by Rich Sheaffer

Artwork Description

If I Can't Have It, Nobody Can

0.0 x 0.0

Following the persistent “alternative facts”, “Pizzagate”, “Q” and other conspiracy theories, the incendiary rhetoric, the incitement to anarchy, rioting and violence, the U.S. Capitol was attacked on January 6 to disrupt the democratic process as Congress met to affirm the winner of the 2020 election. This work was conceived in a dream that night and conceptually developed on January 7, with less than two weeks to go before the inauguration of the next President. The artist questioned, iIn that time, and even after the inauguration, would “Scorched Earth” ideas be strategized, and or would it stop with the attack on the Capitol? Alternative interpretations are encouraged. Te artist also questions the attitude of the voters. Do they see the President as one who serves the people, or do they see the country as a prize to be awarded to the winner of the election, and the President as one who is to be served by the people? To convey these issues via art, the artist covred a plywood representation of the USA in many colors of oil paint. The colors represent the diversity of our people and landscapes, while oil paint will burn when blasted with a blowtorch, which is exactly what the artist did to produce this work. “A gold medal is a wonderful thing, but if you’re not enough without it, you’ll never be enough with it.” (regarding cheating to win, from the movie “Cool Runnings”). In that light, the artist questions if a candidate feels that he is not enough without winning yet another election, then how many followers would support a rebellion and what fate ultimately awaits the country? What happens the next time a candidate loses an election and claims it is “the crime of the century” without any facts or evidence?

Artwork Details

Medium: Painting Acrylic

Genre: Expressionism