Duty Calls 

Danny Galieote’s painting presents a lifeguard in a moment of contemplation against the backdrop of an amusement park. Galieote’s idealized, hyper-masculine figure, evokes nostalgia for classic American archetypes while subtly challenging conventional representations. In the context of 20th-century visual culture, where gender roles were sharply defined, the artist uses a traditionally masculine subject, but imbues it with a certain vulnerability. The red flag waving above the lifeguard, and the bitten apple at the base of his seat, give this image a feeling of danger, and a hint of the forbidden. By using an idealized figure, Galieote plays with themes of desire and the male gaze. What does it mean to look, and be looked at? “Duty Calls” invites us to consider the complex interplay between duty, desire, and the male form.