Bobabilicops (after Goya)
1992. Watercolor, ink, color pencil.
Like most Americans, I was shocked and horrified when I saw the infamous Rodney King beating video. As a white suburbanite, I had grown up seeing cops as good guys, and I still believe that most are. But harassment and discrimination against minorities does occur; a former pastor of mine, who is black, told stories of being stopped and hassled by the police for doing nothing more than walk in his own neighborhood.
The inspiration for this piece is a horrific etching by the 18th-19th century Spanish painter Francisco de Goya called Bobabilicon (right).
