Notes to a painter. - Democratic Underground

TalkingDog

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Mon Sep-27-10 11:35 AM
Original message

Notes to a painter.

Edited on Mon Sep-27-10 11:41 AM by TalkingDog

http://www.mcnaughtonart.com/artwork/view_zoom/?artpiece_id=379

McNaughton responses to Criticisms of The Forgotten Man

I would like to take a minute to explain some of the points of confusion for those who wish to interpret my picture.

1. Why did I paint this? Like many Americans I feel shock at the direction our country is heading. There is a great polarizing effect taking place in America today. There are many who swoon over Obama's policies of redistribution of wealth. What will the government give me? If you believe this is the proper role of government you will certainly see great CHANGE in your lifetime. I wanted to paint a picture that portrays the plight of the common man. Perhaps the FM is already experiencing this now or will in the future. My hope is that he will "wake up!" now before it is too late.
2. There is no racial meaning or undertone that the FM is not black. This is not a racial painting; it is about the vanishing of the American dream.
3. It is not a partisan painting. I take no favoritism of Republicans or Democrats. Both parties are guilty.
4. The only solution I offer is to take a 180 degree turn and return to the principles of the Constitution, which define a limited government, protect individual and states' rights and make no allowance for any of the baggage we have accumulated over the years in the form of entitlement programs. The only way to cure the cancer is to root it out and endure the painful healing. Perhaps, with God's help, we will survive.
5. Is it disrespectful to have in my painting the President of the United States standing on the Constitution? Is the President without reproach? I am simply one American speaking to another American. The painting symbolically suggests the actions of Barack Obama as well as other presidents. Yes, their actions speak louder than words—as do the brushstrokes in my painting.
6. I have endeavored to keep this information simple and to the point. The information is historical, if it is not familiar to you—Google it.
7. I picked the trashed papers based on the issues that I believe have been the most damaging to America. These issues have been trampled by politicians of both parties for over a century. When will the American people decide to defend the Forgotten Man? Let us raise our voices together and demand the kind of CHANGE that will truly save our way of life.
8. Why did I not mention critical information about some Presidents which defined their presidencies? My only purpose is to identify each President and with simplicity express what they have done to either help or hinder the Forgotten Man. I invite all to search deeper into the history of the painting's message and discover if what I paint is true. Can you truly say our house is in order when our debt is stealing away the future of every man woman and child in America?

My critique:

Hi Jon,

Your paintings are fairly well executed. Although they suffer somewhat from a weakness in your understanding of how to use color. You may want to consider limiting your palette. But in viewing your work, the more problematic weakness is your conception of the utilization of visual language.

I just finished reading your defense of "The Forgotten Man.".

If what you are saying in that explanatory text is what you really believe you have put across visually, then you really need to stick to your path as a devotee of Bob Ross and Thomas Kincaid.

The religious paintings are probably as far as you'll want to go in developing a body of narrative work. Everybody already knows those stories, so the narrative doesn't require you to think too critically about how to express it.

Stick to simple subjects with forthright, easy narratives and you'll be fine.

Obviously, you got in over your head on this one. But, take that as a good sign. It's always a good thing to try to stretch beyond your limitations. There is no shame in failure.