Gabriel Picolo, an online artist, drew what he called “The Head of a Hipster” and uploaded it to Instagram in April 2014. While it is normal for him to put his work online, this “hipster” touches on social issues Picolo rarely bothers with. Social issues are often portrayed in art, but Picolo touches on an issue that is often ignored; he chose to use his art to express how the youth are overlooked and dismissed by our society. People tend to be caught up in more pressing issues such as civil rights and equality, and that is understandable seeing as it is a more prominent issue. However, while the issues of the majority matter, they are not the only issues our society causes. Picolo’s “hipster” shows a side effect of society people often forget; he shows how it impacts the way we view people based on their image.
The drawing includes many intricate details on an empty canvas to emphasize the impact. “Head of a Hipster” is displayed quite like it sounds; a young man, maybe in his mid twenties, has glasses, a single tattoo displayed below his ear, and a chic beard. Looking like the stereotypical hipster, he also has on a beanie, but the hat holds more than just his hair back; it holds his influences and the things that make him who he is. There are many modern day pieces in this part of the image; a few coffees, an iPhone, and a bike are there, but a few “retro” things are in the hat as well like a record, a magician, and a Polaroid. All of these parts of him are heavily detailed, and they are all connected by swirls. With all of these things popping out, it draws one’s focus to them, and Picolo draws on that focus to show the viewer the importance of the images.
Hipsters are notorious for liking certain things or musicians before they are considered “cool,” and the boy in the image is no acceptation to this stereotype; however, he is still his own person. Viewers see the record and Polaroid, and they immediately assume he is one of “those types” or that he is a millennial. They see the highly buttoned shirt and the tattoo, and their minds provide that he is stylish and edgy; these opinions have been formatted over many years judging people. One observes the way the man in the image has the look and ideas of a Hipster so therefore he is a hipster, but their mind stops there; they do not look at the details and wonder why they are there. They see pictures instead of meaning; coffee on his mind could mean he is caffeine dependent, or he could be running on two hours of sleep and three cups of Starbucks. People often forget that pictures are not just pictures; they tell stories, and they show who a person is.
That being said, one portrays the same idea onto people; one sees a stranger, and they too frequently forget that the stranger is not what one sees. Picolo touches on this “judging a book by it's cover” ideology in this hipster; he draws what people expect when seeing a hipster, but then in the hat he includes objects that are personal to the hipster. The hipster is impacted by the objects so much so that they are an integral part of who he is; the inclusion of the bike shows he enjoys some physical exertion, and the magician displays his wonder of the unknown. All of the objects tell a story, and discovering the story only takes a small amount of effort on the viewer’s part; with how often the story is over looked by the aesthetic, it is quite obvious that the small effort is too much for most.
With the terrible things in this world, one would think people would be a little slower to judge someone based on their appearance; one would think people would be more focused on the war and discrimination than judging someone else for wearing a certain outfit or having a tattoo on display. Today’s society forgets that everyone has a story, and Picolo’s hipster makes people remember that everyone is not what they seem; his art shows the viewer the hidden aspects of a person. Forgetting a story is easy, but remembering the words and emotions of a story is so satisfying in the end. Picolo’s portrayal of the hipster helps to remind people of all of the stories they miss out on because of the way society has taught them to judge first and inquire later.
