Welcome Home, story illustration 

Curator: This is “Welcome Home,” an illustration by Tom Lovell. Editor: Well, that’s a title rife with irony! My immediate reaction is... chaos! What on earth is happening? Curator: Let's unpack that a bit. This painting places a suited man alongside a white horse entangled in what appear to be fallen decorations on a snowy day in front of a red house. Editor: It’s absolute suburbia gone surreal, isn't it? You have the nuclear family in the doorway looking utterly shocked while the family dog is barking, and there are even geese milling about near the horse. What statement might Lovell be making about the American dream and the dissonance with lived reality here? Curator: It speaks to post-war ideals meeting reality. Lovell was a master of narrative, often depicting idealized visions. In “Welcome Home” the juxtaposition is quite sharp, disrupting those very ideals. I think he really aims to explore disruptions within the perceived normalcy of that time. Editor: You see that very clearly in the animal motif he's employing. Is there a statement on ecological awareness, or environmental disturbance, that we should acknowledge? Or do you see a commentary on the nuclear family's disinterest in animal awareness by not actively corralling the wandering horse, geese, and sheep? Curator: It definitely brings that awareness to the foreground. Lovell makes such a clear point to stage that against this archetypal idea of perfect American life. It questions who exactly are we welcoming home. It seems not so joyful, when examining the social construct and norms in which those themes lie. The seemingly pleasant can quickly devolve. Editor: Perhaps it’s a comment on how returning soldiers, perhaps, felt displaced or misunderstood upon their return, bringing baggage that upsets the domestic tranquility. Curator: Indeed! That makes the piece relevant today in looking at what our modern social contract dictates and where people struggle. Editor: Food for thought and plenty of visual stimulation here, and the color contrasts really highlight all the dissonance you were talking about, too. Thanks for opening my eyes on this piece! Curator: My pleasure, the intersection of history, cultural context, and human emotion always enriches art.