"This great illustration for a tragic play is colorfully disturbing. From beautiful Helen to the piercing swastica and angry serpent, it is truly a feast for the eyes and mind. This is a large piece and is great for any collector."I wonder, though, "any collector" of what? Swastica paraphernalia? Because I really can't see anyone else wanting this travesty hanging above their dining room table, even if it is "truly a feast for the eyes and mind". And since when was nazi Germany written into the plot-line for the story of the Trojan Horse? Did I just miss that day in 7th grade history class that explained the intrinsic connection between charming ancient Greek mythology and the most savage and extensively bloody mass-genocide of 11 million peoples in known history? And, it seems, snakes? And badly-drawn trees floating mid-air?
Color me befuddled and slightly horrified.
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What are the diminsions? I ask because I need to know if it will fit in the display of "Art - Misguided, Horrid, Offensive and Stupid" exposition we are planning.
ReplyDeleteI think the painter forgot to add scenes for human sacrifice, baby killers and dog fighting. Seriously, there's so much evil missing from this lovely painting.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, I adore the comments this site seems to induce. From so much of my stupidity comes forth so much of your brilliance. I think we make a fantastic team, everyone. One huge, fantastic team.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what the "tragic play" is supposed to be- "Helen of Troy Meets the Raiders of the Lost Ark"? "Greek Girls Gone Wild With Atomic Nazi Snakes Of Death"?
ReplyDeleteWhat disturbs me is that the sun is on the side of fascism. I know you give skin cancer, Sun, but you have to hate the Jews as well? Thanks a lot!
I find it more amusing than disturbing. It's certainly rather weird.
ReplyDeleteThe swastika was originally known as the Hakenkreuz or Sunwheel and has been used by different cultures for thousands of years. It was only when the Nazi's picked it as an icon of their party that it took on the negative connotation. Not a very funny comment but thought I'd toss that info into the mix.
ReplyDeleteDave, thank you for the information! I think you may have just UNLOCKED THE MEANING OF THE PAINTING!
ReplyDeleteSee, this painted swastika is actually not a evil, black Nazi swastika. It's a happy, cheerful, red swastika, meant to promote the Sun as it has done in various cultures for thousands. But then the evil, EVIL Nazis captures the Sun and its friend the Swastika, and placed them captive behind a concrete wall and barbed wire, presumably in East Berlin or any concentration camp of your choice, overseen by a nasty giant poisonous, ANGRY serpent.
THAT is why several brave Greeks, and their giantess friend Helen of Troy, are sneaking up to the Nazi enclave - to rescue their friend the sun (or as they called him, Helios) and the tragically co-opted friendly Swastika.
Still can't explain the tree - that's just fugly. But what a feast for the eyes and mind! And what a great illustration of a riveting yet tragic story of the rise of Nazism.
This "art" needs more cowbell.
ReplyDeleteOther than that, it's perfect.
Did I mention I'm an art critic?
Aside from the obviously disturbing aspects of this picture, I am intrigued by the curious triumvirate on the left: the inexplicably soil-less tree, the floating crescent of Edam cheese, and the bust of Helen of Troy. Mostly the latter.
ReplyDeleteIs it, in fact, a giant Helen of Troy torso squeezed into the hollow hindquarters of a wheeled wickerwork horse, her hand resting lightly on its parking brake? Or a normal-sized, but still disembodied, representation of Miss Of Troy sporting John Paul Gaultier’s latest equine-themed bustier?
Enquiring minds need to know.
Although the artist quite rightly attributes the swastika to ancient Greece, isn't it a little bit too obvious? The Greeks had other nice patterns!
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