Superman Logo

The Superman emblem is a red upside-down triangle with a capital red “S” in the center of the triangle. The emblem has a yellow fill in-between the red gaps of the “S” and the triangle outline and is usually seen up against a royal blue background. Red, yellow, and blue are all vibrant colors that coincide with the colors of the American flag. I think this is crucial to the comparison of America with the ultimate superhero because he practically wears the American flag. Superman first appeared in 1938 and has been viewed as the most noble super hero in the world. When seeing the superman logo, adjectives such as heroic, manly, powerful, good, and brave come to mind because that is what the superhero represents. I think Superman is the all time American super hero (but personally my favorite will always be Batman). Clark Kent is a regular working class man by day who deals with everyday tasks, but when danger comes he is an indestructible hero. I think American’s like to view their country in that way. Hardworking but powerful; a force to be reckoned with. Many people also like to believe that they will always be saved and that if they have loyalty to their country their country, in return, will take care of them. So in some sense I think this symbol is unrealistic because to me Superman is a reflection of America and the American government; they’re certainly not super heros. I see this symbol a lot. Tattoos, t-shirts, comics, posters, movies, video games, phone wallpaper, you name it and the Superman logo is there. Its the classic representation of what is just, and I think that is how the American government likes to view itself. So the Superman symbol could represent many things but to me it displays a type of patriotism. 

Morbid Curiosity

I really enjoyed having class at the Morbid Curiosity exhibit! I think I got a lot out of viewing the artwork that was displayed; it made me reflect on the way I was going to take field notes about my site. The exhibit helped exercise the element of digging out the deeper meaning of the art and decoding the symbolism it represents. My favorite piece at the Cultural Center is entitled “The Doctor”. It is a pencil sketch of a doctor holding up a naked woman who is desperately clinging onto him because a skeletal figure (I assume is representing death) is pulling her down toward him. In itself it was a very simple drawing with muted colors and minor details, but the work of shadowing and expression really made an impact on me. The doctors stance was very rigid in holding up the naked woman and his expression on his face was almost blank even stoic looking. The woman clinging for life was naked and fully exposed- it portrayed a sense of vulnerability and helplessness. Her face was hidden by her hair. The skeletal figure had the most detail and shadowing. It even had the most expressive face out of the three figures; I’m not really sure why. I know the doctor is rigid because in that profession they probably see people dying everyday, its as if he is numb to it. The help he is giving the woman is almost mechanical looking. It interested me that the woman was naked. Why are women always the victim? That’s societies problem. But it was honestly a great piece, I couldn't help but stare at it for the majority of the time we were at the exhibit. I really hope we have time to go back to the Cultural Center this semester because I feel it was really fulfilling to me as an observer, writer, and gave me further insight on how I want to approach my project.