Andrew Hu

M.E. = Man/Eagle
In the examination of any piece of metaphoric art, it is necessary to start at a
tangible baseline. In the case of this shirt, it seems appropriate to use the brandname Konflict as such a baseline. It is immediately obvious that Konflict is an
intentional misspelling of the common English word conflict. From this, we gather
there must be some kind of struggle contained within the artistic design. The
overlapping artwork and lack of clear separation in the discrete pieces of artwork is
a commentary on the internalized nature of this struggle. This internalized nature is
compounded by the concentration of the artwork in the central region of the shirt; if
we look to the extremities of the shirt, very little or no artwork spills over. This deep
struggle expressed outwardly on the artwork of the t-shirt represents an
externalization of the struggle within the individual wearing such a t-shirt.
It is now necessary to examine the main piece of artwork present on this t-shirt.
First, a description: a silver-lined, gold-embossed eagle, wearing a crown, clutching
a sword between its talons. Each of these things has either a deep-seated
historical meaning in modern culture or a colloquial connotation well understood by
the masses. An eagle is often a statement of majestic and righteous power; a
predator of the animal kingdom to be not only feared and respected, but also
admired for its grace. Not only on this artistic representation of an eagle but also
within nature, the talons of an eagle are often thought of as dangerous, a
representation of the potential an eagle has to harm another. In this artists
representation, the fear inspired by the talons are compounded by the sword
clutched in its claws. It is important to note that the sword extends beyond the
limits of the shirt, suggesting the infinite or ever-extending representation of the
eagles power. The crown perched upon the eagles head is not embossed as the
eagle is. This marks a key distinction; while the manifestation of the eagle as the
wearer of the t-shirt is very real, the crown is not. A critic recognizes the lack of
embellishment of the crown as a representation of how the eagle views itself.
Outwardly, he does not flaunt his power; he has no need to display his right to
inspire fear in others, it is implicit. Inwardly, he knows of the potential he wields and
understands it, in the image of the crown.
The back of the shirt features much of the same design, but in larger format. The
idea is as the wearer and eagle spread their respective arms and wings, their
potential grows; their influence grows. The shirts and the artistic representation on
it acts as a meshing of the eagle and the wearer; with it, they are one. The wearer
has an internalized struggle that he combats daily; he knows of his own potential to
overcome this struggle but fears how much potential he truly has. Eagle and man,
the same.