Subject and Content Art

Subject and Content Art
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Subject and Content Art
This work of art's subject is an old couple who appear to be American tourists by their dressing and effects. The man has a camera hanging from the neck, and the holster is strapped on his left shoulder. He also wears summer shorts and sandals (the woman also has open shoes, but unlike the man with classic spectacles, she is donning blue-tinted sunglasses and a lace headscarf). They are both peering upwards, possibly at some attraction, with the man holding his right hand over his face to protect his eyes from the sunlight. The two aged tourists are wearing brightly colored clothes: the woman is dotting orange pants while the man is sporting a green and beige Hawaiian shirt with tropical print motif.
This work of art’s content is the typical American tourist who is gently satirized with a mix of compassion and wit. Duane Hanson conveys stereotypical ideas about the average aged tourist couple using hyper-realistic fiberglass models, which capture the imperfections of actual skin. The figurative work reads of technical prowess very different from the realism of Madame Tussauds or the mannequins in store windows. The artist is going for "realness," Rather than demonstrating archetypes, he ingrains his work with exaggerated characteristics subtly tainted with a subconscious or conscious derision. The figures are molded and painted in the most convincing skin tones and carefully dressed to fit a particular portrayal. They obscure all traces of the artist's subtle interventions and appear as a three-dimensional re...