Reaction Paper

Today I had to choose two posters within a gallery at the University of Central Oklahoma. The gallery was filled with many images of politically charged content to human suffering. There was so much to look at and to take in. What images did I understand right from looking at them. What images did I have to research further to understand and to read the head line. I had finally chosen my two posters to comment on. Those two where, Patriot Inaction by Robbie Conal and Your Best Gift for Her by Jin Yee Ng. I choose these two paintings because I wanted something personal and political, as well as, from different sides of the world. I will explain my reactions to both images emotionally, the historical content, and the style/design elements.

The Patriot Inaction, is a political poster that depicts then President George W. Bush in a flooded New Orleans cemetery surrounded by skulls and bones. When I first glanced at the wall this poster was on, I was immediately drawn to this image. Unlike other images to me it carried a significant heartbreak. Part of my family is from Louisiana, to include my brother’s birth there. I remembered when it happened and I remembered that I volunteered for the mission to rescue people from their homes, that had been stranded. I had a feeling of sadness and anger upon viewing. Because I also remember the aftermath and how long it took for things to get back to normal as compared to other natural disasters. Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf cost as category 3 hurricane. There was a lot of finger pointing the days and years to follow. None of which actually helped the people in the Gulf Coast. The most notable of the disaster and also most publicized was New Orleans, Louisiana. There was a lot of news coverage about how long it took to help those in need, reunite families, rebuild the area, etc. Racism was seen as the blatant reason that no help was available. So musicians even accused the President as be the ultimate racist. It was painful to watch and to be apart of. The style of the work is a style that I am found of. I like the hard, cartooned edges. It reminds me of old political cartoons that I used to read accept this one is in color. The use of primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) drew my eyes to the center of the image where I could focus on the focal point. In the poster you can feel the pain and loss of the tragedy, even years after it happened. It is interesting though that the creator used the words Patriot Inaction…as a reference to the Patriot Act. As the Patriot Act refers to how our country deals with terrorism and that act had nothing to do with this situation. Upon view I knew, based on the imagery, what the poster was depicting. I didn’t have to guess what it was talking about. The chose to make the image of President Bush into a skeleton I believe brings the whole image together and destruction that was created by weak infrastructure and a failure on the government to provide effective aid. I enjoyed this poster most through the gallery because it gives me a feeling of a poster as opposed to an image or picture such as when I viewed Fukushima Mon Amour by Yossi Lemel. It was much more difficult to find my second image but I knew I wanted to go into another direction all together.

Finally, I settled on Your Best Gift for Her. This poster depicts a birthday cake with a cigarette with the title of the image as a tag line. The balance of the image draws you into the cake, as the colors give you the feeling that you are at a young girl’s birthday party. When I viewed this image I found it disturbing and wasn’t really sure what it was about. I thought to myself, “what mean person would put a cigarette into their child’s (any child’s) birthday cake?”. I was also shocked that this could even happen. To me smoking is a disgusting habit that I believe hurts children and adults alike. I’m an advocate of non smoking places, so I was really drawn to this imagery and heartbroken at the same time. It wasn’t until I read the description that I understood the true meaning. Tobacco addiction not only effects those who smoke, but also those around them. Children are effected the worst as there brains are still developing and second hand smoke is unfiltered. Smoking around children puts them at risk to start the habit themselves at a much younger age, have fewer coping skills, poor self esteem, etc. Parents are our role models and for better or worse we pick up their habits. The imagery in the poster is very powerful. While the poster is supposed to give a smoker hope, I found for me that it made me hate smoking even more. The use of red and pictures of Strawberry Shortcake on birthday hats helps bring the image together as a young girl’s birthday party. The idea behind the image is to get those who do smoke and have children to not just think about themselves but to think about their children. It’s a very powerful Image. The poster also makes you feel as if you are at the party and how innocence can be lost if the smoker doesn’t decide to quit. Though this poster shows, to me, a parent that is willing to change their habits for their child. That is both touching and endearing. The photographic use, as opposed to, a more cartoon like image makes this poster more realistic and relatable. It connects smoking and the hope of quitting for someone greater then yourself.

I enjoyed both of these posters while in the gallery, as well as some others. The images that the portrayed where captivating and extracted emotional responses from me while creating them differently. The stories whether political or domestic call you to change and commit action. Each poster has it’s own way to tell you a story, though not always immediately available. These posters both shed light on some negative aspects of life.