Palmer Museum of Art: Bibutsu

After visiting the Palmer Museum of Art and gazing at all the sculptures, paintings and other pieces of fine art it had to offer, Ed Paschke’s Bibutsu, grabbed my undivided attention. It was painted in 1982 around the introduction of colored television and more advanced technology. This painting, composed with oil on a canvas is part of a series depicting oversized glowing television screens. It’s immense size over dramatizes the impact that television has had on social culture. The viewers can tell that times were certainly being altered when Paschke painted his piece. The painting of two men, unnamed, said to be “glowing” from the bright blues and greens, shows how people during this time period now looked up to the people displayed on the television screen. It makes a jab at the social culture of this time and those who put too much value in the television.

When I first noticed the piece, I was only really drawn in by the neon colors, but after learning the deeper meaning behind such artwork, Ed Paschke left me with feelings of doubt and a sort of sadness. Am I one of these people the artist pokes fun at? It makes me question if mass media has become too much a part of my life. I doubt myself when I say that technology does not hold that much importance. I know that if I did not have my computer or television that my life would be completely different. It makes me sad to think that my generation’s values are linked to the mass media that Paschke displays.

Ed Paschke was a part of the Chicago School, a group of artists who found inspiration through the culture surrounding them. They were also referred to as “Imagists.” He received his Masters degree in art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. This group became associated with an art revolution that incorporated surrealism and ugly features to highlight the underlining values of the social culture they were in. Paschke, like many other Imagists, created a series of collections that poked fun at the glorified ideas of fame, money and power. He established his credibility through his involvement with the Imagist movement.

The piece, Bibutsu, focuses on people’s over indulgence in mass media. The word “bibutsu” means “two Buddhas.” Buddhas are those people look up to for enlightenment and guidance. In this painting, Paschke uses an oversized canvas to make the two men seem larger than life and important to the piece. What Paschke really says is society puts value into the two people on the board even though the men have no value at all. The electronic colors grasp our attention like television. The artist makes the claim that society will blindly follow the people involved with mass media and television even if they hold no importance to the values one should be holding dear. The piece does an excellent job at persuading one into questioning their values.

It was my first visit to the Palmer Museum of Art on campus. Living not too far from the city, my family visits museums quite frequently like the Metropolitan Museum of Art. While the Palmer is not as grand in size, it still holds a lot of powerful pieces of art that should not be overlooked. Exploring the museum again with a different assignment would be a great idea for the future!

http://www.edpaschke.com/home.php