This one will have to be listed in the chapter of "truth is stranger than fiction". Click for full effect.
Tal Cual regales us with this recent painting that has been hung in the Nazional Guard headquarters of the Andes region (San Cristobal). Besides the obvious, that we do not know exactly whether Chavez is in heavens or paradise (same difference for many), we cannot help wonder if it is not a classical betrayal from the sub-conscious of the Nazional Guard in charge as to the coming demise of Chavez. Still, for fun, let's do a little art criticism, or deconstructionism if you will, to try to understand whatever is going inside the strange neuronal connections of these people.
Let's start with Jesus. After 13 years of "racial" bolibanana revolution", he is as Scandinavian as it gets. I mean, he was an Israelite. Look at Palestinians rioting today and find anyone reminding you of that Jesus. Don't chavistas keep bragging about their ties with the Palestinian cause?
And let's keep on the race card. Any African anywhere? Or must we assume that the grotesque character with a poncho and a reversed baseball cap is the token African American in the composition? Because the natives are represented at least twice, including the cherub like creature with a Yanomamian shaved head leaning against Chavez crotch.
Let's go back to the heavens now. On the top left we have the allegory to Carabobo. Of course, we are in a barrack and though the decades Carabobo has become a myth even though the Independence war did not finish at Carabobo. This is the myth created by Gomez to justify his army that has gotten a life of its own....
There is also a little "llanero" choral floating. Jesus was not updated but singing cherubs have. I suppose there is some progress there.
Symbols abound: two aragüaneys in bloom, a forest that looks more New England than Venezuelan, two parrots, orchids, etc... including a cloud in the form of Western Venezuela, the Guard locale. And of course the sword of Bolivar that goes ABOVE the "Moral y Luces", underlining sub consciously that the will of the arms is stronger than the civilian symbols or morality and enlightenment.
Ad since I cannot avoid it let's finish with the said Bolivar, with a strange blue spin in his brain, who looks like a cross between ghost and fairy godmother which end up giving the look of a cheap fag in drag.
Truly, I am in awe at this display of chavisteria.......
PS: let's not forget about a portrait of Bolivar as a terrorist displayed a few weeks ago in these pages.
Daniel,
ReplyDeletelike you I'm puzzled by the blue on Bolivar's head. Don't know what it is!
Other than that... the painting looks very much like the art in the books I had in primaria. Remember "Arcoiris" books?? Same thing.
Liz and I went t the same pre-school...so maybe that is why the type of picture looks very much like the books we had as girls.
ReplyDeleteThere are no african american because it is from Los Andes, the whitest people in Venezuela.The type of picture also looks like the Andean "naifs" ...
what is amazing is how thin they portrayed HC and they put him directly in heaven....
Very interesting picture.
Bruni
ReplyDeleteNo blacks in the Andes maybe but no Yanomamo either. And the reverse baseball cap may have curly hair.
True, it is in the style of the "arcoiris" collection. I did not have them 'cause I was in a non Venezuelan school, but I remember them nevertheless because we had to take some "native" lessons and I was struck by the difference between Venezuelan books and French books (who have their own style too, by the way...)
Almost looks like Bolivar or the history of Bolivar is fading away and Chavez taking his place as the liberator of Venezuela!
ReplyDeleteNuts....F*&^&^ nuts.
Chavez is the most rediculous part of the picture-that is not Chavez.
ReplyDelete(I guess once he shaved his head, he became a spiritual being -ha)
And what is he giving to the
oversized child w/stupid cap on backwards?Blue object with a red-I guess that is Chavez's Red Book of
Knowledge he is passing down to mortals...
What a mismatch of themes.
Sick fiction. Insult to Christianity.
With all due respect to those who might feel insulted by this comment: that's the gayest-looking Bolivar I've ever seen. Never mind the Alice-in-Wonderland headband, he's wearing more eye shadow than RuPaul.
ReplyDeleteAnd notice the cloud behind Chavez's head sort of vanishes around the head. I guess the original portrait showed Chavez with hair, but they removed it and painted it blue where the hair used to be. That's a huge giveaway that they don't expect Chavez to recover, even more than the Chavez-in-heaven theme. (Since just about the first thing people who've gone through cancer do is to grow all their hair back as a big F**K YOU to the cancer.)
And what's with the why-don't-you-have-a-seat-over-there caliber shot of Chavez pushing the child against his crotch? Notice the child's "Please, no!!" expression.
And what's the thing on Chavez's right shoulder? It looks like Bolivar's skeletal left hand. It's too different from Bolivar's shoulder pom-pom, so it's clearly not that.
I have spent years studying symbolism of all kinds, in my own work with archetypes.
ReplyDeleteThis picture presents some symbolic Santerismo.
Santerismo is based on many sub-deities.Here we see that Chavez integrates all native people who revere him as a God or a sub-deity blessed by Jesus.
First of all we see the portal at the top( the entry into heaven, or the spirit world), and he is like a priest protecting his pueblo.
Ultimately we are introduced to the Holy Trinity of Jesus Christ, Simon Bolivar and Chavez.The Holy Spirit is Jesus, Bolivar is the Lamb who in spite of his efforts was betrayed by lesser beings and who died lonely and bitter and out of power.Chavez is the wolf who has come to take revenge and redress all slights
The picture depicts Llanero spirits which alludes to Chavez's origins and hallowed ground.
Obviously we see Chavez as Babalao, channeling the spirit of Bolivar, giving birth to a spiritually indigenous Nation.
The worse part of the message( despite the hideousness of the rest) is that its ultimate message ( or warning mejor dicho) is that:
After death, through the transformation of energies, there will be apostles to carry on.
Wow! Firepigette, thank you.
ReplyDeleteThat is spoken with authority.
You got it! Excellent, as usual.
On that level- you have it
but-the portraits within
the large picture are individually
rediculous. And, is this propaganda only meant for
indigenous people's consumption?
cochonette en feu
ReplyDeleteThe "portal" is the monumental arch of Carabobo.
Bolivar as an aristrocat was gay of course and he liked when he was with his boyfriend to wear feathers in his hair ;-)
ReplyDeleteAnd thats not Chavez we see here but Conehead, anyone knows the movie?
And who is the girl with the big bo..s in the background?
Its a very simple painting, very naive. Hope the quality of the paint is as bad as the "artist"
Coincidentally, I had just commented on Miguel's board:
ReplyDeleteyou know what, dear cochonette de feu, i think Chavez is so deranged mentally that he believes he’s the second coming of Jesus Christ, or at least of Simon Bolivar!.. I don’t think he tries to be intentionally “evil”. And to some extent; I think he thinks he follows some basic “catholic” rules, as in thou shall not kill, or rob, and such, from his rural upbringing. I don’t think he likes to see people get killed or robbed. And I don’t think he considers himself a “criminal”, although for all effects and purposes he is,, he’s so delusional he believes he’s doing the right under the blessed tutelage of Jesusito and Bolivar.. he’s just an incompetent, under-educated, megomanial fool with delusions of grandeur.."
Artistically speaking, strictly aesthetically, I assure you this painting is nothing more than a piece of crap! Goes to show you the level of "cultural refinement" of Chavez and his followers..
CI
And the tactics behind these "pictorials" are nothing new, except for being as tacky as history as ever seen, except perhaps in Iraq, with Huseein's crap street art before they nailed him..
ReplyDeleteWay before the Egyptians or the Romans, leaders have always manipulated religion and popular heroes to enhance themselves and consolidate their power. Meme en France, partout, "Le Roi Soleil", etc.. It's a very, very old ruse, dating back to the beginning of all civilizations: The Alpha dogs, or political leaders masking themselves as direct connections, or heirs, or even Gods themselves (Ramses and such) with big sculptures, public paintings.. Michelangelo'ordered by the Aristocrats in power, paints God touching a human hand in a rather famous Chapel.. The rhetoric is as barbaric and idiotic as it is laughable, but it has worked for centuries: "I am your ruler, chosen directly by God himself,plus endoresed by your bonafide hero Simoncito Bolivar! Thus, everything I say or do is right, and true. Shut up, in the name of Allah, or whomever, pueblo mio, and.. bend over.. Bonus: Cheap public "art"
CI
Firepiguette nailed it pretty good. This painting is pure santeria. When you stop at a permanent GN alcabala, look carefully around and you will quite often find a little altar with the usual characters, Guaicaipuro, el negro Felipe etc, and candles. Then go to Sorte in Yaracuy on a Sunday and talk to the "priests". You will find that an inordinate number of them are GN NCOs.
ReplyDeleteSanteria is to the GN like glove in hand.
Sledge, I knew that was you.(Did you finish your Phd?)Welcome back.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXCEdrnaFlY
El artista que pintó esto es un INMENSO JALADOR o a mi entender si se observa bien la imagen, Cristo con su mano hacia abajo le dice a Hugo, hijo te equivocaste para abajo vas, Bolivar con su espada hacia abajo le dice lo mismo, y de ñapa hay un zamuro volando como esperando algo feo. Los indígenas estan asombrados nunca pensaron que el fulano iba a equivocarse tanto y hasta el final. La Maga Lee
ReplyDeleteSledge,
ReplyDeleteI also think Chavez is nuts, but within this framework he is a criminal even if an unconscious one.If I steal I steal whether or not I do it out of conscious evil or out of a disordered mind.It is possible that we might not call Chavez evil even though his actions are definitely so, only because there is some level of insanity in his case.
In respect to the Santeria stuff the fact that he is nuts is not in conflict with his desire to manipulate either.Now perhaps what you try to say is that he is not a sociopath- maybe- but a criminal he is even if impulsed by a damaged personality structure and manic episodes.
There is another possibility to consider as well, maybe he is both insane and bad.There are a lot of insane people out there with bad personalities.
Daniel,
ReplyDeleteDon't know.Just speculating on this one.....
Bolivar won the battle of Carabobo which represented liberation or freedom which is connected to the concept of heaven ( a release from suffering and the freeing of the soul). He liberated LA countries from Spanish colonialism but did not achieve his final goal of a gran Colombia.Bolivar wanted the Gran Colombia so in a sense he failed....and this achievement was not lasting.Later he lost power.
I believe that Chavez and his followers would like to achieve Bolivar's final goal.So perhaps a portal in this sense indicates a battle or a struggle of some kind...a re vindication of Simon Bolivar.
Question : who is that Indian on a horse in front of the arch?Gaicai puro? The central figure in the uprising of all the native tribes ?
Big f'...up by the "artist": Chavez began to use and still does the presidential tri-color banner over the LEFT shoulder, because that's the "socialist shoulder" another of his pet peeves. Same category of him changing the Venezuelan time by HALF an hour, or make the horse run to the left on the new Coat of Arms.
ReplyDeleteI agree with firepigette re the gate to heaven, Carabobo Arch or not, it has another symbol: the bright light, in the form of a torch carried by the horseman, that people see when having a near death experience.
There's no question that the painting offers plenty of material for both simplistic, as well as highly subjective interpretation.
ReplyDeleteThe key word is subjective. Third parties not associated with the artist can let their imaginations run rampant, while they pretend to know what's in the artist's head when he or she produced this work of 'art'.
One has to be careful with those 3rd party interpretations. For the bulk are subjective.
What would be more interesting to me is to have the comments from the artist on his or her work, and to know the background of that artist. For 'whitey' interpretations of, say, indian mythology could be quite askew (to say nothing of galling).
It strikes me from the similarities that the artist studied at the Kim Jong Il school of North Korean painting! Especially with the "Dear Leader" deification aspects.
ReplyDeleteWow, this is funny stuff...
ReplyDeleteMy take is that, given how solid Chavez and the children are compared to Jesus and Bolivar, whom we know have passed on (yet still live), means they are very much in the land of the living. They just have the very important predecessors watching over them. (The native woman in the middle, I can't tell if she's in the here and now or hereafter. If it's the former, it's unintentionally telling that she is looking on, as if wanting help and not getting any.) Agree too that the Carabobo arch with horseman and light represents more than just the battle. Maybe that Bolivar achieved the victory, now it's up to Chavez to lead them beyond it to the "promised land."
The biggest laugh for me is how everyone is wearing traditional or ceremonial garb, except for the kid and his baseball cap. Can it be any more out of place? I'm curious about the parts that got cut off. You can see the frame in the bottom left, but not on the right. Granted, it won't be as ridiculous as the rest. One more - look at the ratio of the length of Chavez's arm to the size of his head. WAAAAAAY off, even without the current bloating. I would expect his head to be the bigger one.
AIO, obviously the painter is no Michelangelo... no Picasso either!
ReplyDeleteAs Syd, I think that interpretations are subjective. But, but, so much symbolism depicted in that horror pic. It's gotta mean something.
I guess is just a mix of patriotic, religious and witchery stuff. But not as deep and convoluted as a we may interpret.
Disturbing? yes. As everything else in this country nowadays.
Anonymous 2.
ReplyDelete.
Nobody has mentioned the woman sitting on the brim of what seems to be a golden cup, with Chavez looking very Oriental and gay.
This piece has something for everyone.
The only things missing are a Unicorn and a depiction of Saturn.
It perhaps should have been done with flourescent paint on black velvet so that it glowed in UV light to convey its true intellectual depth for the ganja audience.
Dear Syd & Liz,
ReplyDeleteUndoubtedly art is conducive to subjective interpretation through which intuition functions.Always the subjective element will affect each person in a slightly different way, even though the collective unconscious is carried within us as human archetypes and their symbols have certain agreed upon meanings examples: light, gateways, spirit, the trinity, rebirth etc.
Each religion has its symbols, and whether or not the artist intended them to mean something in particular could never be proven without his admission, true, but independently of his intention, are the symbols, which in part have a predictable affect on most individuals....this is how advertising works.
Life is always an interplay of the subjective and the objective.
In striving to understand something we need to look at both.
Cerdita, sí... is kinda my point, but you say it better. The painter must have meant a lot of things and each of us reads his art in so many different ways.
ReplyDeleteDaniel is probably the one that says it better. The artist sees chávez in the gates of heaven.. why?? lapsus brutis? Freudian slip?
Hey, where's Fidelito?
ReplyDeleteNothing about Chavez has meaning
without FIdel IN the picture...
LiZ, lOL...but an even better Freudian slip would be the gates of hell :)
ReplyDeletedear firepiguete, as i wrote before, here or on the other blogs, i simply think chavez is a deliosional, disturbed, under-educated pueplo dude with way too much power. He clearly has grandeur delusions, and he's not the first one in history.
ReplyDeleteTo me, an uncertified public psychologist.. he's just a moron trying to play Jesus or Bolivar, as that aweful, cheesy painting beatifully illustrates.. The guy has no clue, he thinks he has the highest moral values, and that he's doing the right thing. (I'd love to see his bank accounts worldwide though.. and those of his "friends and family cohorts) But my point remains: He's not a "criminal" himself, or like to see people getting killed everyday, or enjoys the unprecedented level of crime.. nah.. he's just a crazy fool in power, who has no idea as to how to run a country. (I'd love to see him DEAD, make no mistake about that, because he hurts so many people, seriously, yet unknowingly. That's how deranged he is.
What more revealing, though, is how many of our people actually believe in the crap he says or does. Again, it goes to show way more that mere gullibility, it's the abysmal lack of education of a majority of Venezuelans who are either bribed, or simply digest Chavez's gross loads of crap. That's the real issue. And it won't go away after the bastard is gone. I'll have to pass on your santeria" and occultism "theories, respectfully, I stick to my down-to-earth theories about that manic and the millions of stupid/undeducated followers who vote for the bastard.
Well, Sledge these are the finer points of a greater reality, and either of us could be right, but with respect to the pueblo, I hesitate to go all out and condemn them as just uneducated.
ReplyDeleteI think they have legitimate ways of understanding life that have both good and bad sides...just different from your and mine.
The same " mystical" bent that allows them to be used, for the sake of a Narco State, can be channeled into the more uplifting messages of the spirit( not as in entities but as in qualities)...
We all know that Chavez is manic depressive but we all know he is also a Santero, and we all know that a large percentage of Venezuelans have a belief in Santerism ...some more than others, and sometimes the power of persuasion is unconscious. That is the power of advertising...you know subliminal messages and all.
Not all Chavistas under this spell are uneducated....it really has a life apart from education per se and probably falls more into the categories of culture,and or emotional attachments.
In any case when it comes to the opposition and what we can do about it, I really don't think we will be too successful if we ignore this aspect of Venezuela.
"flourescent paint on black velvet"
ReplyDeleteBwahahahaha! Awesome! Of course, it would need to have Elvis in there somewhere, but he would hardly seem out of place, as strange as this is.
Liz, good point - there is symbolism, so it's hard to interpret. Maybe we should all just let the art "speak to us"...and whatever we hear will be right.
"but with respect to the pueblo, I hesitate to go all out and condemn them as just uneducated."
ReplyDeleteNever did i or could i "condemn them", cochonetteinfire, but the fact remains, that by your standards, my standards, any European or North American standards, even Colombian or chile Standards, the Venezuela majority of people are clearly under-educated. And that's the real root of all "evil", or santeria and occultism.. just kiddin'. if 60% of Venezuelans had the slightest clue as to how to spell their last names, not to mention speak another language, or graduate at our prestigious UCV University, Chavez would have never even sniffed power.
I disagree, Senor Sledge. Chavez is a criminal. He is a traitor and a liar. He has betrayed Venezuela, the flag, the people, the trust, the treasure. How can he not know this- his excuse is "Give me more time.." Chavez confessed to Castro he wanted to "give up" several times -he claimed. And, Fidel urged him to continue on(after all he's working for Cuba-right?)
ReplyDeleteAIO, one of the parts that got cut off (on the right hand side), is a bald eagle either burning in a torch, held up by Venezuelan Indians, or it could be a bald eagle that is just hovering over a flaming torch (see The Devil's Excrement here): http://devilsexcrement.com/2011/12/14/a-gallery-of-chavismo-cursileria-tastelessness/#comments
ReplyDelete