A post modern Mona Lisa...

Theorist Fredric Jameson would surely have some very interesting and thoughts about this image by Matt Groening. This image, imitates what is possibly the most famous painting in the world, the Mona Lisa. The main difference between this image and that of the Mona Lisa, is that this image is a cartoon version, and resembles the characters from the television show, The Simpsons.

Jameson would most likely see this image as a postmodern image. It is not a modernist piece because it is not simply a rejection of realism. It is a rejection of realism, but also a critique of it, and the way it is "simpson-ified" makes it based on popular culture, which makes it more postmodern. This image is an example of pastiche, where it mixes historical periods and ideas. The artist uses a very old famous piece of artwork, and cartoonifies it and brings it into the modern world. With postmodern works, many of the ideas and images are old, but they are just being reused in different ways. And that is exactly what is happening in this image. It plays on a very famous painting, and makes it unique. It removes the feeling that most people get when they look at the original mona lisa, and gives an entirely new meaning and feeling to the work.

In his essay, "Posmodernism or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism", Jameson states that it is essential to "grasp postmodernism not as a style but rather as a cultural dominant". He relies on the cultural power that a piece has, and that is exactly what is present in this image. Everything about this image is related to culture. And not a culture that is only available to certain groups of people. The Simpsons is a middle class American show. It's seen in households all over the country and the world.

Freud's Take on Jack Bauer

Not a lot of characters on television scream masculinity as well as Jack Bauer of 24 does. He is the head of his family, the typical dominant male, works for the government, usually has a gun in his hand. He functions on the power he has in his position at work, as a male, and the power he has in his household.

One of Freud's big theories is all about the Oedipal Complex, and the repressed thoughts and emotions that live in all of us. Freud would most likely enjoy analyzing Bauer on his many issues. His marriage is falling apart, he can't control his daughter, and his job is taking over his life, just to name a few issues he has. Because of his overt masculinity, Freud might say that Bauer has completely conformed himself to the ideals of the traditional male figure. Freud also focuses on the ideas of repression of feelings that many children experience early in life. According to Freud, children repress painful memories, desires, and impulses into their unconscious mind. Freud might say that Jack Bauer has repressed memories into his unconscious that have made him the masculine figure he is today.

Bauer is a every aggressive person, and uses his aggression to assert his power and dominance over almost every situation he is in. In his home life, Bauer overpowers his wife in every situation, always dominating her and now allowing her to be a head of the family. In his workplace, he answers to no one, and does whatever he sees fit, even if it might not be the morally correct thing to do. And although he is not the head of the government office he works in, he has the power to manipulate and convince just about anyone in the office to do what he wants. Yet, with all of the power Jack Bauer wields, his life is not so neat and tidy. His marriage is falling apart, he can't control his teenage daughter, and he is having an affair with a co-worker. His private life is crumbling, so he has put all of his energy and focus into his job, where he can be masculine, carry a gun, and defend his country.