Katy Carter at Partisan Identities causing Political Polarization

The conceptual art piece Patrician Identities causing Political Polarization depicts political
polarization in the United States through a series of watercolor paintings. The series of paintings
start with a simple outline of two figures close in proximity and throughout the series, the figure
moves farther and farther away from each other. As the paintings progress one figure takes on
the color red while the other takes on the color blue, with the last image having the figures
completely red or blue. The colors red and blue that the figures take on reflect the political party
that they are affiliated with. As the figures align themselves with their respective party they
begin to take on its identity and separate themself from the other that has a different political
identity.

The art piece is a sufficient reflection of contemporary artwork, which prioritizes the message
behind the artwork over the execution (tate.org). You can see that the artist put time into
planning each of the paintings to reflect political polarization through the smooth transition
throughout the paintings and the use of colors. While I admire the simplicity of the piece, in
some respects it was too obtuse. In addition, the overall aesthetic of the art piece could have been
improved through the additions of details.
While the simplicity of the art piece conveys the topic of the artwork well, it looks amateur. This
is not to say that I do not admire simplicity; it contrasts the complexity of the national issue of
political polarization in the United States. However, the artist could and should have executed
the paintings better. She should have paid more attention to painting in the hard-edge lines, she
created and incorporating more minor details. This would add the overall composition of the
paintings while retaining its simplicity.

The transition from a blank and white canvas to being filled with colors was done exceedingly
well and shows that the artist prioritized the beforehand decisions, associated with contemporary
art. As the images progressed the subtle addition of red and blue encompassed the paintings in a
coherent manner. The second painting in the series has the figure’s clothing changes to the color
reflecting their political party they have aligned with. At this point, the figures have not taken on
the identity of their respective party. This is accurately portrayed in the image. As the images
progress red or blue covers them. The last image has a jagged line separating the figures and
each side has a muted red or blue background. This adequately reflects the complete divide of
the figures as they have taken on the ideology of their party. However, the artwork shows
political polarization in a banal way. There are no hidden meanings incorporated within this
piece. It reflects political polarization without a message associated with it. I wish the artist had
taken the topic a political polarization a step farther and not just shown what it is but also its
significance.

One striking feature of the artwork is the varying saturations of red and blue employed
throughout the paintings. The utilization of red and blue to reflect political parties was a smart
decision. The contrast between a warm and cool color reflected the divide between the figures
while simultaneously the affiliation to the political parties. The artist used the same pigment of
red and blue, just varying in saturation in all aspects of the figures and background. This along
with the hard-edge form of the figures creates contrast within the images, highlighting the figures
in the paintings and creating a main focal point.

Overall the art piece was good for an amateur. I liked how its simplicity contrasted with the
complexity of the topic it was addressing. The varying shades of red and blue helped create a
focal point for the views of the images. However, in some instances, it was too simple. I would
have liked the artist to have included more details. One way in which the image could have
incorporated more details while further strengthening the message is the incorporation of more
people. She could still have the two figures in the image but later in the series have them join the
people with the same political ideology. This way it would show that political polarization is
larger than the distancing of two individuals. While there is some improvement that could be
made to this piece overall it was well thought out and executed adequately.