Teenager

When I first saw this piece, I did a double take. From the thumbnail I thought it was Mickey Mouse, only to realize that upon clicking, this would only be Mickey if Walt Disney had been born in the 90's.

I gave four stars for vision. Reason being is that while it encompasses a lot of how teenager thinks, it's still a stereotype nonetheless. Being 18 and at the end of my teen years, I can say that a good portion of what's in this picture did not apply to me. I never smoked, did drugs, revolved around hate or had piercings. However it is powerful in hitting close to home, a coupe of my best friends changed once they discovered drugs. One dropped out of school, the other went to rehab. Obviously there a lot of things here that do apply to me... music... porn... beer, no one is innocent no matter how much they try to make you believe they are.

Originality also got three and half stars. I seen similar things to this in the past. It is very original for what it is, there's just so many other pieces out there like it that it's just not too impressive in that field. I remember when I was a kid I used to get Archie and Jughead comics and they ran an anti-smoking ad very similar to this.

Technique got four and a half stars. I admire the style, sort of that Californian Skateboarder style. And having a "Mickey Mouse" type character thinking and doing all these things is a perfect metaphor for the end of innocence. When you're a kid your really sheltered from all this... sort of; I was watching movies like Lethal Weapon and Terminator when I was only five years old. Even still my dad explained those things to me when they came up in movies so I would know what they were, and always made sure that I would never come anywhere near these things. Anyways we're so sheltered as a kid, mostly exposed to things like "Mickey Mouse", and "Winnie the Pooh" and "Blues Clues" and all, and with that being most of our lives as children, it's a wonder that we find these things. So where does the innocence end, or did we ever have it?

Impact got all five. Like I said, this piece hit close to home, because some of my best friends all through my school years got caught up in this stuff. and it destroyed them, and help as I tried, I was powerless. It was like watching a train wreck, wishing you could look away or help more or something but being so small compared to the matter at hand gives a big disadvantage. And I think when you can relate to a picture, actually feel the message at heart, that's what a good artist can do. Not just painting a pretty picture, but making that picture elicit feelings.

So in conclusion it's a great piece to stereotype the whole of the modern teen culture and sort of offer a reflection onto themselves. If this piece were for sale in a gallery, I can't say I'd buy it, but I'd certainly give it a good looking at. Over all score is 4 stars.