Image via Complex Original
Shawn Huckins has set out to explore the new American Frontier—the Internet. Using historical paintings and photography from the 19th Century, including images of Native Americans, Abraham Lincoln, and Civil War heroes, Huckins recreates classic works for the 21st Century. He transposes the language of Facebook, Twitter, and texting onto his replicated paintings, folding history upon itself in hilarious juxtapositions for a series called "The American __tier."
"The frontier was conceived through an exchange of a few well-formed ideas communicated in person and by handwritten letters," Huckins writes in his artist's statement. "Imagine what Lewis & Clark could have done with the Internet while exploring the American West."
Huckins explains that he usually starts with a painting, meticulously copying historical works. He then places his text over the finished canvas, picking from a collection of found tweets. His work addresses the evolution of communication, from families on the frontier who wouldn't hear from relatives for weeks on end to the instantaneous interaction of a text message. It also speaks to the evolution of language, elevating words like "selfie" and "LOL." Huckins asks, "If Lewis & Clark could comment today, would they click the ‘like’ button, or post ‘wtf?’ and then go check their Miley Cyrus tweet?"
Check out the artist's clever creations in our Portfolio Review: Shawn Huckins Discusses His 19th Century American Painting Memes.
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Ulysses S. Grant: Hashtag Um, 2013
"The Civil War is a huge part of our history, and found that I couldn't do a series about 19th Century America without incorporating major figures from the war. My favorite part of this painting is his hand. Hands are wicked tricky at times, not just the shape, but the colors and hues. This time, I think I nailed it."
James Beard: The Fuck?, 2013
"In my new series, 'The American __tier,' I decided to experiment with the placement of letters. Typically, in the past, the text was straight across, center justified. On this painting, I wanted to do something different, so I decided to tilt and angle the letters to create a more dynamic composition. This little gem is one of my favorites within the series."
The Writing Master: Laughing Out Loud Laughing Out Loud Laughing Out Loud Laughing Out Loud, 2013
"This was the very first painting within 'The American __tier' series, and I wanted to choose a text/tweet that was absolutely ridiculous to contrast the educated, formal document writing. 'Lolololol' I thought was perfect for this educated man, appropriately titled The Writing Master."
Boatmen On The Missouri: Will Twerk For Food, 2013
"I had this painting just about complete when Miley Cyrus made 'twerking' known internationally during the VMAs, so this tweet was NOT inspired by Cyrus—a happy coincidence. This phrase is perfect for the image as there are three working class men working hard for little pay."
Gentleman Wearing A Top Hat and Eye Patch: Like Sometimes I Be Just Drinking Alone, 2013
"It's probably stereotypical to relate a hobo with an alcohol-related phrase, but it's funny, and I just had too. This painting I made look severally worn, as some photographs from the 19th Century are badly weathered/torn/speckled. It was fun doing a little Jackson Pollock on top of this painting."
Fur Traders Descending The Missouri: Oh My God What The Hell! You Never Did That, Like That's Like Fucking Crazy! If I Did That I'd Be Like Wow, 2013
"I love the paintings by George Bingham because he captured a certain lifestyle within the 19th Century that I'm drawn to—trade along the rivers of North America. This is the first landscape I have painted in probably about eight years. It was a struggle to get that ambiance/haze of the early morning sun, but in the end, I found the painting came together quite nicely. I found a new appreciation/respect for landscape painters."
Euphemia White Van Rensselaer: Don't You Realize That I Only Text You When I'm Drunk, 2013
"This phrase was used in my previous series, called 'The American Revolution Revolution.' A Norwegian collector loved the phrase so much that he wanted to commission a piece incorporating it. The original painting using the phrase has already been sold, so we came up with this as his commission piece. I get the most comments on this phrase... probably because it's so true."
Colonel Julius A. Andrews' Extended What, 2013
"This painting was a happy accident. When the painting was finished, there were no scratches or parts rubbed away. It was a completely finished painting. I varnish all my paintings to protect against UV/scratches, but unfortunately, this time, I fucked up the varnish... like embarrassingly bad. Like, I'm a fourth grader with no hands bad. Anyways, I went to remove the varnish (with the intension of redoing the varnish) with ammonia, and the painting started rubbing away! At first, I was mortified, but I found the effect was quite nice to give it that 'time-honored' look."
The Jolly Flatboatmen: Twerking Like A Boss, 2013
"This is another twerking phrase, but I couldn't resist with the 'jolly' man dancing center stage around his pals—yet another Bingham replication as well. For some reason, I'd like to mention, the wood paneling on the boat gave me an awful hard time. I just couldn't nail the color. It looked too cartoony. But I'm satisfied with the end result."
Abe: Hashtag Huh, 2013
"What's a series about 19th Century America without good ol' Abe? This is probably one of the most iconic images of Mr. Lincoln, and knew I had to incorporate him into my series. He sort of has that taken aback look which invoked the #huh text over his face. I never painted a black and white painting until this."
A Mississippi Boatman: To Dante—Ride Me, Bite Me, And Slap Me With Your Sweet Love. No Seriously, 2013
"The name Dante has shown up in a previous painting. Long story short, I went to a club in Portland, and one of the dancers was named Dante. He was so intriguing that I thought of using his stage name in a painting. The phrases dealing with Dante deal with love and sex. Perfect."
A Concealed Enemy: I'm A Failure As A Man Apparently. I'm More Turned On By A Library Of Zombie Movies Than Whatever The Fuck A 'Squat Thrust' Is, 2013
"And of course, like Abe, what's the series without Native Americans? The sky in this particular painting was quite challenging, as there are so many beautiful colors interacting with each other. I felt like Monet minus the lily ponds. As you will also notice, this is the only painting where the letters are justified to the right. This is my first time doing this, as they are usually centered."
