Bullfight 

Curator: So, here we have Jack Davis’s piece called “Bullfight.” Looking at it, what leaps out at you initially? Editor: Absolute chaos! It feels like a cartoon fever dream. I’m drawn to the humor, of course, but also a touch of the grotesque, the sheer ridiculousness of the spectacle. What are the artistic influences at play, do you think? Curator: Davis was known for his caricature work in comics and magazines like MAD. The watercolor medium adds a slightly frenetic energy, and the loose rendering style, prioritizing immediacy over precision, speaks to his background in illustration and print production. The context for an image like this, meant for mass consumption, heavily informs how we should view the art historical narrative it puts into motion. Editor: I see what you mean. It feels… unrestrained. Like the satire comes first, technique later. Notice the bull has a bucket stuck on him and there is a sign with “SI NO”. Is Davis making a statement about… about something beyond just the absurdity of the bullfight? Curator: It's hard to miss Davis’ commentary on cultural spectacle. I think this artwork's relationship with political parody becomes clear when we examine how materials available to him--mass printing-- allowed him to amplify critiques and reshape understandings through caricature and absurd depictions of cultural phenomenon like the bullfight. Davis questions the whole ritual; not only the bullfight itself, but the roaring crowd who take pleasure from it. Editor: Definitely, I read an anarchic streak through it. A sort of, "Look at this mess we’ve made". In that sense, It’s successful to provoke a bit of reflection as to the traditions and behaviors surrounding us. I suppose there’s something perversely hopeful in his very cynical way of painting the whole spectacle. Curator: I concur entirely. His material and production background, paired with his illustration styles gave voice to these feelings, revealing much more than surface-level reflection alone could afford us as we ponder artistic agency within popular forms. Editor: Precisely. A raucous, almost defiant statement about... well, everything. It feels relevant, in a way that fine art somehow often forgets how to be.