Joe’s Politicians
- Publisher
- ECW Press
- Initial publish date
- Apr 2008
- Category
- Canadian, Popular Culture, General
-
Hardback
- ISBN
- 9781550228212
- Publish Date
- Apr 2008
- List Price
- $24.95
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Description
Among many things, Mendelson Joe is a political activist. And he’s a painter. So it was inevitable that he would express his activism through a series of portraits of politicians.
Here we have George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, Bill Clinton Henry Kissinger, Jean Chrétien, Brian Mulroney, Stephen Harper, Stockwell Day, Preston Manning, Mike Harris, Ernie Eves, and others.
As Mendelson Joe describes, these portraits embody mostly figments of his imagination. All but three subjects came from impressions synthesized from observing these glib charmers during their numerous appearances on television. The three exceptions (Barbara Hall, Carolyn Parrish, and Richard Thomas) all sat for him at his request.
The portraits are not editorial cartoons; they’re expressions like Edvard Munch’s “Scream.” His disdain for most of his subjects is far from hidden and yet occasionally, if you look closely, one can spot a glimmer of hope that the subject might have a heart.
These politicians are shaping our future. As such, they require our scrutiny and commentary. Only if we stay engaged, as Mendelson Joe makes clear, can our democratic system work.
About the authors
Gary Michael Dault is a Toronto writer, artist and art critic. He has taught at a number of Canadian universities and written for many newspapers and magazines including the Toronto Star and Canadian Art magazine. He currently writes the ÒGallery Going' column for the Globe and Mail. He is also a regular contributor to a number of TV networks including CBC, CTV, Bravo!, Vision TV, and, most frequently, to TVO's Studio 2. His many books include collaborations with artists Tony Urquhart and Edward Burtynsky, and his poetry has previously been gathered in the books Flying Fish and other poems, and In Smoke.
