F-111 by James Rosenquist

James Rosenquist, F-111, Oil on canvas with aluminum, 10 x 86', 1964-65.

This painting was painted during the Vitamin War. As you see, it is a large paint in 304.8 x 2621.3 cm in twenty-three sections using fuses pictures of American prosperity with a darker visual current and the U.S. Air Force fighter-bomber, F-111, to show the upsetting connections between militarism and the industrial structure of the American economy. I choose this painting because it shows one reason that why people made pop art. In 1960s, the United States are having many art work about anti-war protest. People wants to show their idea of what they want their society be with doing their art. In this painting, the diver, cake and the light bulbs are like clouds meaning the F-111 made the US became rich; then the smiling little girl sits under a bomber hairdryer and the sea of spaghetti looks made us feel uncomfortable. This painting shows the power and impact of what James Rosenquist wanted us to think of. Stop war! Nowadays, this painting still achieved international acclaim with its room-scale size.

For more information, go to The Museum of Modern Art