Kenneth Cole: Second Analysis

so random but justified
This painting seems so random for the purpose of this blog, but upon closer inspection we discover that it does the same contrast-thing as the Kenneth Cole advertisement. So, it’s not so random and read on.

history of painting
Firstly, this painting was created during the German Romantic period by Friedrich Overbeck entitled ‘Italia and Germania’ . Guess what? Elements of technology, social institutions and economic factors are critical to the understanding of art and this is so much like the framework of an advertisement too.

why this painting reminds me of the advertisement
‘Italia and Germania’ reminds me of the Kenneth Cole ad because it too uses female subjects. By placing the women together the way he does, Overbeck is romanticizing their friendship. So, it hits a romantic level in some way which is more than what Kenneth Cole has done with his models in the ‘We All Walk In Different Shoes’ advertisement.

By connecting the landscapes (found behind Italia and Germania) we see a symbolic connection of Germany's heritage to Italy. I’m not an art historian so just check out here for more of this stuff. Anyway, in the painting, look at how much the women's respective backgrounds are not removed, but actually softly and neatly incorporated -- Behind Italia an Etruscan villa sprawls across the landscape and the Mediterranean sits below the horizon. Behind Germania is this gothic city with buildings towering over each other. It’s this exact use of contrast that reminds me of the Kenneth Cole print. In the Cole advertisement what you have featured are four feminine legs juxtaposed with the innocent face of a wide- eyed baby girl.

So, unlike the pronouncement of something like countries and their affiliations (a.k.a Germany and Italy) found in the Overbeck’s painting, what Kenneth Cole has done in their advertisement is establish a link between the generation ‘X’ (1965-1979) and generation ‘Y’ (1980-2000): Middle aged moms, and their children. That’s the first symbolic contrast I saw, and then I just got distracted.

looking at the ad
I got distracted by the hideous Van-or-Car-seat-color Grey shoes. The style of them is okay, just okay. But the color? The color reminds me of my grandmother’s reading glasses from the 1980’s. The vertical strap going up would have been hot had it not been for the overall color scheme ugliness of the shoes. Because the shoes are ugly, the strap now looks like a toe thong. You know what? For advertising an ugly product (-1 pt).