Kimpsons #8 2005

This is Kaws' ‘Kimpsons #8’—a painting with flat planes of lilac, red, yellow, and white. I'm always curious about how an image comes into being. I imagine Kaws starting with the lilac backdrop, then carefully outlining Marge Simpson. The X’s for eyes are a signature, and the hands crossed over the front feel tentative and full of feeling. I think of Pop art, like Warhol, and the way he repeats and flattens images from popular culture. I wonder if Kaws sees himself in that lineage? I think Kaws wants to take something familiar, like a cartoon character, and then twist it just enough so you can see it differently. And then, it's like: what does it mean to see something differently? What does it mean to feel something differently? Artists are always talking to each other through their work, so each painting is part of a larger conversation across time.