Second Class Citizen 2 Painting

2nd Class Citizens Fools In Business, Art & Life The 2nd Class Citizen pair of paintings complement each other and offer a glimpse into the lives of the artist and his wife. The male figure is a self-portrait of painter Kris Gebhardt and the female is his wife, and muse, fellow artist, Angela. Drawing on the personal experiences of them both, Gebhardt’s figures do double duty as hero and fool - battling adversity, aging, trials and tribulations yet possessing a strength and willingness to endure that which only comes with age. On the one hand he is dressed in what appears to be a varsity jacket — a serious athlete but the number 50 on the canvas and the year 1964 let us know this man is “of a certain age.” His body, betrayed by time and years of hard work and physical training, appears slouched and relaxed. Is it the easy posture of a kid waiting for all that life will throw at him or is it the “bring it on” defenses-down, easy stride of a man willing to shrug off adversities to weather any storm? Does he long for a past when he could count on physical strength and perseverance to get by and still draw on that resolve? The promise of a bright future behind him, the figure is now content to continually “play the fool” — as denoted by the Pagliacci-style collar and pale complexion. The woman appears to be half clown and half superhero — wearing the tough black leather costume on one side and jester’s garb on the other. Both are tight fitting and unforgiving like a past overcome. With clenched fist and broad shoulders seeming to suggest a purposefulness — it looks as though she is ready to continue the game of life — poised to tackle one more quarter. Representing the path from adolescence to the dreaded middle age, this male and female pair soldier on — she perhaps better prepared than he. Though not literally possessing the limited rights or lack of occupational opportunities often associated with a second class of citizen, willing to play the fool, these two cut the image of a pair on the edge of greatness. Mixed media... Canvas pieces attached to half inch board... Tacks, duct tape, oil, varnish