Satire

Satire turns the traditional purpose of art on its head by means of brutal and often humorous honesty, rather than an appeal to the ego of the viewer. Appearances are manipulated to depict some kind of truth about the underlying reality of the subject, and the further apart these two factors are, the more satirical a work of art becomes. However, it is imperative that the meaning be crystal clear. Satire, when used appropriately, has the power to effectively diffuse the tension of a touchy subject with cleverly crafted humor without distorting the truth of the matter. Metaphor and analogy are often key ingredients in a satirical work, and the content of these works is often intended to speak to a specific audience. Not everyone will agree with such comparisons, and it is because of this that satire has the keen power to offend as well as much as it does to amuse.

My use of satire in my personal artwork is humble at best, but I adore most satirical works created before the year 1950. As a viewer, I know how important it is to possess the historical, social and cultural background knowledge needed to understand satirical artwork. I also recognize that satire is only appealing if I agree with what the artist is trying to say. If these two things do not fall into place, it can be either puzzling or quite repulsive. In recent years modern artists have become much bolder and more controversial than ever before, and due to my personal values and belief systems I have been absolutely offended by some of the things I have seen in modern satire. Case in point, Chris Ofili’s “The Holy Virgin Mary.” While this artist is absolutely entitled to his opinion, I cannot stand to look at his work.