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[nyomish]

Diving Into Bold & Brash (slightly edited)

Bold and Brash has become an iconic piece of work in pop culture. Squidward truly lived up to his words stating: “I’ll go down in history,” - Artist Unknown, Season 2, Episode 38b. It is a simple, but yet, eye-catching piece with its bright yellow background and soft shading. However, beyond those beady yellow eyes and slimy, green, skin, this piece holds a deeper meaning. The iconic Bold and Brash piece came from the SpongeBob SquarePants episode, Artist Unknown, Season 2, Episode 38b. It follows the plot of Squidward striving to be that thriving artist that we all wish to be. The creative ability was, and quite frankly still is, regarded as something only high-class and people touched by the fingertips of God can possess. Way back when, artists would have to travel to France (which at the time was the art capital of the world) to study art. Those fortunate enough had private tutors, which are usually world renowned artists. Given this information, this gives context to Squidward’s naivety towards a cruel, creative world. The bright, yellow-orange background resembles simpler times, when you had manila paper and would scribble with the crayons. The way orange and yellow clash represent the smell of crayons wafting through the small classroom. The childhood memories of the sheer determination to get your art on the fridge door are similar to the determination to get your artwork in galleries around the world. The orange gets deeper towards the bottom, symbolizing his descent into insanity. The yellow spots of the background highlight, or contrast, the figure, giving an image of purity and innocence. The figure on the center of the painting (depicting Squidward) is contrasting to the bright and happy background. Using cool tones to show the melancholy that the world inflicts is a brilliant way of showing emotion in a figure without most distinguishable facial features. However, the curviness of the model is showing that Squidward tends to “go with the flow” suppressing his true emotions. The figure is posed in a strange, uncomfortable way. This could be because of Squidward’s amateur abilities with that specific media or there could be a deeper meaning unfolding here. The model looks tired and about to collapse, unstable like Squidward’s mental health, as displayed throughout the show. There is an overwhelming pressure to keep a perfect appearance in front of customers, stress pulling him down, waiting to snap. This piece seems to be an immaculate, divine, outlet to express Squidward’s constant, high expectations. Overall, the piece together has an amazing effect. The cool tones go perfectly with the warmer tones, giving a bright and cheery mask to hide behind. In art psychology, orange represents confidence, success, sociability, and other positive traits. The same applies to yellow, happiness, creativity, good times, and other cheerful attributes. The cooler tones (green, which represents healing, growth, and freshness, blue, symbolizing competence, peace, and intellect, purple, expressing luxury, royalty, and ambition) in the figure seem contained, just waiting to be let out. This shows that Squidward has so much more to give to the cartoon, unused potential going to waste. The bright background (which seems like it’s drowning out the center of attention, like when SpongeBob outshines Squidward in art too) symbolizes the saturated kid’s cartoon that is SpongeBob SquarePants (and its despicable contemporary writing) surrounding Squidward, and how he can’t escape it, forever an image of the show, never being able to express his true sophistication, intelligence, and charm. Forever stuck in time, forever under pressure, waiting to snap, there’s no end to it all. Eternally pouring your heart out, just to be made a mockery of the sounds you make when you walk, the true beauty of your real form, and to always be outshined by those who are bright and better, who bring in the most money, who can flip patties the fastest, who can have their interests turned into trends (Jellyfish Jam, season 1, episode 7b) where yours

are used against you, to belittle you, and to push you to the side (Bubblestand, season 1, episode 2a). When is the end to it all? In my honest opinion, I think Squidward is an amazing character with a relatable personality. I might’ve felt so strongly about this topic due to empathy, which is funny, considering we’re both quite apathetic. The piece itself is a bit overused, but it’s a marvelous representation of a vent piece. I also think he’s a perfect image of a hopeless romantic, as his relationship with Squilvia didn’t last very long (Love That Squid, season 7, episode 151b). He is everything an artist will become or has become, but (mostly) everything an art major wants to avoid, a sad job at a fast food restaurant while watching your rival thrive, becoming everything you aimed/ wanted to be (Squilliam Fancyson III). Squidward, in my image, is a misunderstood character who needs a better spotlight, to stop being the “butt” of all the jokes, the tartar sauce to your sandwich, and everything else that is misunderstood. I can only say one thing about society, and my muse couldn’t have said it better, “I order the food, you cook the food, then the customer gets the food. We do that for 40 years and then we die,” Thank you for reading.