1984 THE ARTIST
“The Artist” is a drawing created in 1984 by Stephen Shooster. It depicts Socrates walking away in mockery of the artist’s ego, with surreal dinosaurs flanking crayon columns. In the top right, a figure holds a Mobius strip, while the top left figure holds an unusual musical instrument. Angels with wings play kettle drums and a large cymbal. The artist stands on empty paint tubes.
The drawing is inspired by Dante’s poetry, in which he wrote three books: Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory. While most people focus on the Book of Hell and its eternal torture, the Book of Purgatory contains a place for the artist. To paraphrase Dante, the artist will spend 1,000 years in purgatory wearing a 2,000-pound block on his back to purge his ego. Afterward, he will be allowed to enter Heaven.
THE ARTIST 1984
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