Ruprecht Von Kaufmann
Spy vs. Spy, 2023
Oil and collage (Mylar) on linoleum
167.5 x 122.5 cm
66 x 48 1/4 in
66 x 48 1/4 in
Copyright The Artist
The famous Mad Magazine characters inspire this painting’s title. It depicts two characters, dressed in coats and hats, which would have been fashionable in the 1950s, sitting on a winged...
The famous Mad Magazine characters inspire this painting’s title. It depicts two characters, dressed in coats and hats, which would have been fashionable in the 1950s, sitting on a winged golden lion, as if from some kind of crest in a flag. It’s reminiscent of the Winged Lion of Venice, an imperial city that once dominated the world. At first glance they seem to be sharing a cigarette and having a friendly conversation. Only at upon closer inspection do we see that they are threatening each other with a knife and a gun.
Throughout the Cold War, the world found itself in a precarious equilibrium threatened mutual destruction: each side created propaganda (stories) that were defined as much by the values one attributed to oneself as by the vileness that was attributed to the other. Umberto Eco tells a story of a New York taxi driver who reacts with incredulity after Eco insures him that Italy indeed doesn’t have any arch enemies in the world- your enemies define you more then your intrinsic values.
Throughout the Cold War, the world found itself in a precarious equilibrium threatened mutual destruction: each side created propaganda (stories) that were defined as much by the values one attributed to oneself as by the vileness that was attributed to the other. Umberto Eco tells a story of a New York taxi driver who reacts with incredulity after Eco insures him that Italy indeed doesn’t have any arch enemies in the world- your enemies define you more then your intrinsic values.