Writting Project #2

This painting, like most of Doug Argue’s works, is untitled. There’s a reason for that. His works are a variation on a theme, different aspects of the same picture, and as such aren’t differentiated by a name. If one were to look at dougargue.com, find the gallery marked 1994-95 there would be dozens of pictures of chickens, sometimes alone, or like this painting, in groups. most of these paintings too have no title. Argue's chicken painting lack of title makes the observer focus on the appeals of the content, and draw your own conclusions as to the statement.
The first thing, that can't be accurately displayed here., that one notices about this painting is it’s sheer size. It’s twelve feet tall by eighteen feet high. As you walk into the Weisman Museum of Art in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the painting is positioned on a wall in such a way that it may be a doorway leading through a hall full of chickens. The chickens close to the edge of the painting are life sized, if not a bit bigger. Each individual feather is painted on in a different brush stroke, clearly visible. The attention to detail creates chickens that, while not having picture perfect realism, have a very real sense of life. This gives a logical appeal to the audience. It sets up that this is no mere splattering of paint, no cartoon sketch, but actual portrayls of living things. Doug Argue's chickens too, aren't your avereage paintings of chickens. They're not perfect and semetrical, but have growths bumbs, and uneven eyes. They are flawed, and because of thier flaws, they are unique. And as you look towards the center of the painting. The detail diminishes only slightly. Going towards the chickens in the far distance you see a myriad of tiny lines that make up tiny chickens. This could almost be compared to a pictorial statistic. Each chicken is a seperate entity, and as you look at the painting, you can count each individual entity. Compare that to the space in which all these entities are held and you have a logical idea of what these chickens lives are like.


The chickens go on forever, each one as real as the next. taking a step back, it hits you how many chickens are there in such a small place. Each living breathing being, given it’s own life and independent appearance by Argue is cramped together with so many other living breathing beings . The appeal to pathos is strong. It makes you pity that they are all crammed into such tiny cages. Disgusted at the hallway filled with filth being burnt by the heat that the endless ceiling fans suggest in no uncertain terms. You feel the heat, smell the excerment, taste the air, hear the tortured clucks and crows. Does this really happen? you think. Most people know of huge commerical poultry farms that exist, but rarely think about what it's like for the animals. Is this so far off from life you're McNugget had? But is this so different from your life, you think. The chickens are in tiny cages lined simetrically, with a street running between sets of cages. How different is your apartment builidng? How different is your dorm? On the street there is filth every where. take a walk down a busy avenue sometime, look at the side of the highway in a populated area. isn't there trash haphazardly thrown everywhere? you think of the sweltering heat these chickens are artificially foreced to live in. isn't the whole world getting a little hotter every day because of Global Warming? Take it a step further in a marxist vein, and aren't all of us working class people here to live complacently in our cages forced to produce until we're no longer able, then simply expected to die?

So, what is this painting about. Is it just a fun piece of art that plays with perspective? Is it an angry outcry for animal rights. Is it a not so subtle reminder of the former living conditions of your last trip to the drive thru window? Is it disgusted look at modern american life? Any title given to this painting would seem to suggest one of these over the other. It would try and contain the essence, direct the audience, summarize the action. This painting, however, remains untitled. And because it's untitled, we are left in a never ending analysis, searching for meaning though knowing we'll never know for sure.