Lemme get on my soapbox, just a sec...
*ahem*
I despise the proliferation of iPod-style art and so, in retaliation, I'm contributing to this cabal of would-be pop artists.

How does this make sense?
Here's how I see it. When the pop art movement emerged, it was basically a retaliatory statement against the growing state of commercialism and hype. The weapons used? Why, commercialism and hype, of course. While no textbook will overtly state that this was ever the intention of Warhol, Lichtenstein and the like (some may even repudiate my theory), I feel that the reason pop art worked on such a global level was because it drew the gadflies to it like some sort of 100-watt media lightbulb (or some such similar simile), while allowing the cynics to feel as if they knew something the rest of the world didn't, the dark and terrible purpose behind this movement. That is, parody. I don't think it was sinister, by any stretch of the imagination, but a careful look would easily show that most Pop Art exemplified the basic characteristics of a parody.

That said, this is why I despise this new trend:
When the initial iPod Shuffle commercials and magazine ads came out, I loved the style. It was as close a thing to the rebirth of pop art that the mainstream would ever see, seemingly. Then came the clones. Now, I admit, some were pretty well done, but it became quickly overdone and the innovation inherit in anything under the banner "pop art" was killed, buried, then posthumously raped. And so, I offer this piece.

Unfortunately, I had to use Nny as my model because I wanted this to be a quick draw and I not only had a referencial pose of him readily at hand, but he's also become fairly easy to draw (not to say his design is simple, just that I've been drawing alot of him as opposed to anything else). I say unfortunately, because it appears that he now embodies something I loathe and I could never loathe Nny, no matter what he represents. I tried to counter balance that by giving him a noble cause: ending this vicious cycle of repetitive and stale ideas through self-sacrifice. Hence the use of the word catharsis in the title. He is purging the world of the flotsam that is same ol', same ol' by eliminating himself.

That said, I do not condone this action. Suicide is rarely ever justified and holds no honor.
Also, don't mistake my message. I don't hate the artists who create art such as this, I just hate the trend. These thoughts do not coincide, for I'm sure most people thought they were going to be genuinely original in making what they supposed were...not monuments, but tributes to what once was a fresh and new style.

Oh, and I'm sorry for all the reading. I usually save my rants for a smaller audience.

iPod, iPod Shuffle are © Apple.
Johnny the Homicidal Maniac is © Jhonen Vasquez.