Timothy Tompkins
Timothy Tompkins (American, born 1969), 4.28.02 (after Klimt), 2006, commercial enamel on aluminum, 48 x 48 in. Schwartz Art Collection, Harvard Business School, 2006.12.
"The painting titled 4.28.02 (after Klimt) references an image obtained from the front page of the April 28, 2002 issue of the Los Angeles Times, which featured a photo of an Israeli settler embracing his two children after their neighborhood fell under attack from militants. I chose the image because I felt it represents certain human qualities that have become dehumanized by the media through repetition, common occurrence, and sensationalism. The figures in 4.28.02 not only represent an event specific to the experience of the settler, but they may simply be read as figures expressing emotion through the ambiguity of the form. This is further strengthened by the connection both in content and composition with Gustav Klimt's The Kiss."—Timothy Tompkins