It's not often that I read the paper. But as a child of the 80's, I skimmed through the A section and it's plethora of pieces on the passing of Michael Jackson. On the inside of the back page, where the rest of the page is mostly black and white, is an ad that really stands out.And not in a good way.
This is supposed to be about Alessandro's fine dining and it's Happy Hour-and-a-Half for the old folks; but the inclusion of the painting and it's image totally sets me off. Perhaps the after 55 set would feel differently... but the image itself isn't flattering, so I can't imagine. (I'm not familiar with it; but it looks like a caricature of the upper class meant to insult. Perhaps it's a known icon I'm not familiar with and thus conveys some other meaning.)
Maybe I'm at fault for expecting reasonable design skills evident in an ad in the paper -- but given what you pay for them I'd think that yes, you should see them. The ad does stand out, with it's reddish background. I'll give 'em that.
Anyone have a different read of it?
Yeah, that is weird. Maybe it's some kind of inside joke? Who is that supposed to be pictured in the powdered wig?
ReplyDeleteThe ad does get people's attention.
ReplyDeleteThe art looks like it's meant to represent a member of the upper class who appears to be well fed. I'm thinking Alessandro's was going for a laugh? I imagine the impact was greater for the reader (you) of the paper--going through the usual b&w pages with occasional color and then, bam!
I thought the same thing when I saw that ad! Odd, ugly, and clearly I'm missing out on something, which isn't new.
ReplyDelete