1496: Art Project

2026-05-29T23:10:37Z

2806:103E:18:4986:4DEB:EAD2:2B27:257B: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1496
| date = March 9, 2015
| title = Art Project
| image = art project.png
| titletext = It's my most ambitious project yet, judging by the amount of guacamole.
}}

==Explanation==
This comic appears to be satirizing {{w|art}} in two different ways. From one perspective, [[Randall]] is describing various art forms in unusual ways (e.g., a portrait by [[Cueball]], a video for [[Megan]], and perhaps live performance by [[Ponytail]]). From another perspective, Randall might be making fun of {{w|time-lapse photography}} movies. {{w|YouTube}} has a robust collection of videos taken from stitching together pictures or short video clips taken every day or every week; in the {{w|87th Academy Awards|2015 Academy Awards}}, one of the Best Picture nominees, {{w|Boyhood (film)|Boyhood}}, used a similar method, filming short sequences annually over the course of 12 years. In each case, the art described is simpler than it sounds, and some might not consider it art. A picture of oneself "every hundred years" will only happen once or twice in a lifetime; a "picture every 1/24th of a second" is the traditional {{w|frame rate}} of cinema cameras for film production, and "watching my face age in real time" is just life.

Then finally [[Danish]], acting relatively demure, pokes fun at all of them by simply watching their attempts at "art" while she eats a burrito. This might be in parallel to Andy Warhol's piece of art "[[915:_Connoisseur|Man eating a Hamburger]]". Randall may also be referencing the many perspectives on art by leaving this comic open to several interpretations. The use of a burrito as a punchline representing someone who is grounded in reality instead of engaging in esoteric pursuits has been seen before in [[1269: Privacy Opinions]] and later in [[3085: About 20 Pounds]].

The title text is just more snarky, claiming that it's their most ambitious project ever, if the sole criterion for ambition is the amount of guacamole that one has to eat.

==Transcript==
:[Four people stand next to each other.]
:Cueball [taking a selfie with his smart-phone]: I'm doing an art project where I take a picture of myself every hundred years.
:Megan [filming herself with her smart-phone]: I'm doing an art project where I take a picture of myself every <sup>1</sup>/24<sup>th</sup> of a second.
:Ponytail [pointing to her face with both hands]: I'm doing an art project where you can come to my house and watch my actual face age in real time.
:Danish [holding a burrito]: I'm doing an art project where you all do those things while I eat a burrito.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Danish]]

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1496: Art Project