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An Analysis of The Artist as a Basic Link in a Food Chain of Art
It is quite easy to fall under the spell of any one work of art by Tomek Sętowski; each traditional oil on canvas enchanting you with exquisite artistic detail and storytelling depth, all portrayed through the artist’s mastery of the magical realism genre. And, if you are paying close enough attention, there is probably an intentionally laid quest of thought provoking discovery. Such is what you will definitely find in The Artist as a Basic Link in a Food Chain of Art (2011). Each and every aspect of it is symbolically chained together giving the viewer a seemingly endless source of deep thinking material, leading them to realize the brilliant aptness of the painting’s title.
If the viewer were to start this quest and look at this particular Sętowski painting, without having first read the title, they can easily ascertain that there is a magician (painted with a realistic, photo-like, quality) because they are holding a black, traditional-style, magic hat with colorful and fantastical objects that appear to magically flow out and around into all the things that comprise the very form of the magician themself--like a genie flowing out from a magic lamp. From the background, the viewer can tell that the magician is in a room, perhaps, in an older building as suggested by the discolored and chipped appearance of the paint on the walls. As the viewer’s gaze flows from the top, in the clockwise direction the artist takes them, at 3 o'clock their gaze comes to a surreal-like warping of reality at the room’s horizon where the wall and the checkerboard floor seem to mold together. By the time the viewer’s gaze gets around to 9 o’clock, they are unable to discern whether they are looking at the other side of the room’s horizon or, instead, at what constitutes the magician’s body, forcing them to go back in time to ponder Sętowski’s illusion. Once the viewer is back on schedule, between 10:30 and 11:00, they can look over the magician’s shoulder to a wall, with large open and rounded windows, and a view of the night sky, bringing reality into perspective once again. But, then, just as midnight approaches on the tour, the viewer’s gaze is launched into space, eyes floating along the top of the painting until there is no more to see. It’s [probably] then that the viewer realizes that there is no ceiling in that room, and is then pulled back down to earth and out of the illusion.
Curious about how that room didn't seem to have a beginning or an end, the viewer’s eyes quest through the painting seeking explanation until they land at its center. It's there that the viewer finds, by peering through the magical flow to the other side, an open double window on a wall which appears to be a part of the pre-established reality, but the window’s position doesn’t quite structurally line up with its walls. Below the window is a tower-like building which is painted in such a way that: 1) the viewer can easily understand it to be an object warped by the magical flow, while the window is not, 2) the curvature of the warp leads the viewers’ eyes from the base of the tower left to its rooftop, pointing the way up towards the magic hat, 3) the color of the tower blends in with the color of the wood floor in what [now] appears to be another room, 4) (1-3) work together to trick the viewer's brain into ignoring it as a focal point, thus creating an illusion that causes the viewer to easily miss it at first glance. To the left of the window is a character wearing a nightcap asleep in a bed that is positioned, both in and out of the magical flow, in such a way that it also adds to the illusion. It is here the viewer can come to the conclusion, that in the foreground of this painting, they are probably bearing witness to the contents of the sleeping character’s dream and, in an instant of understanding, everything seems to be magically right with the viewer's world again.
It would be easy to stop there with the impression gained of the piece and move about with one’s life, but if the viewer is curious at all about what the artist is actually trying to say, they take the next step on the quest of discovery and read the title. That move unveils the title itself to be a metaphor, which the reader must decipher in order to fully digest Sętowski's
meaning-- it's a quest within a quest (even if our brains process the metaphor so fast that we miss it being presented as a discovery quest [another illusion?]).
Deciphering the metaphor begins by examining the parts that short circuit our subconscious processors’ grasp of what is real (through which all new information is processed and automatically filed in the neat little interconnected file cabinets of our brain, to build upon our total understanding of what is real). “The Artist as a Basic Link in a Food Chain of Art” short circuits the thought process because art as part of a food chain does not make sense-- we don’t eat art (unless of course, we are talking about edible art, in which case(I'll take a slice and hope it's lemon) the metaphor makes total sense, a baker [artist] can be considered as an originator [basic link] of a person’s real consumption of a skillfully carved fruit flower or cake sculpture of their favorite superhero [food chain-- that just so happens to also fall under the spellbook of magical realism]. But, on appearances, the painting is not a piece of edible art, therefore, Sętowski is probably not reducing the metaphor’s meaning to literal food). If art equals food in a food chain of art, then there is: 1) something other than our mouth that is consuming it, and, 2) some inherent nutritional value for it to be considered as food. It's in this moment of contemplation that one discovers it's the brain that does the consuming through the senses (eyes see, ears hear, etc), which means art equals some sort of brain food (food for thought) and is a great starting point to grasping what (2) is. Thus, unlocking the ancient [side]quest: What is Art [and how is it brain food]?
Art has always been a source for humanity to find expression, meaning, understanding, validation, curiosity, etc.; and, it is as if by magic, a source that makes them think or feel something (change). That something is the nourishment brains need (activation of the reward center) to continue functioning in a healthy fashion. Reading (consuming) an apropo-to-their-day poem or seeing a small sculpture of a dragonfly (art), might be the spark (magic) of wonderment to elicit a smile or a feeling of joy (reward) in someone's day. Analyzing a work of art might send the viewer into an abyss of thought-provoking discovery that changes their world-view forever (epiphany). In any case, consuming art as food seems to mean we are nourishing our brains when feeding it artful stimuli. It would then follow, that, the artist, “as a basic link,” is the creator of nourishment for the brain in a food chain [Insert “Meaning of ‘Food Chain’ as it Relates to the Metaphor” side quest here. But, for the sake of brevity, I leave the choice of comprehensive revelation to the reader's own timeline]. Thus, The Artist as a Basic Link in a Food Chain of Art, now makes sense, the viewer's reward center throws them a small victory party (that [probably] elicits a chuckle when they realize [epiphany] that they felt what happens when they consume Sętowski's brain food metaphor [almost as if it was magic]). Applying the newly acquired understanding of the metaphor to the painting, the viewer can start to assess how it applies to the picture in front of them. There are certainly lots of things to look at and derive their relation to the title, if choosing to apply discovery to them that is, but, after the novelty has worn off, the reward centers are left wanting. This brings the viewer to the next fork in the road on the quest: to walk away, still high from that last victory party, or to let curiosity (suddenly realized) help them discover the answer to why the magician’s face is the only aspect, of Sętowski’s piece, to be painted with such realistic detail.
[Insert logic jump here] To find out if Sętowski is depicting a real artist as a magician, the only logical place to start from is learning about Tomek Sętowski, the actual artist, and then seeking out clues that will help us narrow down the identity of the mystery artist. Going straight to the virtual source at Sętowski.com, it doesn't take long to find some familiarity, as the real photos of Sętowski bear an uncanny resemblance to the mystery artist, and after finding a very similar face in a few paintings in his portfolio, it can be deduced with a high probability of certainty that Sętowski is actually depicting himself as the magician. This moment of euphoria (reward) the viewer has gained, lends itself well to the realization of the question that is now being begged; “What is Sętowski trying to tell the viewer about his flavor of artistic brain food as the artist in the food chain?” [this is the part of the quest where the real profound magic can be discovered].
Behind every methodically laid out quest, is a trail of breadcrumb clues (chain links) that help guide the player to the big mysterious reveal, and after gathering up all of Sętowski’s clues, it can be deduced that The Artist as a Basic Link in a Food Chain of Art is actually a treasure map of human history to discover and explore the real magic of human existence [another quest within a quest]. Starting with Sętowski’s face in the painting, then going down around in a counterclockwise fashion (almost like you're going back in time) to collect the (side quest) easter eggs of knowledge, one can at least discover:
Poland. The first thing relevant to know about any artist is where and when they hail from, because it is there that they were influenced up until the point of creation of the piece being analyzed. The question(s): “What is the significance of this building on that jacket?” can be answered quickly by simply opening up the Wikipedia entry, Częstochowa, Poland, revealing the Częstochowa Coat of Arms; “Why does Sętowski use a checkerboard pattern so often throughout his works?” can be answered by searching for sources on “Częstochowa Culture,” discovering the importance of chess and how they utilize the devices of a quest as a marketing strategy for people to discover their culture; where logic, art, playing games, and the Black Madonna, are valued; “Is this clock-like object positioned at 3 o’clock, telling us to check out the building it's signifying?” can be answered on the Black Madonna side quest.
More layers of Sętowski. At 1 and 2 o’clock of the magic flow, we can deduce that Sętowski is [probably] referencing one of his favorite literary works when we find a similar horse, rider, and ship in another of his paintings, Illiada [Side quest on Greek history and culture]; Clocks and Dice are another prominent feature in Sętowski’s works. Meanings, like; “life is a crapshoot,” or “[insert time metaphor here],” can be derived ad nauseam, but they can only be fun possibilities of the real at this level of the game [Side quest: The Die Has Been Cast]; Tasty morsels. Just one of the myriad you can find: the bed at the center of the painting can be found in both the painting Sleepy Journeys and then in animated form at the Museum of Imagination.
The Holy Grail, the Golden Egg of Discovery is right there, hidden in plain sight, waiting for the viewer to discover the real magic for themselves and, then, take the time/ and steps necessary/ to think ahead/ through the doors of opportunity/ utilizing one's own imagination/ to push past the boundaries/ of the artists that came before them/ where the sky's the limit.
When, taking every chain link and morsel of brain food discovered into consideration (thus far on the adventure), the quester can reasonably conclude that The Artist as a Basic Link in a Food Chain of Art is a brilliant piece of work and Tomek Sętowski is a master at his craft.
Key takeaway(s) include:
Learn how to see past the illusion; follow the logic.
Curiosity in action is the key to discovery and artists have been facilitating discovery since the dawn of time.
Brain Food: the metaphor, easter eggs, logic, games, humor, music, paintings, etc., are all powerful devices that the artist can use to help consumers on their quest for balance in the real.
Art is the conduit that connects the chains of cultural commonality, thus eroding the illusion spell [repulsion] of difference.
Some artists yield the power to make magic real.
Of course, deriving meaning from anything in life is a wholly subjective experience, so, there is only one logical way to get the answers to these questions, to know with near 100% certainty that our newly obtained conception of the real is accurate, and that, is to take the next step on the quest: Ask Tomek Sętowski.
This essay originally written as a class assignment for HRS 202, CSUS, November 2023.
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