The final individual is the one who’s head is set ablaze. The peculiarity of this person is how well they blend into the background in terms of the clothing. In the pink is a set of two babies and several other things such as what seems to be a building, hospital cart, numbers and the list goes on. In a certain sense, this may show the priorities of each, whereas the individual in the pink is extremely distracted and has a lot going on in his head. To my realization, this perhaps shows a deeper dynamic to the whole race position. On one end, you have what is at the surface which is an entire cluster of mixed images centered by what can be the cumulation of an individual’s life. Perhaps his siblings are to his bottom left and the entirety of his background remain just that, a background to what is really at stake, his sanity in terms of expectation. The other two within the painting seem to watch over the boy almost as if they are the ones running his life. In terms of Fusco’s essay, I’d say the boy’s life was never his own to begin with, or that is what is being shown or depicted.
