Richard Nixon
- Mixed Media
-
24 x 16.5 in (framed)
(60.96 x 41.91 cm)
- Johanna Vogelsang
”Fake News” is a hot topic today, but questions surrounding it are reoccurring issues in human history: How do we discern truth from falsehood? How do we know whom we should trust? How can we tell when people in authority are telling the truth? What are reliable sources of news and information?
In this exhibit of work by Johanna Vogelsang (1929-2011), the artist explored a subject of passionate importance to her regarding the assassinations—more than half a century ago—of American President John F. Kennedy, Civil Rights Leader Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Senator Robert Kennedy, and Civil Rights Leader Malcolm X. There were many investigations of these deaths. This work examines a “Conspiracy Theory,” which, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is, “a theory that explains an event or set of circumstances as the result of a secret plot by usually powerful conspirators.”
In much the same way that fake news circulating the internet today demonstrates both large-scale public curiosity about and significant efforts to circulate propaganda about important events, conspiracy theories about those four assassinations were a “hot topic” during the period that followed the deaths of those men, and for many years afterward.
Each of these portraits is of a person who is somehow involved in the “conspiracy” that Vogelsang is exploring. Whether Vogelsang is uncovering truth, or propagating falsehood, is up to the viewer to decide. Perhaps what’s more important is studying the way this artist attempts to convince viewers of a specific point of view. Especially in light of today’s “fake news” controversies, how can we learn about the art of persuasion through these works, so that we can better determine what is correct in “news” or “history” we see it in our everyday lives?
The views expressed in this work are solely those of the artist, and do not reflect the views of Hudson County Community College, the Hudson County Community College Foundation, anyone working at this college, or any local, state or government organization.
Thank you to the Eyerman family--artist Johanna Vogelsang’s daughter Kirsten Eyerman, her granddaughter Kyra Eyerman, and her son-in-law Edward Eyerman--for the generous donation of this work.
- Framed: 24 x 16.5 in (60.96 x 41.91 cm)
- Created: 2006
- Current Location: North Hudson, 4800 Kennedy Boulevard, Union City - 4th Floor
- Collections: American Political Culture, Art that Includes Writing, Mixed Media, Portrait or Figurative, Works by Women