Layer 1 – The foreground (Robin Hood)
This serves as an ode to the film/cartoon/animation that was created by Disney Studios, and released on November 8, 1973. It was presented to the masses 1 year after the trial of Angela Davis (March – June, 1972), and 10 years before my birth (Nov. 3, 1983). While the visuals captivated my eyes as a child, the over and underlying themes that the film expressed made a greater, longer lasting impression. That impression would eventually inspire this piece. The magic that the artists, writers, and animators used to personify the animals that I used to study (in-person and through reading) was masterful. I chose to use the central characters, the foxy protagonists, as the forefront of the story that I wanted to tell with this painting. There is a simple complexity within both Robin Hood and Maid Marian that make me want to know more of their backstories. The collision of their opposing worlds, and the ensuing love story that develops through the chaos is a fantasy that makes hopeless romantics get butterflies. Their roles involved being the rebels, the anti-heroes, and the saviors in a myriad of ways. They fought for “the people”, or in their case, “the creatures”. They fought for love. They fought against the system, the orthodox way of life at the time…the oppressive ruler(s) and rules/laws of the time. They outfoxed those who wished to control them and others.
Some of my art students and viewers of this piece have stated that the two of them look like wolves because of the shades of gray that I chose to paint them in. This provided a new layer of thought that I did not initially have or intend. I will discuss this at a later date.
Layer 2 – The foreground (Beyonce and Jay-Z)
In looking for alignments and parallels between art and life, some polarize my thoughts for periods of time. Some parallels scream to me in ways that I cannot ignore, garnering my attention and desire to look at them from different and opposing angles. Within the storyline of the Disney film, Robin Hood and Maid Marian were such polarizing figures themselves. They were magnets, if you will, pulling the attention and admiration, or hate and disdain, of those who knew them or knew of them. They were loved or hated…liked or hated on. They were individual super stars by way of their personas, positioning, and deeds. Their glow only magnified by coming together. This is true of the music artists/moguls whom I chose to depict through their character images.
The methods by which Jay-Z and Beyonce rose to fame…the different ways of life that gave each of them their popularity is remarkably similar to the foxes of the film. Beyonce became the doll princess of the industry. She was prepped and groomed to be a star, and future queen, from an early age. It was a life path that was chosen for her, as well as by her. She grew to be a symbol for all to admire, for women and children to aspire to be like, and a delight to look upon and listen to. Her image and aura seemed very angelic and royal along her rise to the position of Queen Bee. Her alter ego, Sasha Fierce, would only surface later in her career, exposing the depths and complexities of her character…the range of her powers and being.
Jay-Z’s path was opposite of hers to a great degree. He was born into a wilderness that did not groom or prep him for an aristocratic ascension. Like Robin Hood, his validation and following were products of a different world…one populated by bandits, rebels, criminals, and outcasts. He and Robin Hood represent the struggle and the hustlers. They embody the charisma and courage that is needed to survive, and that is cultivated in young men in the wild, the woods, the hoods, and the projects. Experiencing life in these environments can create a powerful driving force that leads to greatness and/or infamy. Dark beginnings can create super villains or super heroes…Jay and Robin represent both, depending on the angle from which one looks, or hears, or feels.
Together, the foxes represent the beauty of uniting opposing forces, and the power that can come of it. Together, the Carters represent this in reality and in real-time. The source image of them posing in front of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona (Monna - Madonna) Lisa was a statement of power and prestige. I envision it as a statement specifically to the young black and brown children across the planet who are labeled as “at-risk youth”. It says, look at who we are…look at what we have done…look at who we have become…look at the heights and high-society that we have been able to touch. It could be interpreted as a message for those who see it to choose a path, dark or light, conventional or unconventional, accepted or not accepted and dedicate all of themselves in order to reach the status of an aristocrat. It is possible.
My advice and addition to the message would be to “never lose ones’ self while ascending, and to remember the poor and oppressed along the way…to never become that or those who once oppressed you or others”.
Layer 3 – the Background (Fine Art)
Upon the wall that serves as the backdrop of this piece, sits a symbol of culture, history, knowledge, wealth and power. It is a work of art…a painting to be exact. The one in the original source image is, again, da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. It is possibly the most well-known and recognizable painting of all time. Created between 1503 -1506, the current value of the painting, and others like it, speaks volumes as to the importance and influence art has in society as a whole. Art serves a vessel for the intellectual, for the wealthy, for the powerful to utilize…a tool for those who possess and understand it. It is currency on the highest level, assets that accrue interest and value forevermore once stamped by high society as worthy to do so. Art is social currency for those who are able to access it, for those who are able to circulate in the same circles as it does, for those who are able to befriend the artists who create it or the collectors who own it.
The Carters declared that they were all of the above by posing, and dismissing any thoughts of them as posers. They put the world on notice by showing that they have the access. The empty space that exists as “nothing” separating them from one of the world’s most valuable treasures, says it all. There are no crowds, no glass, and no obstacles in their way. No matter the opinion that a person may have of the 2 of them, favorable or unfavorable, what they said by choosing this background is powerful and inspiring…a glimpse into our past, present, and future.
Layer 4 – the Mona Lisa (Angela Davis)
Many discussions have been had as to the origins and significance of the subject matter in Leonardo’s masterpiece. Most scholars today say that it is Lisa Del Giocondo, an Italian noblewoman and wife of the wealthy silk merchant Francesco Del Giocondo. Others have suggested a plethora of other possibilities, including that “she” could actually be a “he”, as in either his assistant Salai or even Leonardo himself. Some say that there were encrypted messages painted within the layers of oil paint that were hidden or obscure from the surface glance of the portrait. Whatever the case, this face and person became one of the most recognizable amongst the masses, present and past.
My question to self was “who would be my Mona Lisa?” What image of a woman would I want the masses to gaze at over and over again? Who’s countenance would I want the world to appreciate, value, and study for generations. Who’s story would I want to capture and project into eternity? I chose Angela Davis. Her very name denotes supreme and divine power, as found in the word “angel” in religion and folklore. She represents the physical form of angelic attributes. Angels are said to be protective and destructive forces within the heavens and earth. As a being on this planet, Angela Davis served as both of these forces. Angels are regarded as messengers, biblically. She sought to change the world by bringing messages that promoted the love, protection, and uplifting of “the people”. In order to do so, she saw the need to deconstruct or destroy old systems, ways of thought, and dogmatic approaches to life.
Her intellectual capabilities are only matched by her passion to fight for what she believed/believes in. At a point in her life, she was on the FBI’s most wanted list for crimes that she was ultimately acquitted and found not guilty of. Beyonce and Jay-Z’s “On the Run II” could serve as the perfect score for her experience in the early 1970s, as she fled from one of the most powerful forces on the planet. She, like others who challenged “the system” of the United States Governmental structure, faced physical death as well as the assassination of her character. Angela stayed true to herself and her beliefs, while the weight of the world was on her shoulders. While fighting for women’s rights, civil rights, prison reform, education reform, global issues and more…she had to fight for her own freedom and life. She arose like a phoenix, more brilliant and powerful than ever.
Her life correlates with both Robin Hood and Maid Marian. She became a “Damsel in Distress” and became her own savior. The love story depicted in the classic film was one that she, too, could relate to. Her love letters to her imprisoned “Robin Hood” were poetry and passion on the highest level. The prosecution tried to use them against her, but I think it only added to more understanding of the brilliance of their author. She is an artist, a star, with backstories and experiences comparable to those of a Jay-Z and a Beyonce. There is much more that I can say, but I will end here. ANGELA DAVIS is my Mona Lisa, and the subject within the subjects of my painting “At Risk youth 2 ARisTocrats”...ART 2 ART...ARTxART. “Power to the People!”