Journal of Student Research 2018

Let Them Eat Cake

107

Let Them Eat Cake

Andrea White Senior, BFA in Studio Art: Concentration in Metals & Contemporary Art Jewelry

This body of work focuses on the absurdity of opulence. I have observed that the United States of America has entered an age where the rich are becoming richer and the middle class is disappearing. The phrase “let them eat cake” illustrates the similarities of today’s upper class and the French aristocracy preceding the French revolution. This work pulls inspiration from this lavish life style, typically displayed in Rococo art, leading up to the French revolution. Marie Antoinette would have told today’s impoverished and disenfranchised: “Let them eat cake.” The ignorance of the young queen has startling parallels to today’s upper class. They assume that people can’t be poor unless it is of their own making. “If only they would help themselves, they wouldn’t be poor.” I feel that my studio research and practice continually drive me to ask questions while in conversation with my audience. This body of work is in response to our collective and current social climate. Let Them Eat Cake is meant to mirror our socioeconomic structure, drawing attention to the question, “What are the repercussions from a culture of excess?”