2nd Cover Analysis

   It's no surprise that as a people, New Yorkers are often times held in both high regards and deep resentment compared to the rest of our nation. Some love us because of our close association to the financial security of our nation's future, our many contributions to the sciences, and our cultural accomplishment towards the arts and theater. On the downside, we have a reputation for being a bully towards states who don't follow our model; it's almost like if New York is the ringleader in a teenage click and passes judgment on those who follow a different path. But for me, New York is great because of our ability to keep what as made us great in the past and tie it together with the new. This state is best defined by the people who live, work, and breath it every day, and David Hockneys' cover painting of "Shoes" for the New Yorker collectively shows a progressive state looking forward to the future with a connection to our history.

   David Hockney is a well known and respected artist in painting, so much so that he has won several prestigious awards by the art community and has sold paintings for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Always looking to improve upon his work and explore new alternatives, Hockney began to experiment using the new "Brushes" App on his IPad. What Hockney discovered was the inspirational and technological breakthrough he was looking for; this was a new system to experiment with, a way to create art out of thin air and send to thousands of people instantaneously for an opinion. Hockney soon created numerous paintings, sketchings, and doodles to try out his new found "artistic playground;" his art was so revolutionary and creative that the late Steve Jobs even commissioned Hockney to continue advertising his paintings using the Apple product. But some traditionalists could not fathom that such a highly respectable and prestigious artist would lower himself to relying on technology instead of a brush and paper to express his emotions. Some more traditional artists deemed his art a heresy and even went so far as to refuse to recognize his creative as nothing more than "scribbles on a computer." My answer to them is this: were cavemen first criticized for drawing on walls by their peers? What about the first human to convey poetry onto paper instead of passing it on through oral communication, was he denounced and mocked also?

   It is human nature to be afraid of the unknown and strange, it's how our ancestors learned to fear the predators that their cavestep and avoid the creepy-crawlies hiding in the dark. But what Hockney has done is simply live up to the New York way of life, adapt to the new and blend with the old; a necessary representation in my eye for any healthy culture. Did we stop the "Times Square New Year's Eve Ball-Drop" just because we moved into a new century, or did we close down "The New York Stock Exchange" after the market tanked? The answer is most definitely no; we researched our mistakes, educated ourselves to prevent another collapse, and kept moving forward with our heads held high and our eyes towards the future! Hockney may have kept his style to simple everyday objects, but either intentionally or by accident his art can be used to represent the complex issues in society today. The issue that I see most clearly being interpreted is that by using the next new technological is the only way to learn and better ourselves and expand upon our own creativity. For me, it's the perfect representation that New Yorkers are able to keep the old, but use the new to better ourselves.

   At first, I had serious doubts about what topics and ideas I could express about my cover. It looked so simple and unimportant, but as I dug deeper into this paintings back-story and the politics surrounding it I grew to form my own unique opinion about this representation of the New York lifestyle. Maybe that's the point Hockney was originally trying to express? That we're not a state filled with the stereotypes of crocked cops, loudmouth businessmen, and corrupt politicians; but that all this negativity is on the surface. You just need to dig alittle deeper to discover its true value and uncover the past.