Kimpsons #4 2005

Kaws created "Kimpsons #4" using bold lines, flat planes of color, and a smooth, almost digital finish. This distinctive style is very Kaws. The figure, set against a solid blue background, evokes both familiarity and unease. Kaws often appropriates and remixes existing pop-culture characters. Here he uses the semiotics of Bart Simpson, recognizable by the yellow skin, but replaces the eyes with X's, a signature Kaws motif. This alters the original meaning. The crossed-out eyes suggest absence or perhaps a critique of the commodification of cartoon icons. The slumped posture and the muted palette further contribute to a sense of melancholy and the figure's detachment from its original context. Ultimately, "Kimpsons #4" functions as a complex sign, using familiar images to explore themes of identity, commercialism, and the blurring lines between art and popular culture. Kaws invites us to reconsider the codes and structures that shape our understanding of the world.