Michael Litewski
Projects
Visual Imagery & Symbolism
THE ROSETTA STONE | Acrylic | 26 x 26
“The Rosetta Stone” is a recent composition in Litewski’s current series of multimedia works examining the societal state of “house and home.”
House — The primary story of the painting is that of a “house” sliding off its foundation. The house is broken into three parts which, for the artist, symbolize America’s three branches of government. As our nation enters an unprecedented time of turbulence in the socio-political arena, the artist endeavored to embody an “imbalanced house” into the very center of the artwork – this serves as a metaphor not only for the three governmental branches but also for the resulting chaos and lack of foundation that occurs in the family unit’s “house and home” when government does not function properly.
Green Border — The green border represents a game board which symbolizes the political “game playing” and various posturing that frequently occurs around the topic of climate change. It also reflects the artist’s concern that the urgency required to address this issue is not being heeded.
Orange Foliage — The orange foliage straddled diagonally across the canvas symbolizes The Tree of Knowledge. It is also a headdress on top of the two “eyes” at the bottom of the canvas, one male (left) and one female (right). The difference in detail between the two “eyes” replicates the natural world.
Blue and White Shapes — The blue and white shapes to the right of the canvas reference radio antennae sending out distress messages that help is needed for our planet. The four circles on the left signify information is being digested to discern what kind of help is needed. The blue and white imagery is arranged in such a way to focus the viewer on the disintegrating house.
Title — Titled after the ancient Egyptian stone slab of the same name, which is covered in mysterious ancient text, this painting essentially asks the same question of modern day society that was asked when anthropologists attempted to decipher the languages seen on the historic artifact: Can we “crack the code?” More poignantly, can we address our pressing sociopolitical and environmental issues in time?
Visual Imagery & Symbolism
SHE CAME HOME | Mixed Media | 39 x 39
“She Came Home” is a composition in the artist’s current series of works examining the societal state of “house and home.” It was inspired by the artist’s wife, Patricia, and her experience as a Freedom of Information Act Specialist in the Department of Veteran Affairs (during both the Obama and Trump Administrations) where she reviewed documents and redacted information. As turmoil and ethics issues grew unbearable under Trump, Patricia realized she was at a crossroads. Needing to leave Washington DC while her personal ethics and high standards were still fully intact also meant she would need to depart just shy of reaching full retirement. “She Came Home” is deeply personal and represents not just the trauma of ending a once thriving career but moreso Patricia’s transition back to a state of personal wellness and healing.
House — The “house” reminds the viewer that the couple maintained two separate households (in IL and DC) while Patricia pursued her dream job. It also represents “the sanctity of home” Patricia could embrace upon her return to IL after leaving the chaos of the Trump Administration.
Black “X” — The black “X” symbolizes the different moods and emotions Patricia experienced as she decompressed after leaving her government career.
Gray & Pink — Gray symbolizes the impact of stress on Patricia due to the changes in her work environment under Trump. Bright pink bordering the composition represents Patricia’s personality prior to the changes she experienced indicating not only her former self – happy, vibrant, and full of life – but also the self she would return to.
Yellow Lines — Yellow horizontal lines symbolize redacted information, referencing Patricia’s job as a redactor. Though redaction is usually black, the artist chose yellow to reference the phenomenon of “Yellow Journalism,” a term for journalism that presents little or no legitimate, well-researched news while instead using eye-catching headlines for increased sales. This specifically references the prevalence of fake news and memes, false claims, and other misleading information at the time that adversely contributed to Patricia’s working conditions.
Newspapers — The painting was created using newspapers painted onto canvas -- this symbolizes 24-hour access to media and the constant inundation of information (another nod to Patricia’s job).
Visual Imagery & Symbolism
CONSPIRACY | Mixed Media | 36 x 48
The Use of Newspaper — “Conspiracy” is part of a series of works Litewski has painted on newspapers that are then adhered to canvas. This technique is a symbol for how “news” is completely painted over. Our history is lost. Day by day. Page by page.
Cell Towers & Communication — In the age of 24/7 news and internet access we now live in a time of unchecked and unverified information. The pleasure of constant stimulation has driven us into tribes of the information vacuum of one-sided thought. Radio and TV stations are now owned by a very small group who feed and profit off our addiction.
House and Home — “Conspiracy” is a new composition in the artist’s recent series of works examining the current societal state of “house and home.” For this artwork, in response to the politicized pandemic, Litewski designed an intimidating and unnerving image to fit into the “house” -- purposefully intending it to be very, very dark, like a nightmare.
COVID-19 — A ring of COVID-19 virus surrounding the house in this work is shown being whitewashed away. Some tribes believe that the virus is a real and present danger while others do not. Some choose to protect while others choose to serve the needs of their tribe leaders. Human nature is now a political tool. Self-preservation is laughed at and belittled while hospitals and cemeteries fill up.
W2041.7520 — The letter “W” references Washington DC specifically or the World in general. The first “20” combines with the “20” at the end to reference the year 2020. The “4” and “5” match up as “45” referencing the 45th President of the United States. The “17” in the middle is for the 17th letter in the alphabet, the letter “Q” -- the conspiracy of our time.