Jimmy Carter 

Jack Davis created this caricature of Jimmy Carter, using watercolor and graphite. The composition appears chaotic, filled with falling figures and symbols, immediately drawing the eye to the disarray. The caricature’s focal point, Carter, looms large, his exaggerated features rendered with expressive lines and a somewhat anxious expression. Davis uses exaggeration to destabilize the perception of Carter's presidency. The tumbling figures, representing sectors like housing and the stock market, suggest economic instability. The outsized dollar sign, precariously lassoed by Carter, becomes a semiotic device. The semiotic system of signs uses visual elements to evoke the complex state of the economy during Carter's tenure. The formal elements here—the dynamic lines, chaotic composition, and caricature—function as a critique embedded within the visual language of political commentary. Davis does not offer a singular meaning but rather uses form to engage in a larger discourse about the challenges and perceptions of leadership.