Art History: Time Magazine's Latest Cover

The thing that I love about art so much (despite the fact that I myself am not that artistically inclined) is that art almost always has a message. Well, good art does, at least. And so often, that message is philosophical in nature, which gives life to my soul as my favourite thing in the world is to overanalyze everything. However, even more often they are political, which is even better. If there's one thing I live to do, it's argue about politics.

Recently the latest President of the United States, Donald Trump, has attracted a lot of attention due to his supposed ties to Russia and accusations that he has collaborated with and given classified information to them. During the media storm that followed this revelation, during all of the endless talking about whats happening, whats going to happen, and what has happened in the past, Time magazine decided to go simple and release their first cover in decades that doesn't have a single word on it. It looks like this, in case you were wondering:

Effective, right?

I could go on and on, making endless jokes about vodka and weird fur hats, but I'm just gonna get to the part of this assignment that I get actual marks for.

Initial Reaction:

I think it's stating the obvious when I say that when you first look at this cover, you're stricken with a million thoughts at once, but that no matter what you're thinking, you can't deny the cover's effectiveness in getting a reaction. It conveys what you need to know without nearly any context, all you need is a basic knowledge of what traditional Russian buildings look like, and that the President lives in the White House. It sends a message with absolutely no words at all, which while not rare for artworks, is rare for magazine covers.

Analysis & Interpretation:

There's a lot going on in this piece, but I think that the main elements and principles used, and certainly the most effective, are both colour and movement. The artist uses a deep red to represent the creeping influence of Russia and invites the reader to make connections between the colour and the nation's former affiliations with Communism. It's a stark difference between the white of the White House, and the red of Russia's influence, which makes me think of the differences between the countries and their styles of governing. It invokes ideas about how different the nations are, and what exactly we'd be getting into if Russia's power over the Trump administration grows. 

The movement of the red is also used very well, with it creeping across the White House slowly, symbolizing the slow, quiet takeover of Russia and its acquisition of power. I also like how the red moves not in lines, but in square shapes, making me think of pixels and how Russia has used the internet and new media organizations to its advantage during the election and in the later months. I also thought that the movement of the red from right to left was significant, with books, videos, and almost all media starting on the left and moving forward towards the right. I think that this movement of the red from right to left symbolises a going back of sorts, as though with this new Russian influence, we are going to be sent back and undo progress that we have made.

Consideration of Cultural Context:

You would think that it would be easier to consider the cultural context of an artwork that's so recent, seeing as I've been around to see everything that's happening and won't be able to leave anything out. But in a way its the exact opposite. Because I'm in the time when this artwork was created, I know everything that's going on at the moment and am unable to separate what will be relevant in the long run, and what's going to be forgotten in the next few months. What I can say is this: It's 2017, Trump is president, the American people (and the world) are disillusioned with the current political system, one of the most influential nations in the world just elected baffoon, and said baffoon has now been accused of giving an enemy government secret, classified information that could have endangered American lives. Oh, and the Russians also helped him get elected. So there's that.

Expression of Aesthetic Judgement:

Unlike the work of Warhol and Pollock, I can truly say that everything in this piece works for me. It stimulates me intellectually, while still also being very aesthetically pleasing to the eye. I enjoy the colours and the sharp image, as well as the message that it conveys. Do I think that this artwork did what it set out to do? Do I think it was sucessfull? Yes, yes I do. I think it strikes a perfect balance between philosphical, political, and plain beautiful.