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Kelly Tatosian!
Essay 3- Themes!

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On occasional dark nights in Stockholm, Sweden an anonymous artist can be found plastering the walls with his/her art in parks and other various locations all around town. The artist, who goes by the moniker Herr. Wilson, goes to great lengths to make sure his/her identity remains anonymous by wearing different masks while constructing his/her work. Generally speaking, Herr. Wilson is known for painting darker versions of internationally recognized Disney characters, which is controversial in itself because familiar characters that are the connotations of positive and wholesome figures are shown in a different light. The way that the artist chose to portray the Disney characters as evil and murderous is something that is completely unexpected and mind bending for the public, which is why the works get so much international attention and notoriety. Although the artwork is displayed in public, it is not publicly funded, but created and displayed through the artists’ own funds. Personally, I feel that public art should be funded by the city only if the message that the artwork sends is positive and will inspire a change in the general public. Art that is displayed in public allows the citizens in the city to experience art in an unexpected venue, where they will be able to focus and feel the entirety of their reaction to the work since they hadn't been expecting to see it as they would have been if they went to a museum. An individual attending a museum to see a piece might allow their preconceived ideas or opinions about it to stifle their authentic reaction to it, which isn't possible when artwork is displayed in public because the work will catch its viewers off guard. Herr. Wilson strengthens the controversial nature of his/her work by making the public aware of the following three unsettling facts. First, even the things that are the most familiar to us in society can be transformed into something completely opposite. Second, There are good and bad sides to everyone and everything, and lastly, the artwork proves that the real world is far from a fairy tale, and such stories and grandiose ideas of a perfect world are unattainable and unrealistic. !
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Herr. Wilson seeks to prove with his/her artwork that, although something or somebody might seem to be predictable, it is never possible to accurately foresee any situation. Both people and certain circumstances in life tend to have more than one side, and what is portrayed most commonly, or what is outwardly portrayed, might not include a full disclosure of what else they, or it actually entails. In this case, for example, the artist has used princesses, which, by no means are generally associated as being individuals who are capable of murder. By painting them in various degrees of premeditated murder, however, the artist is using the princesses to let the public know to always be prepared to expect the unexpected. !
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It is a testament to human nature that people are capable of being both good and evil. Even the kindest individuals can be pushed to commit acts that can be seen as unethical or immoral if driven to the extreme. Murder certainly isn't something that anybody in the world would think that a Disney character could be evil enough to commit, but in Herr. Wilson’s world, the princesses are free to let go of the inhibitions and give in to all of their darkest impulses. The significance of this, and part of what makes the artwork in itself controversial,