'Parade of Imbeciles', acrylic on wood panel, 36"x24" (40"x28" including the frame)
Unlike real life Homers such as NASA engineer, Homer Hickam,
activist, Homer Plessy, or much further back, Homer, the great Greek author and
poet of The Illiad; the fictional
cartoon character, Homer Simpson, is not readily associated with wisdom. His
mental alertness is quite the opposite. (Attributing that, along with his
massive pop culture notoriety, it is no wonder there have been few males born
named 'Homer' since the animated family's 1987 television debut.)
However, there is a moment where he spouted something quite
profound on an episode of THE SIMPSON'S I
will always remember. It is an episode in season 2 called 'Dead Putting Society'. To feel better than his well liked neighbor
and rival, Ned Flanders, Homer trains
his son, Bart, to win a mini golf tournament against Ned's son, Todd, to so he
can feel superior than Ned. When prompted by his wife, Marge, about how serious
he's taking Bart's training, he proclaims:
"Because sometimes the only
way you can feel good about yourself is by making someone else look bad. And
I'm tired of making other people feel good about themselves."
In his moment of fleeting wisdom, he unearthed something
fundamentally human: it is empowering to feel better than others. This mindset
is still adopted by many today when we disparage someone widely known to behave
stupidly in an effort to feel superior and bond with others over the fact that
we're not stupid.
Thus, the primary function of cartoon characters is to make
us feel better about ourselves. Since cartoon characters don't actually exist,
they are permissible and ideal targets of ridicule. This is a form of vicarious
living. Seeing characters perform unintelligent acts that would be fun to
participate in, without us having to live with compromised egos. (Albeit, if
you do take things to the extreme, you can always posthumously earn yourself a
Darwin award. An esteem for individuals who inadvertently lose their lives from
acts of stupidity.) A cartoon characters actions, however outlandish, are inspired
by reality. A reality inhabited by people. People do stupid things, but it's
inaccurate to call someone stupid because nobody is stupid 100% of the time. Yet,
everyone is inept at something. The idea of combining so many
cartoon characters designed for stupor into a united visual felt like something
I needed to tackle. In the world we reside in today, the theme seems
increasingly relevant.
The word imbecile belongs to a classification system of
grading intelligence. On the scale, the word ranks second last. 'Idiot' being
the lowest possible entry. A new born baby, with it's insufficient comprehension,
is technically an idiot by this measure. These classifications have become
derogatory over time. The offense occurs when you feel authorized to treat people
immorally who fit into lower cognitive levels than you. I remember having a
conversation with my Mother, who works with special needs children, if she
thought the Disney Dwarf, Dopey, was an exploitation on the mentally challenged
community. (His very name - the only one he's ever referred to - is
pejorative.) Individuals in this
demographic certainly do not exist for the objective as comedic marks, but such
an idea would have been more permissible during the film's contemporary
release.
As we can see in the image, the characters are marching
along towards an unknown mecca. In the distance looms a great storm that is
making contact with a satellite dish on a perilous hilltop. The satellite dish
represents the global reach of the internet and how frequently, the most widely
shared content is delegated to the realm of stupor. Solemn empathy does not enjoy the same
scalable growth on the internet the way trivial videos of dancing cats do. Is
that stupidity, displaced priorities, or both?
A cartoon character's
itinerary offer us instant gratification because their actions don't require
explaining. We have the ability to think and exist in a world of increasing
complexity. Perhaps we're searching for things to be simpler so we don't
exhaust ourselves. Our cognitive energy is finite and must be recovered.
Enjoying "stupid" material allows us to not expend so much of it and
feel superior in the process.
A 'messiah' of sorts accompanies this cartoon formation via
a parade balloon modeled after the mascot from the popular 'FOR DUMMIES' book
series which simplify innumerable topics. Each character has also brought along
an object with them on this trek to serve their disposition. (Some notable
props include a hydrogen bomb, an old television, a protest sign forbidding
thinking and a whoopee cushion.) As they march en masse, I'm reminded of a
quote by mastermind comedian, George Carlin:
"Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large
groups."
The distant storm and eerie green atmosphere underscores
this foreboding danger. What may seem innocent and harmless singularly, becomes
collectively dangerous.
I am a painter and what that means is I create images
predominantly using the medium of paint. The objective of an image is to make
you remember that you have seen it. If this image has communicated with another
human, that is a success. I spend a large portion of my time trying to comprehend
human nature. There is lots I still don't understand, but my bewilderment in
the matter has provided me with an endless stream of ideas for paintings. Either
way, the march continues. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a parade to attend
to.
-Jono Doiron
Montreal, October 2017
Like this?? STILL want to know more??
Why not pick up one of the few remaining copies of the book to see the entire process of the painting from start to finish?
Pick up your signed copy here!
Why not pick up one of the few remaining copies of the book to see the entire process of the painting from start to finish?
Pick up your signed copy here!
