In mid-April when I posted the image above, I declared it “Untitled” and I resolved not to rattle on about it here, leaving all things related to interpretation to the viewer. But by mid-May my re-solve had dis-solved, and here the rattling begins.
I set out to try to impose my own features on a photo of a very old bronze bust. I was only partially successful, but I liked the “new” bust a lot, so I looked through pics I’d taken around town to see if I could find one that might serve as a container for the bust. I was gratified to find the pic I used as the background. Total coincidence that the light source, color tones and some of the general shapes of the background image align, at least to my eye, with some of the bust features. That’s how it happened, and I’m pleased with the composition, but no meaning or interpretation came to mind.
When I asked a dear pal what she thought the image might be about she responded, “It reminds me of older movies where there is a floating, magical bust proclaiming some kind of wisdom to protagonists who have journeyed at great peril to hear its proclamations.” I love, love, love that idea! It reminds me of Mad Magazine’s take on Herman Melville’s novel “Moby-Dick,” which they rendered as “Morbid Dick” in the June 1956 issue. The Melville novel famously begins, “Call me Ishmael.” Mad rendered it as “Call me Fishmeal.” That recollection from my childhood still delights me and I’m moved to give my image above the Mad treatment.
Jason and the guys stand in glorious Technicolor and togas before the giant floating head which intones, “For a good time, sail to the edge of the world, and if you’re not dead when you arrive, pick up a goat skin souvenir.” In response the guys enthusiastically cheer, “Yup, yup, let’s go!” … “I’m all in!” … “Sounds like a plan”… and other hearty affirmations of their acceptance of the big head’s direction. Thereafter, in light of their extraordinary agreeability — no matter the potential dire consequences — the troop was known to all as “Jason and the Argue-Nots.”
Of course, any thoughts you might wish to share … sage, shrewd, snarky or otherwise … regarding the image or my remarks above would be MOST welcome.