Everything’s Worse In Texas
(A BEHIND THE LINES: The Art of Texas Monthly Exhibition Review)
April 2023
Texas is one of those states known for being western, even though it’s located in the south. However, Texas loves the attention and showcases just how “on-brand” the state is. With the many cowboy shops, tequila bottles, and even the popular slogan “Everything’s bigger in Texas,” the state welcomes its unique brand. Even so, what about the upbringing that makes Texas so unique? Texas loves everything about itself, so what’s stopping the state from wanting to relive its history?
Texas has two presidents under its name, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Lyndon B. Johnson, and though that is a considerable accomplishment, Texas doesn’t seem to highlight those events today. Texas doesn’t seem to celebrate anything other than the Alamo; a symbol of resistance to oppression and the struggle for independence against Mexico. The only difference in what Texas decides to promote is based on the event’s success for the state as a whole. If the history of Texas is so looked down upon, why is Texas accepting art that illustrates just how bad it was? In 1973, there was a surge of political and social changes in the state, so a magazine called Texas Monthly wanted artists to show those changes in entertaining ways. How Texas Monthly decided to show more of the political side of Texas artistically is a very clever way to showcase just what makes Texas bad. To appeal more to their artistic goals, the magazine decided to have an exhibition made at The Wittliff Collections in San Marcos, to present what living in Texas was like. Throughout the collection, there was a mix of entertainment using photography and illustrations. However, the only difference is that photography, which highlights the present, is in the spotlight while illustrations, which highlight the past, are dimly lit. Could that mean that Texas knew just how bad it was and trying to hide it? Probably not very well, since Texas Monthly highlights these political cartoon illustrations that you would normally find in your local newspaper.
In the Behind the Lines: Texas Monthly gallery, there was a unique and satisfying mixture of what it was like to be a Texan. From popular celebrities, protests resulting in police brutality and even being part of a scout organization, you’re able to connect these imageries to your personal life. Although it is easy to capture the present, it’s easier to remember the past. Throughout the gallery, it is the illustrative works that took my attention because of how in-depth they were. These works were able to capture what Texas was like, through both the expressions of the represented characters and the events that caused havoc. As a Texan who was born and raised in one of the most polarized cities, seeing these drawings made me realize that I wasn’t fully told the history of Texas. In schools, children were taught about the Alamo and Texas getting its independence from Mexico. While the political issues of Texas were learned later in life, a majority of children’s lives are made to believe that there was nothing wrong with the state. That’s why these illustrations are so important to learn now than later. In these multitudes of drawings, there was a name that was repeated twice, to show how his works accurately represented the emotions of Texans throughout history with their struggles with political figures. And through these multitudes of political illustrative works, he created eye-catching renditions of history. The artist’s name was Tom Ballenger who used to work as a commercial artist who did advertising across the country. Ballenger was a World WarⅡveteran who died in 2012. He went to Kansas City Art Institute and graduated from The Art Students League in New York City. Throughout his career, he specialized in political illustrations to bring awareness without being graphic for viewers. Many, if not all, of his works, don’t have titles, just his name signed at the bottom. The two works displayed are only described as “Election of Reagan In Dallas” and, “Crisis in Texas”. Something very admirable about these works is that the longer you examine the pieces, the more you discover about them. Whether it be the characters depicted, the city the work is based on, or even the characters’ actions.
“Election of Reagan in Dallas,” is exactly that. This work is my favorite compared to the two, as it depicts the two sides of Texas: the side that it celebrated and the side that is hidden. The popular saying “behind closed doors” can easily depict what is going on visually. The work was done on paper using pen and ink, making it more impressive. The work shows Reagan celebrating his win in the election on stage in the middle of the city. However, what makes the work interesting is that the citizens of Dallas are depicted as elephants. Meaning that the Republican party was ecstatic about the 40th president being Republican, making him the 17th Republican president. In Ballenger’s work, the most noticeable element is that the elephants are shown with fancy clothes and expensive accessories, suggesting that they’re all middle or upper-class citizens. As the male elephants smoke cigars and wear suits while the female elephants wear elaborate sun hats in white collar dresses. In addition, besides Reagan, the only other humans are the reporters, protesters, Walter Mondale, and low-income individuals. The possible reason that these are the only humans is how important they are. Reporters spread the news, protesters show the different feelings everyone had on the election, Walter Mondale was the Democratic representative that was running next to Ronald Reagan, and those with low income showed the negative effects caused by the election. How the low-income citizens are represented in the illustration is the most eye-catching example of the side that is hidden behind the glamor. At the counter of the work, you see a deeply shadowed town, with streets covered in trash and a lonely person sleeping on the sidewalk, holding a bottle of beer. As I saw this depiction, I was saddened for those who had to live in run-down buildings, just to have a place to sleep. No one is supposed to live in such terrible conditions. Yet, that’s not the worse part. The worst part was when worker elephants used a huge white sheet, barricading the town in, making it so that it was “out of sight, out of mind”. In spite of that, the expressions of the elephants are gloomy, suggesting that there are Republicans that are against forced actions. With this illustrative work of Reagan celebrating his election in Dallas, Republicans as middle-class animals, and the lower-class town in shadows, Ballenger’s use of fantastical storytelling is admiring and very fitting for what Texas Monthly promotes. The reason for the magazine to showcase this drawing at The Wittliff Collections is for the hidden, yet known, message about Texas’ political past in a recognizable newspaper comic strip style.
Ballender’s illustrative work is a high standard of what a political cartoon should be like. A mix of exaggerated faces while keeping the seriousness of political and social issues, makes his work enjoyable to examine. Even so, that feeling of seeing a completed work can mean something different when examining other artworks. This example of that feeling is in Ballwnder’s work “Crisis in Texas”. The art is not very detailed compared to “Election of Reagan in Dallas” in a way that has a hidden narrative. However, this illustration is still eye-catching, as color is involved and the viewer can immediately catch what’s going on instead of looking for meaning. As a watercolor and ink drawing, this combination gives the visual of the work a feeling of time, because of the transparent watercolor mixed with the boldness and thickness of the black outlines against the beige-colored paper. Another well-executed decision is some moments of the drawing being out of the centralized frame, making this city feel more open rather than closed in. Besides the pillar in the top right corner suggesting the location is Dallas, it’s difficult to tell what city this political illustration is based on. Even so, that minor setback doesn’t take away the impactfulness of what is being conveyed. The first thing the viewer would notice is that this Texan city was in bad condition. Trash all over the road, buildings on fire, water pipes busted, cars crashed, rats everywhere, and crimes at an all-time high can cause anyone to feel stressed about the situation. And it doesn’t help the fact that vultures are sitting at different corners of the city, waiting for either the rats or a human to die so they could eat. Who would ever be happy living in a city like this? The only people who are trying to fix these situations are firefighters, policemen, and the water department repairmen. However, it’s all in vain, as the firefighters couldn’t work because of the busted pipes and the water spillage is so disastrous, the water department can’t fix it. And, sadly for the police department, they could only do so much in a badly conditioned city. To make matters worst, all of the destruction isn’t from a natural disaster but a result of a money crisis. If these problems were based on a natural disaster, it’s understandable to feel sad or uncomfortable, however, since the issue is rooted in money, I felt an overlay of disappointment because of how selfish people were acting. As everyone is feeling dread and the emergency services struggling to fix things, the mayor and city hall decided to help themselves more than the city. On the left side of the illustration, there is a building titled “City Hall” which has a white sign over the building saying “Out To Lunch”. What makes this selfish and disappointing is that a figure that represented the members of City Hall was smoking a cigar with a smile, accepting money from the military saying “I’ll Keep You In Mind”. Then on the right side of the drawing, there is a figure sitting in a plane labeled “Mayor” with a smile and hands up saying “I’ll Send You A Post Card”. What makes these actions made by the higher officials unprofessional is the expressions that they’re making. Unlike the elephants in “Election of Reagan in Dallas”, their expressions were sad by the fact they had to hide the low-income town. However, these higher officials were smiling, knowing the issues that existed in the city. The fact that the higher officials are not helping the people and crisis, with the only concern for themselves, was highly shameful to view. With that thought in mind, this work is very strong in composing a message to the viewer. For this artwork, Texas Monthly made a good choice of wanting to showcase this in the gallery. Other than the location setting being set in Dallas, Ballenger wanted to show the forgotten morality of money in states like Texas. Even more so currently, since more and more people are moving to Texas, causing the state to build more apartments and jobs rather than using the money to help those living in tents.
“Election of Reagan in Dallas” and “Crisis in Texas” are powerful illustrations of Texas. These two works showcase the downside of being a Texan through creative narratives of how political figures affect the states. After reviewing these two artworks, it is understandable that Texas doesn’t want to celebrate past elected officials, however, it is still concerning that Texas allows so much merchandise that celebrates life as a Texan. It could be that the state wants to show its progression since then, considering the photography that highlights the present is spotlit. Despite the oppositions of the same coin, I’ll always see Texas as my home, just from now on, I’ll think twice about getting a Texas-shaped coffee mug.