I've been reading a lot of blog posts about William Powhida. Perhaps you have, too. A few thoughts:
- I'd be ok if I didn't see anymore discussion, on anyone's part, of "insiders" and "outsiders." It is, among other things, tiresome. I suppose it would be more on point to note that it's a woefully oversimplified way of thinking, but that doesn't get at the pain such talk causes.
- Judging by the comments I've seen, Powhida (and Jade Townsend, don't forget him!) is either our Daumier and/or our Hogarth, or it's utterly absurd to suggest he's our Daumier, our Hogarth. It only raises the question, doesn't anyone here know the name of a caricaturist aside from Daumier or Hogarth? C'mon, people, I thought we were the insiders. Can someone give me a Gillray? One of the Cruikshanks? If you're feeling unkind, perhaps HB or one of his followers. Try a little harder, please.
- I think some of Powhida's critics are perhaps overestimating how charming people must find it to be caricatured, what a thrill his targets must get out of being featured in the latest drawing that everyone's talking about. Not everyone's actually all that keen on being part of the joke. On the other hand there's this, so a little sneering might in order.
- One thing we can all agree on is this statement by the artist regarding his and Townsend's Hooverville: " Just don't miss the fact that you are pretty much fucked one way or another whether you're in this drawing or not." Ain't it the truth?