The Matrix trilogy had a great impact on movie goers all over the world. There was no exception in Trinidad and Tobago. What makes this wall painting odder than most is that it was made for a doctor�s office, as the text states. I have to suppose that the doctor was particularly moved by the red pill, blue pill question that came up in the movie. Most doctor�s offices are sober affairs and the surroundings of most offices are equally as sterile. The choice of doing a painting on the way to the office is a very unusual choice. The artist has signed and dated the work, and has come up with his own typography design for the work. He has severely elongated the bodies of the characters inside the frame, and struggles with the dimensions of the agent on the outside of the frame. Even the way the guns are done are not drawn with any reference of the actual thing. In fact the painting is a reminder of the sort of work seen by teenage boys in their sketch-pads when they are mimicking things that they have seen. The painter though has tried to create a composition.
What this work tells us is something about taste, choice and purpose. It is clear that the doctor has a strong sense of what he believes his clientele will accept. He is so certain that he is willing to give the artist leeway to get the essence of the film. I wonder whether the artist and the doctor sat and looked at sketches made by the artist? Did the artist make thumbnails and roughs before attempting the painting? I would say unlikely, because there was so much more that he could have done with the space. Instead he produced something very static, and as we all know, the Matrix movies was about non stop action. This painting is representative of what happens a lot with art in Trinidad and Tobago. Someone likes something and that rules the day. Any thought to impact is in the mind of the creator. One expects that everyone will �get it�, because it is about something that people can relate to. Any other forethought is not really considered. The entire process is one of instinct and determination to have one�s emotional needs met. That is a very loaded statement about Trinidad and Tobago.
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