Politically Incorrect Art

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Martin Hash
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Politically Incorrect Art

Post by Martin Hash » Mon Apr 04, 2016 7:28 am

Some of my collections don't quite work out. There is a type of creative outlet I call outrageous or Politically Incorrect art. For example, an image of of an injured woman, or one with a confederate flag is in the background, or my personal outrageous favorite: Hitler, Tojo, a Nazi flag, and as my wife, Gwynne, puts it, “an angry Black man with guns,” all together in one painting! What makes it even better is that this particular creative masterpiece was painted by Greg & Tim Hildebrandt, famous for their Stars Wars posters & Magic Cards illustrations. Gwynne wouldn't let me hang the painting in our house even though I had to give my left nut for it, so I secretly hung it in on the 3rd Floor, along with the ping-pong table & circus posters. (She never noticed.)
Hildebrandt.jpg
Injured Woman.jpg
Confederate Flag.JPG
Art is supposed to make you feel something. The reprint crap hanging in dentist's offices could just as well be invisible, and anything sold at the mall: how could something mass produced be art? Having Mickey Mouse on my fruit smoothie cup may make me nostalgic for Disneyland but the only thing I feel is a brain-freeze by drinking too fast. Some things are an amalgam of art, symbology & iconography, like peace signs, movie posters & happy-face buttons. Interestingly, I still consider those things art since they certainly pass the feelings test.
Gorilla%20crop.jpg
Elephant.jpg
Out of whimsy & playfulness, Gwynne & I started collecting & prominently displaying “art” painted by animals: King the gorilla, Misty the tiger, Mai-Thai the elephant, Moody the penguin. These canvases definitely conjure feelings, especially when we ask visitors what they think of it, and when they find out it's animal art, they mostly exhibit the same surprised & warm response. All except one group of people I didn't even consider... A real “artist” was visiting, and when he learned about our animal art, rather than experiencing the same feelings of titillation like everyone else, he got angry. “Are you trying to insult artists by insinuating that what these animals do is the same thing?” At first I thought he was joking, but he was serious. Well, that's wasn't why I found my animal art appealing before, but it sure adds to the pleasure now.
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