1776 Quickies/ Coffin Box
Throughout my career, the conclusion of a major series typically prompts a reinvestigation of my long-running Bazooka project. This latest evolution was dictated by the shifting landscape of contemporary retail; the large-format boxes of previous iterations have vanished, replaced on local shelves by the ubiquitous, pocket-sized Bazooklets. This shift in scale forced a more concentrated dialogue between the ephemeral nature of consumer goods and the weight of historical iconography.
I began this version by juxtaposing two figures of power: 1776 (from my Washington series) and Nixonpolian—a hybrid of Richard Nixon donning Napoleon’s bicorne hat. This pairing invokes the "Great Man" tradition of Neoclassical portraiture, only to subvert it. I initially composed the work on paper, utilizing the diagonal of the Bazooklets packaging
as a visual "guillotine"—a sharp, revolutionary nod used here to isolate and provide focus to Nixonpolian. To heighten the irony of this fallen status, I integrated aluminum foil into the surface. Its crinkled, industrial sheen was intended to resemble a mocking silver, offering a cheap, disposable substitute for the prestigious metals traditionally used to commemorate heads of state.
as a visual "guillotine"—a sharp, revolutionary nod used here to isolate and provide focus to Nixonpolian. To heighten the irony of this fallen status, I integrated aluminum foil into the surface. Its crinkled, industrial sheen was intended to resemble a mocking silver, offering a cheap, disposable substitute for the prestigious metals traditionally used to commemorate heads of state.
Midway through, I rotated the packaging vertically, where the exposed structural tabs invited a deconstruction and reconstruction of the 1776 element. I chose shellac to bind these components, a medium that mirrors the traditional resins used by Old Master painters. This choice introduced a "living" historical patina; as the shellac ages, it continues to darken, creating an atmospheric decay that contrasts sharply with the static glint of the aluminum.
The project’s resolution arrived through two significant structural and symbolic shifts:
The Coffin Motif: By reinforcing the diagonal of the Bazooklets logo and aligning it with the package tabs, a coffin shape emerged. This transformed the commercial packaging into a vessel of memento mori, framing the political figures within their own historical end.
The Arrow Gag: To achieve a long, crisp diagonal without structural limitations, I added the "arrow through the hat" gag. This vaudevillian trope provides a sharp geometric anchor while injecting a sense of the absurd, effectively deflating the pomposity of the Nixon/Napoleon hybrid and the gravity of the 1776 iconography.
Nixon Group
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