Hyperbolic Masculinity

Power Thumb

We have seen strides in the understanding of gender roles in the past 20 years that have radically redefined how we perceive maleness, femaleness, and the entirety of the gender spectrum.  Indeed, this alteration of understanding has left many confused as to the place of the genders in modern society.
Unless you happen to possess the mountainous confidence of Chuck Norris.
Chuck Norris represents the ideological Man.  Physical prowess manifest.  Compassionate wisdom incarnate.  Norris transcends our understanding - not of gender - but of what it means to be human.

Oddly, the gentlest and deftest of his hands.

 Indeed, Immanuel Kant once postulated that one could only exist entirely in the realm of the living or the realm of the animated.*  Norris, however, has robbed us of that certainty.  Capable of existing in multiple forms simultaneously, we are left with an omnipotent, omnipresent god figure in human form.
Some hypothesize that masculinity is predicated on an intrinsic quest for the position of the Alpha.  In our escapist world of alternate realities, many men have fled the world of corporeal competition for a surrogate existence.  The world of MMO gaming has provided competition for those who have opted out of the world resplendent in the mastery of Norris.
But they cannot escape.
No one can.

I mean, seriously?  A snow tiger?

*Nope

Roar, My Kittens.

My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.Abe Lincoln

Universal.  Transcendent.  Ambition and the image of a powerful self is often brought down by the reality of our world.  The desire to - as the artist notes - "Roar like lion" - a verse resplendent in poetic merit - is one which every human feel.  We are expressionistic species and our roars seek to define and affirm our very existence.

Yet the laughter follows.  Inevitably, society tears down that which seeks to be different than it's preordained path.  And so this kitten, a vehicle chosen by the artist to emphasize the feeling of diminished stature and patronized ambition brought on by such defeat, represents the broken feeling and ennui which comes when dreams are burnt like effigies to the throne of conformity.

Roar, my kittens.  Roar.

Those of Slovenly Gods

Sir Daniel's Note:
Dearest reader,
I do hope my man-servant reached you with the gold-leaf apology missives I sent to each and every one of you.  If he did not, simply contact me via raven.  I shall have him flogged forthwith.
I do apologize for my recent tardiness.  I know you as connoisseurs, ladies and gentlemen of refined tastes and exquisite senses of decor and decorum and how your sensitive souls must have languished in my absence.
Fret no more.  I encourage you to share and expand this circle of arteests and lovers of high culture, for now we shall new reviews every Monday Wednesday and Friday without fail.
I will stake my own life - using my man-servant as a proxy - on it.
Sir Daniel Zubrzycki esquire PhD, MD, ADD, etc, etc, titles, titles.

And ye,  the Bro did sayeth, "take this hot dog, bro for I am stuffed, and feel not like moving."

Truly original pieces appear from the veil infrequently, their place in the conglomerated soul of art forever sealed simply in their audacity.  Such is the fate of this piece: Slovenly Gods.
With an ethereal quality, lending a sense of other-worldly serenity, this piece speaks a crystalline message of spiritual connection and the human thirst to know more*.
Utilizing long straight lines established by the divine human form on the left, the artist contrasts that image immediately with piles of clothing.  The God-figure to the left, resplendent and beneficent, proffers manna to the mortal.
The long flowing mane of the figure to the right and robust fullness establish it as the god-figure.  It's offering of food to the human first establishes the human as the chosen of men and reinforces the juxtaposition of their figures.  The man - muscled and lean - strives towards perfections which may never bother then god-figure.
The offering: a Hot dog.  The timeless symbol of consummate love and eternal salvation which harks back in hallowed antiquity as far back as the Sumerian empire.**
Slovenly Gods is a perennial piece, timeless in form and function.  Having not drawn on any previous works for any form of inspiration, satirical or otherwise, it solidifies it's place in art's history for originality and cultural commentary.
*"And for some beer or something, what did you put on that thing?"
** Horace recalls an account of Sumerian Hot dogs "Dulce et decorum est edere canem fervens"

Felines: To Be or to Meow

By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.

Frequently life forces us to moments of solitude.  Variable forces mitigate our active agency, life's paths wind in ways which wound and weary.  The passing of time can uplift as quickly as oppress.  Like a brick wall, all of our worries can be stopped in a moment by the transcendent beauty of the world we inhabit.
The scale and grandeur of the universe are kept outside of our bubble of blue.  The atmosphere and clouds block out the eternal abyss - the eternal possibility - of the universe.
This piece calls to mind the stress and anxiety that might lead one to being alone on a rocky outcropping in an ocean or bay area.  Facing toward the light, the figure would be reminded of time's transience, mortality, ennui, the existential hoplessness of optimism, the absolute neccessity for it.  The various maelstroms of contradictions and compliments which house our experience.
Except it is a Cat.
Cat's lack higher cognitive functions.
Just a cat.

Ego facio, ergo sum

A meteoric, reflective piece which births ennui and disillusion 

The "What I Do" meme is the signs of the reawakening of the economy and the renaissance of how we view employment and life choices.
This - widely considered the primordial piece - reflects the timeless plight of the artist.  Specifying that the artist seeks to expand art in it's most contemporary forms, the creator defines the artist's existence within the concept of perception.
It is oft cited that the artist must eschew if not fully disdain the opinions of the masses.  In this piece, the reality of art is revealed viciously, exposing that all art must be seen and thus judged.  The integral aspect that unifies these pieces is the juxtaposition of expectation against reality.  The self referential sections construct the foundation of humor for the previous sections - exposing the opinions of friends and family whose thoughts are often romanticized or trivialized.  The self-section exposes the inner ideal of the craft assumed by the creator and the final two juxtapose the absurdity of society's view against the reality which is often much less glamorous.

What God thinks I do?

Unless you are NPH, in which case, no one can ever truly understand your greatness.

Dunecat

The DuneCat.  A timeless generational piece which speaks not only to the great Frank Herbert, but to the generations of admirers which he spawned and the tribute indie films such  as Star Wars and Star Trek which drew from this genesis piece.
DuneCat, wrapped in a costume of linen, achieves a wormish appearance while still maintaining the adorable feline quality all felines seem to possess.
While the crossbreeding of animals implied by the costume may at first be off putting, the Catmeme derives most of it's humor from the naivety of the cat.  Assuming the cat is striving for attention, the piece suddenly adopts the humor associated with a child attempting to impress a parent.

The Superlative Porringer

Sports support Photoshop

(I'd like to note that I did consider making this post simply a picture of anything related to the Super Bowl.  Would have been appropo methinks.)

Spectacles of athletic and regional dominance have dominated the mentalities of plebeian mobs since time immemorial.  Used to assuage tensions between rival fiefdoms and establish a proverbial pecking order, organized competitions create a distraction from the world at large.  The modern incarnation is most prominent in the Americo-Centric Football tradition.
"Football," ironically named for it's nigh complete lack of ball-foot contact, is a game in which geo-political regions select warriors based exclusively on skill, not their particular adherence to the sponsoring region, to conflict over the possession of the tanned hide of a pig.  During this engagement, the selected specimen of either team are made to clash against each other at high velocities - often causing fractures, the tearing of ligaments, and severe impact based concussions to their brains.  One team must move the skin beyond certain markers to gain credit toward a victory.

It is known that all young males should strive toward this.

Throughout a particular period of time roughly adhering to a calendar year, teams engage in repeated engagements weekly.  At the cessation of this period, teams with particular penchants for victory compete for the ability to engage a final quest for superiority.
The Super Bowl is that competition.
In this ultimate response to the free-market voting system enacted by television ratings, massive portions of wealth are expended to create a spectacle which entices more viewers than the State of the Union (a yearly address by the incumbent President of the United States meant to inform the populous of the direction he intends to take their country of residence).
The competing teams this year represented the regions of New York - though support in that state is widely divided between two teams which presume to control favor - and New England, which is actually a conglomeration of inferior regions dedicated to competing through union.  The team representing New York refers to themselves as Giants despite their mean size being similar on average to that of all other competing teams.  The team representing the conglomerated New England refers to themselves as Patriots a references to their nation's history, though that is shared by their opponents (perhaps a sign of ignorance on their part or a strategy to amalgamate more teams into their union).
During the competition a musical act is brought fourth, presumably to widen the appeal of the spectacle to audience members who may be forced to suffer through by other clansmen.  This year, an aging woman garishly flaunting Roman and Egyptian motifs of extravagance and slave labor wasted millions on a sentiment of world peace.

A very subtle commentary on the plight of the wealthy.

The outcome of the competition saw those presuming to be Giants defeating the misguided diplomatic strategy of the amalgamated states of New England.  Perhaps a commentary that massive corporations and Giants of industry will always subdue a more intellectual, philosophical ideal.
More interestingly, though, is that - during a time of apparent fiscal, social, and world troubles, importance is still given to maintaining such rewarding and empowering traditions such as watching grown men pummel each other in a display of misguided machismo and masturbatory egoism.

To Boat, or not to Boat.

Perhaps the most popular meme theme pervading the internet's artistic space is the Cat.  A motif revived from the Egyptian era - perhaps homage to an age of increasingly centralized governmental powers* and a tip of the hat** to the Arab Spring - the Cat is now a staple of modern art and expression.
Here, in this piece, we see a Calico cat, robed in business attire engaging the domestic ritual of news paper and the breaking of the night's fast.  The text very simply reads "I should buy a boat"
This piece is a testament to a generation torn between the domestic standards associated with previous generations and the whimsical freedom which is presented in our endless tomorrows.  The suit, news paper and coffee recall a traditional patriarch set out to financially provide for his family.  Domesticity chaining him to the confines of what appears to be a suburban kitchen, away from daring adventure, locked in terminal safety.
Suddenly - abrupt in it's subtle fading into the white table cloth - the text dawns on us as a dream, violent and wondrous.  It's appearance on the table can almost be said to shake the room for it shatters all acceptance of normative life.
The Cat is now a pirate.  The cat - the domestic man, the suburban cess pit draws us away onto the high seas fraught with peril and adventure. The blues of the picture recall both sky and sea, the contrast of light through the window and darkened lower corners thrust the reader away and outward through the window into the dream-scape of boat ownership.
This piece is an embodiment of narrative assumption.  We, the audience, are now asked whether or not the Cat does indeed purchase a boat, or does the cat regress, sip it's coffee and trudge to the office, forever a landlubber.

*Nope
**Forgive my colloquialism

An Examination in Deficits in Intelligence and Hitherto Unfathomable Depreciation of the Human Condition as

The Herp Derp phenomenon has herped the derp from herp to derp.  Ipso facto, herp, the as Socrates once pointed out, derp.  In it's varietal and nebulous form, herp derp derp.  Hurrdedurr, herp a derp, icognito.  Herp and derp are both unified in their derp.  The derp, mind you, derp herp.
Representing the struggle of individuals to maintain competitive knowledge bases against the increase of technology whilst simultaneously speaking to the intellectual's disdain for the less progressed, the Herp Derp meme indeed herp and - if I may be so bold - Derp.

Owls, typically removed from association with Herp as well as Derp, are seen here to engage both activities.  Herp derp herp, "Herp, derp."*  The wizened species is a perennial totem to keen insight and sagacity.  But, indeed, herp derp derp.


*Kant, What is Enlightenment

Great Expectations

Emotions stem from some of our most primal cranial lobes.  Tiny nodes set off massive waves of violence and destruction as quickly as they do trigger love and sexuality.  We often seek to personify emotions in animals, seeing animals as a bridge connecting us with the basic nature of our existence.  

Enter Expectation Eel, colloquially known  as Bad Joke Eel.

The innocuous introduction of this idea simply states the obvious.  We as humans are biologically predisposed to appear eel-esque when relating bad stories.  The facial expression is not intentional, yet designed as an evolutionary precaution for all others to see in order to maintain social acceptability and uniformity of humor.  Tribes - eons ago - needed to unify around a singular idea of humor.  Without this, the cleverness of an Alpha* and ideal mating patterns could not be established.  It has long been recorded that humor is the primary motivator of reproductive patterns, I cite the great feminist philosopher when I say "If you can make a girl laugh, you can make her do anything."** Eels are an inherently unattractive species *** ipso facto, we find ourselves repulsed by those who display eel like features.

*Alpha Male, not Alpha Delta Upyourassilon.

** Monroe, Marilyn

***I mean, come on, seriously.

An Excerpt in Epicness OR Whither goest thou, RapotrsharkRPG?

Recent news coverage of Iraq has indicated a startling increase in violence.  In the wake of America's departure - premature to some, long anticipated by others - both secular and religious intolerance buoyed.
We live in an uncertain age full of random violence and civil unrest.  The blossoming flower of the Arab Spring; the destructive force of Al Qaeda, the horrors of a Santorum.
We discuss - in our minimalist studios, bedecked in thick rimmed urban chic glasses - the reflection of of art upon life, and life indeed upon art.  This piece recently surfaced in discussion amongst the salon of artistic intellectuals I frequent.  Drinking our usual- I'd mention it but it's far too obscure for you to know -  we were astounded by the depth to which this piece spoke to us.
Art does not exist within a vacuum.  The ferocity invoked in this image, the carnal nature of each specimen.  The sum of killing potential.  Fear, passion, nationalism, internationalism, philosophy.
Contemplate the predators: the Shark, a vicious creature of the sea, saddled and bridled for the machinations of a sinister prehistoric animal equipped with a weapon now nearly synonymous with terror cells.  But then imagine the utter fear of this simplistic predator, now holding weapon millennia beyond it's time, light-years beyond it's comprehension.
They race through waters, we see land in the background but is it national or international water?  Whither goest thou, RaptorsharkRPG?
Who is the true victim here?  Is it the people the raptor seeks to destroy?  No, the raptor follows only a basic predatory instinct, their deaths will be the result of simple biology - and combustion, chemistry.  No, friends, the true victim here - the Shark - whose most basic instincts are being bridled by a creature theoretically far less evolved.
What does this say to us?  That perhaps we enslave ourselves to primal, basic instincts which are antiquated, which serve us little and less in the modern world?  Or does the artist portray us more as the Raptor, drawn toward destruction by our very nature, given tools far more powerful than any claw or tooth.  Juxtaposing the intensity of the creature with the catastrophe of the weapon.

Shit X Say (Opt: to Y) OR Of Diversity and Understanding

The rise of independent film making - as propelled by the age of interactive media and mass sharing - has led to an increase in awareness of global issues and allowed us to connect with the narratives of others who exist worlds apart from our sphere of influence or understanding.  The modern documentary or non-fiction exposé often shows us - rather than exploring what it means to be a writer, poet, or film maker, or a character cast into extreme circumstances - what it means to be alive.
Indeed, it is in this very spirit that we find the volcanicly popular "Shit X say" with the optional suffix "to Y."  This modern trend in documentary production delves into humanities irrepressible social spirit.  We explore the ability of language and communication to convey subtle undertones of both prejudice and understanding in the now expansive library of reflective pieces.  

In it's original form: "Shit Girls Say" we both establish a formula of expediently displayed sound bytes coming from a lone source.  Another aspect of the formula established is the juxtaposition of a non-titular lead.  To clarify, a male in drag is placed in the titular role of "Girl Saying Shit" in order to further muddle our understanding of the lines which gender and sex draw. We will explore later forms of this momentarily. This gendered commentary pushes questions to the surface as a ballast tank emptying, rocketing a submarine to the surface full of pressurized questions.  A male in the female place may indeed be read as insulting, sexist even, but upon further inspection we see it is a grasp for understanding.  Each statement, each parody, a question of the why's and how's in a world of expanding gender misunderstanding perpetrated by misguided magazines and maligning media portrayals of both genders.  

In later additions, we note the formula is followed generally rather strictly.  While the party is often represented by the group assigning the commentary, it is done in hyperbolic satire.  In this sensitive and emotional portrayal, "Shit White Girls say...to Black Girls" We are confronted with the truth of racial relations.  Indeed, often in an attempt to "relate" majority groups minimize and trivialize rather than bridging gaps.
And yet, there is hope.  These attempts indeed indicate a true and abiding desire to understand.  No one group desires to be an island.  Indeed, as John Donne said in his Meditation XVII, "No man is an island entire to itself...I am involved in humanity."
And so as "every man is a piece of the continent," so too are we each a part of the greater fate of our mutual understanding.  Seeking this - perhaps sometimes with adolescent humor and well-intentioned (yet misguided) racial insensitivity - we all add to the growing world of our mutual love and understanding.

Do ALL the Things OR "on Expectations in Generations"

The modern renaissance figure, driven to excel at all aspects of life.  Youngsters, hurled into a  world  of misappropriated educational totalitarianism, are pressured to pursue idealistic standards of multitalented multidirectional perfection.  Many fall to the fantastical expectations.  Others, others rise.
All too frequently, contemporary art pieces origination is lost to the maelstrom of media.  We surf amongst a sea of imaginative, important pieces, yet unable to trace their roots.  Fortunately, the authorship of "Do All the Things!"  or "X all the Y" - the genre title.

Note the posture of the subject is similar to that of the Hellenistic Grecian Kuros  

The initial piece, a commentary on domestic productivity, entrenches the protagonist in a conflict similar to Hegel's master-slave dialectic.  Contrary, however, to Hegel's position, the two conscious beings, are indeed manifested in the singularity of the protagonist. We are left with a desperate discussion of Sisyphean struggle as the hero eventually resigns to the insurmountable - yet unavoidable - task before them.

Initiating a dialogue long silent amongst a generation coursing down rapids of productivity and expectation, Allie Brosh - the creator of this seminal piece, created a movement.  The foundations of that movement were laid in her blog's forum.
That foundation replicated and evolved as it's - if you'll allow - mitochondrial DNA pervaded the ether of the internet and eventually came to exist as the multifaceted and wondrous genre we now enjoy.
Later pieces eschew the specificity and inherent limitations of the fall from grace experienced in the protagonist's tragic denouement, instead centering on the achievement and hyperbolic ambition.

Y U No Face: The Call of a Lost Generation

Occupy Wall Street.  The plight of billions of hungry and homeless world-wide.  The impending global shift of power.
The modern condition is one of uncertainty and peril.  Art, whether reflecting life or life reflecting art, must engage with our constant state of anxiety.

  The "Y U No" face has become the symbol of a generation who engages a Sisyphean struggle with an uncaring world.  While the world itself has grown smaller with the advent of the internet and widely available smart phone use, the individual seems to become consumed into this amalgamated identity of the internet.  Ubiquity expresses itself perhaps at it's highest in the universality of the "Y U NO" face, leaving room for all complaints to be both valid and expressed with a unanimous degree of emotion.

Beyonce Knowles' tribute to women's independence takes on a darker, more desperate tone in this re-appropriation of that electrifying classic.  Expressing the conflict of the modern woman by juxtaposing Mrs. Knowles' tribute to individuality and strength with a archaic and traditional desire for masculine assertion in relational matters, this untitled masterpiece speaks to a generation of gender rules under assault from all sides.
The Y U No face has created a lasting and desperate plea for attention to the plight of the individual's needs.  Without the backing of major funding, we are forced to unify our expressions.  While power is found in that uniformity, what do we lose in our humanity?  In our freedoms?

Keanu Reeves: Transcendent Melancholy or The Unbearable Lightness of Whoa

Keanu Reeves: Actor, artist, cultural diplomat, author, mensa member*.

A cultural iconoclast, Reeves is an individual of immense talent, and an electrifying passion for a modern age of art.

Keanu Reeves has becomes a perennial favorite of the internet.  The manifold permutations of Reeves' internet fame stem from the very basis of his artistic faculty.  Here we see a young Reeves exemplifying his profundity whilst juxtaposed against what might be considered "stoner philosophy."
Touching on Reeves' cultural capital as well as his temporal fortitude, the Sad Keanu meme has infiltrated every level of art.  From the Olympian sublimity of classics such as Forest Gump...

to the wildly self referential...

Reeves' penchant for melancholic contemplation - particularly highlighted in this piece entitled "Epic Keanu Bench" recalls Søren Kierkegaard from his seminal "Diapsalmata." Writes Kierkegaard:

 Besides my other numerous circle of acquaintances I have one more intimate confidant-my melancholy. In the midst of my joy, in the midst of my work, she waves to me, calls me to one side, even though physically I stay put. My melancholy is the most faithful mistress I have known, what wonder, then, that I love her in return. 

Sad Keanu embraces the modern condition of loneliness and ennui despite the constant presence of an assumed audience.  Both in our very viewing of the image and his obvious position on public benches, Keanu Reeves reaches outward toward the inward while providing a generation one singular melancholic message:  Whoa. 

*Unverified, probably false.