Youthful charm, a spirit of optimism, media presence – until his tragic assassination, John F. Kennedy was a beacon of hope and a projection screen for the people of the 1960s. In a decade marked by the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Cold War, a man like Kennedy was a ray of hope. John F. Kennedy and his First Lady Jaqueline were stars. Not only in politics, but also in people’s lives thanks to the emerging media. Hardly any other family shaped the 1950s and 1960s in the USA as much as the Kennedy presidential clan.
In art, the 1960s were the era of pop art. In the growing consumer society and mass media, this media-savvy president was an icon and a popular subject for artists. Always at his side: his wife Jackie – the idol and ideal of a maturing, self-confident generation of women.
The assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963 dramatically burst this bubble of security, jubilation and cheerfulness. The whole of America was in shock.
The exhibition “100 Years of John F. Kennedy” features works by artists Aaron Vidal and Elmar Diks, who artistically explore the person of John F. Kennedy.
At first glance, Aaron Vidal’s paintings appear cheerful. The proximity to Pop Art is evident in his own style. Clear forms, strong contrasts and contours dominate. The motifs correspond to the lifestyle of the 1960s: the status symbol of the car, pretty women and celebrities of the time. The mood is exuberant and carefree, but they seem to be cloaked in a veil of foreboding.
Superimposition, repetition, distortion – these are the foundations of Elmar Diks’ art. The artist has dedicated himself to “Digitally Reworked PhotoArt”. Photographs, collages and drawings are alienated through digital reworking. Diks’ works move between contemporary photography, painting and graphics. They mix traditional techniques and digital art. The result can look very different: Sometimes the images are reminiscent of abstract painting, sometimes they remain rooted in the aesthetics of photography or are reminiscent of woodcuts or other printing processes.