The Presidential Suite. JFK 1964

Editor: So, this mixed-media artwork is titled "The Presidential Suite. JFK," created by Billy Apple in 1964. The American flag is composed of repeated photographic portraits of John F. Kennedy, and there's a kind of solemn, repetitive quality about it. How do you interpret this work purely from its visual elements? Curator: Note the formal tension. The grid of portraits, mimicking the stars, uses cool, desaturated blues, creating a stark contrast with the vivid reds of the stripes. Do you find that contrast, created through line and color, suggestive? Editor: It makes me think about disruption. The rigid structure of the flag is there, but then broken up by the repeating faces. Is that what makes it pop art? Curator: Precisely. Apple disrupts our expectation. This juxtaposition compels us to look beyond the symbolic meaning and examine the aesthetic structure. The texture introduced by photographic reproduction also impacts our perception. Would the message be the same if Kennedy’s image was hand-painted, softening its appearance? Editor: Probably not. The repetition, the printing… it’s like a newsreel, forcing the image into our collective consciousness. How does the choice of media amplify that? Curator: Mass media techniques of the day amplified a kind of cool detachment from something so immediate. The smoothness and flatness enhance the flag as an object. It compels viewers to acknowledge the mediated quality of historical figures and their iconic representation. Are you following me? Editor: I think so. By dissecting the visual presentation, we learn a new appreciation of the art. The artwork’s strength lies in these formal decisions of media, texture, color and proportion, not the President, in isolation. Thanks! Curator: Indeed. We understand how line and composition contribute meaning. Excellent.