This gentleman of yore would like you to talk dirty to him. That’s what “TD2M” means, right? The Internet lexicon of today’s young’uns is baffling and surprisingly complex, like some sort of pedestrian haiku on crack. Let’s take a look at some of these coded acronyms and Tweets, re-imagined as very formal 18th century American paintings by artist Shawn Huckins. Of course, my good gentlemen and ladies, if you think LDO, ITS A CWOT (Like Duh Obviously, It’s A Complete Waste Of Time), don’t. Go eye roll in the corner somewhere. We happen to think that these acrylic hybrids of portraits and word paintings are rather brilliant.
The American Revolution Revolution series asks, “The physical act of typing very fast on small devices has undeniably impacted spelling, grammar and punctuation, encouraging a degree of illiteracy that has become the new social norm. As goes our grammatical literacy, do our social and cultural literacies follow?” Indeed.
Shawn Huckins, Vanderlyn’s Secret Obsession, (Talk Dirty To Me), 2011. Acrylic + pencil on canvas, 36 x 30 in : 91.44 x 76.2 cm
Shawn Huckins, Mrs. John Winthrop, (Read My Lips Baby, You’re Shit Out of Luck), 2011. Acrylic + pencil on canvas, 35.5 x 29 in : 90.17 x 73.66 cm
Shawn Huckins, GW’s Comment: Rolling On The Floor Laughing, 2011. Acrylic + pencil on canvas, 36 x 33 in : 91.44 x 83.82 cm
Shawn Huckins, To Sarah Morris – I Don’t Know How You Got Sick! We Haven’t Even Done Anything In Like A Month, Sad Face: Mr + Mrs Thomas Mifflin’s Cyber Tiff, 2012. Acrylic on canvas, 53 x 40.25 in : 134.62 x 102.24 cm
Shawn Huckins, Montresor: For Crying Out Loud, I’m So Bored, 2011. Acrylic on canvas, 36 x 28 in : 91.44 x 71.12 cm
Shawn Huckins, Verplanck’s Post on American Moralism, (Like Duh Obviously, It’s A Complete Waste Of Time), 2011. Acrylic on canvas, 53 x 40 in : 134.62 x 101.6 cm
Shawn Huckins, Mrs. Joshua Henshaw II, (Catherine Hill’s Post- Ha Ha, Evil Wicked Grin!), 2011. Acrylic + pencil on canvas, 30 x 28 in : 76.2 x 71.12 cm
Shawn Huckins, The Wig Maker’s Re-Post To Fat Taxation, (Um, And You’re Telling Me This Because?), 2011. Acrylic on canvas, 40 x 33 in : 101.6 x 83.82 cm
Shawn Huckins, Henry Pelham’s Jocular Tweet: To Dante – If I’m Just A Friend, Why Do I Know What Your Lips Feel Like??, 2011. Acrylic on canvas, 44 x 36 in : 111.76 x 91.44 cm
Shawn Huckins, Mrs. Ezekiel Goldthwait: Laughing Quietly To Myself, 2012. Acrylic + ink on canvas, 36 x 33 in : 91.44 x 83.82 cm