Woodrow and the bean-stalk 1912

Louis Glackens created “Woodrow and the bean-stalk”, and just looking at it, I'm guessing it was done as an illustration for publication. There's so much going on here, you could spend hours figuring out who everyone is supposed to be. I mean, that giant falling out of the beanstalk has ‘Monopoly’ written on his sword, and ‘Excessive Protection’ on the beanstalk - which I think is such a brilliant way to represent the concept of a towering economic force ready to come crashing down to earth. I'm guessing that the little guy down below wielding the axe represents the policies of President Woodrow Wilson. I love how Glackens uses the conventions of fairy tale illustration to make a political point, but with enough ambiguity to make you think. This combination of narrative and a bit of open-endedness is something that really resonates with my own work as a painter. It is not just about telling a story, but also about creating a space for viewers to bring their own interpretations and experiences.