The Effects of Good and Bad Government
Artist
Caleb Ives Bach
Year1985
Classification
painting
Medium
oil on canvas mounted on masonite
Dimensionseach: 96 x 54 3/8 in. (243.8 x 138.1 cm)
Credits
Commissioned through the Art in Architecture Program
Fine Arts Collection
U.S. General Services Administration
Fine Arts Collection
U.S. General Services Administration
- Bach's "The Effects of Good and Bad Government" is a massive 9' x 5'. These pendant images illustrate the consequences of the influence of ruling bodies. Compositionally, the painting is organized with references to Byzantine mosaics because the artist does not treat the image as a window onto the world, but rather organizes his design into two registers where the characters are situated in a hierarchical manner. The angels and ruling bodies are located in the top third of the image and their placement and size alludes both to their importance as well as to the notion that very few people exercise control over the masses. Meanwhile,. the common people are occupy the bottom two-thirds of both paintings. On the right, Bach has depicted the end product of a bad government where the king his court maintain power over an oppressed people who are symbolically situated in the dark. Meanwhile the right displays the bounty and contentment that results from a good government. In this painting, the people prosper and contribute to a thriving community that takes place in a brightly lit scene.
