“…And the Home of the Brave,” Charles Demuth at the Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S Michigan Ave
“...And the Home of the Brave” mixes the real and the abstract to find a sweet spot of striking colors without alienating or overwhelming it’s audience. The 1931 painting is part of the precisionist movement that Charles Demuth helped create to reflect a rapidly changing society. Featuring his hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, “...And the Home of the Brave” goes beyond an architectural study with a candid look at America and it’s part in a movement that questioned what the American identity truly means.
The painting reflects an evolving way of life not only in what was painted but how it was painted. Known for watercolors of fruits and flowers at the beginning of his career, Demuth switched to oil paintings in the year 1927 with the idea that he had to break the mold in order to leave a mark on the modern art world. Simultaneously, industrialization swept the nation, more cities and towns appeared, and the great depression set in across the United States. Combining realist and cubist styles that many considered polar opposites, “...And the Home of the Brave” depicts a world in between rural and industrial. The characteristics Demuth displays in his new style seen in this painting are geometrical shapes and eye-catching color palettes, but easy to identify objects and subtle color shifts. City architecture is easily mimicked in this style but causes a foreign feeling many related to as their communities were altered[Office1] .
Even if one did not know anything about cubist, watercolor, or realist movements, they could look at Demuth’s work and see something new and eye-catching even though its subject matter is mundane. Most precisionist paintings of the time focused on larger cities like Chicago, but “...And the Home of the Brave” documents the growing population of small cities and large towns in middle America. Demuth makes the decision not to label the buildings or add any street signs, keeping the location ambiguous. The Pennsylvania scenery is still familiar to many in Virginia, New Jersey, or upstate New York due to how uniform large town layouts can be. Urbanization made local communities fear about losing their culture, and with the failure to display anything distinct about Lancaster in this painting, it’s possible the Pennsylvania native worried, too.
The painting’s title comes from the last line of the national anthem, which became the official Anthem in 1931 when it was painted. The colors are various red whites and blues to match the American flag, but there’s no sense of patriotism seen in the typical propaganda piece. Demuth himself was an outsider to the typical American dream. Gay and disabled, he spent time in Paris due to homophobia and struggled to get the medical help needed for his disability because of the time period. While “...And the Home of the Brave” doesn’t comment on the ins and outs of liberal reform in America, it has no interest in doing publicity for the country either. The “realism” comes in not only for the easy to identify objects but to document the actuality of day to day life for the average person in the United States.
Just as the American people needed to change their lifestyle with the times, Demuth was changing his art style to keep up with modern art. Postcards and advertisings would go on to reinterpret the precisionist style due to the accurate and familiar way it captured American cities.
“Derry Girls” (Seasons 1, episode 1, Channel 4)
Playwright and Northern Ireland native Lisa McGee (Being Human) creates what she knows in the television series “Derry Girls.” Channel 4’s series follows a group of four girls and their new male sidekick at a catholic high school in Ireland[KF1] during a period of political turmoil in the 90s, dealing with the trials of growing up amongst constant bomb threats. With a 22-minute run time, the pilot wastes no time setting the tone for a fast-paced comedy defined by absurd antics. “Derry Girls” is never afraid to show the obnoxious or wild side of women, allowing for an authentic and hilarious portrayal of being a teenage girl.
The female ensemble is comprised of the self-conscious Erin (Saoirse-Monica Jackson,) her strange cousin Orla (Louisa Harland,) their nervous friend Clare (Nicola Coughlan,) and the rambunctious Michelle (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell.) Joining them in episode one is Michelle’s awkward British cousin James (Dylan Llewellyn,) the new kid in school who’s need for explanation in his new surroundings serves as a way to provide exposition without compromising the shows quick pace. “Derry Girls” is an inverse of the common sitcom dynamic where a group of rowdy guys accompanied by a single woman serving as their voice of reason, having the girls drive the chaos instead. Episode one establishes the dynamic quickly with the group ending up in detention after Michelle and Erin threaten to beat up a younger student on the bus and flip off the student council representative that confronts them. Jokes capitalize on typical, awkward high school experiences rather than being specific to their gender, successfully avoiding the “look, women can be funny too!” problem many women-centric shows fall into.
McGee thrives on juxtaposition of extremes for comedic payoff and entertaining story telling. The episode ends with the five main characters in detention, stressing over problems like confiscated lipstick or getting something to eat, when the nun supervising them dies at the desk. Going from one end of the spectrum of stressing over mundane issues to acting unphased after witnessing a death establishes the shocking humor of the show and works as satire of teenagers often misplaced priorities. Presentation of The Troubles between Ireland and Britain at the time in “Derry Girls” is another example of this. Opening the pilot is a scene of Erin yelling at her cousin Orla for reading her diary, before the conversation shifts to annoyance that it’s taking so long for police to clear an unexploded bomb all in a matter of seconds. Not only does this provide as a way to set the tone for the show, but it’s a genuine depiction of life for an average person in a time of unrest. Comedy does not take away from the realism of “Derry Girls,” rather adding to it.
Beyond the political landscape, the lighthearted representation of 1990’s Ireland gives McGee’s story a way to stand out among other sitcoms. Cultural throwbacks from playing The Cranberries in the opening scene to the girls arguing about jean jackets taps into the memory of many viewers, Irish or not. Strict nuns preaching about acceptance and gossiping at lunch is familiar to Catholics around the world. A time period that many feel the impacts of if not experienced on their own causes the adventures of Erin and her friends to feel nostalgic even as they get increasingly crazier. A viewer may not have experienced a nun dying before their eyes but can relate to having a teacher confiscate something you want. The normalcy of most of “Derry Girls” makes the craziness funnier.
Viewers of shows like “Broad City” or “Fleabag” may enjoy the female centric cast that doesn’t shy away from dry or dark humor while still finding the Northern Irish sitcom to offer something original. McGee’s personal experience of growing up in Northern Ireland provides a perspective of being a teenage girl that feels like it’s laughing with its subject instead of at them. A fantastic description of embarrassing or ugly side of girlhood, “Derry Girls” is refreshing and energizing without ever.