The background context of these images is somewhat unrelated. One is an iconic painting from the 1960s, while the other is the cover of a 2018 rap album. However, after an analysis of both, their elements lead up to a similar message. The two images are portraying pressing social issues of society during their respective time periods.
November 14, 1960, was the first day of the court order integration of schools in New Orleans. It was also the same day six-year-old Ruby Bridges attended Williams Elementary School, an all-white public school (Esaak). The first image is a painting of this prominent event of the Civil Rights Movement. It is entitled, “The Problem We All Live With,” by Norman Rockwell. This painting is an important representation of the struggle for racial equality during this time period.
In the painting, Ruby has in her band a ruler, books, and writing utensils, as she is on her way to her first day of school. She is being escorted by four men. They have yellow armbands on their arms that say, “Deputy U.S. Marshalls.” Their faces are cut out, probably to show they are not supposed to be significant or the focus of the painting. They are faceless because they are merely there as a representation of the government for the purpose of protecting Ruby.
The colors and values of this painting play an important role in this analysis. They are kept simple, but this is fine because the main idea of this painting to portray an event and the racism behind it. Even though the men are large compared to Ruby, their suits are pale and plain, which does not focus the attention on them. There is also a tomato splatter on the wall, but it still does not stand out compared to Ruby. The white dress Ruby is wearing creates a contrast on her dark skin, which makes her stand out compared to all of the bleak colors surrounding her. It can also be indicated that Ruby’s white dress could symbolize her innocence and purity since she is only six years old.
Ruby had to be escorted to school through an angry mob of people. They were furious at the thought of a little African-American girl attending an all-white school. The point of view of the painting is from the protesters’ preceptive. Even though they are not visibly seen, there are aspects in painting that show they are still present. On the wall behind Ruby, there is spray paint that reads “ni**er” and “KKK.” These words show that the context of this painting is racism. The word, “ni**er,” is a racial slur directed toward African Americans. KKK stands for the Ku Klux Klan, an extremist group that is known for terrorizing and killing African Americans throughout history. The fact that the acronym is on the wall shows the threatening nature of the protesters. A six-year-old girl is getting a tomato thrown at her on the way to school simply because of her skin color.
The artist portrays an African American as the protagonist and the white people as the antagonist in this painting. Which is ironic because the white protesters are viewing a little girl as a threat. Going to the title of the painting, “The Problem We All Live With,” the painting reflects of issues of that time period. The artist wants the world to see how ignorant it is to treat a little girl with such hostility and resentment, who is more than likely incapable of harm.
On April 18, 2018, rapper J. Cole, released the album artwork for his upcoming album, KOD. The following day he released a trailer to add to the fans’ anticipation for the new album and explain the meaning behind the album title’s acronym. KOD has three meanings: Kids On Drugs, King Overdosed, and Kill Our Demons. Each meaning is represented in the artwork and the songs.
The first aspect of the painting that caught my eye is the words at the top. Which is ironic because it’s the smallest aspect of the whole painting. It reads in white letters, “This album is in no way intended to glorify addiction,” even though there are drugs concepts throughout the artwork. The album, KOD, and its artwork are actually meant to bring to light one of the current issues of the world, substance use and addiction.
At the bottom of the painting there are four kids consuming some type of drug: cocaine, lean, marijuana, and prescription drugs. Which are some of the most common drugs abused by this generation’s kids. This is supposed to represent the “Kids On Drugs” interpretation. The color scheme of the painting is shades of red and purple. These vibrant colors allude to the drug, lean. The base ingredient of lean is cough syrup, which gives the drink its color. Some of the kids in the painting look relaxed and content, which is because the drugs they are consuming stress-relieving. They also look so unfazed by the idea of doing drugs. Probably because drugs are glorified in today’s culture, they’re in movie, tv shows, songs, etc.
The man standing over the kids is J. Cole. This is a depiction of the “King Overdosed”. Cole is viewing himself as a king, which can be seen by his raised pinky finger and the crown, rode, and jewels he is wearing. It’s crazy because he has all this money and fame, which is thought by many to bring a man happiness, but he still falls to drugs. You can tell he is under the influence of some substance because of his glassy eyes. At first glance at the “King” version of Cole, I instantly thought of the Ghost of Christmas Present from the movie, A Christmas Carol. In the movie the Ghost wore a similar robe and underneath were two kids. The kids were a representation of the movie’s main character’s current life. The Ghost said that if the main character did not change his ways, bad things would result. If “King” Cole is meant to allude to the Ghost of Christmas Present, then Cole and the kids are a representation of the current state the world. Underneath Cole’s rode there are two dead-liking kids. Which is foreseeing the premature death of the kids because of their drug abuse. One of the kids’ face is half skeleton-like, which means that there are currently on their way to death. This goes back to the idea of Cole not glorifying addiction in his album cover but shining light on addiction and the negative outcomes in can bring.
The main idea of both painting is to expose the issues of their corresponding time period. One deals with racism and the other drug addiction.