Sharks are not mammals

Let the people never say that I did not listen to their comments on my blog. Even the anonymous ones. And so, we return to the ongoing Fran Clan exhibition with a piece from François.

If you have been noticing that all the pieces so far have come from just two members of the Fran Clan, I should note that not all members produced pieces at the same rate. However, that does not necessarily mean that some were more creative than others; Francine’s, for example, were just much larger than average. With dimensions of 8.5 by 11 inches, it is easy to understand why he produced only two such works.

But despite being one of many, today’s piece, “Sharks are not mammals” (crayon and pencil, 2002) still stands out. A cake can be seen telling a stalagmite (remember, folks: “g” for “ground”) its true feelings about their relationship. The stalagmite agrees, perhaps somewhat placidly; its response is in lowercase type. The presence of word bubbles demonstrates the pervasive influence of the primary humorous genre of art, cartoons, on the Fran Clan. This is hardly the only piece to make use of word bubbles, as will be seen in the coming weeks.

As is typical for a piece from the Fran Clan school, “Sharks are not mammals” is suffused with irony and humor. The setting, a cave, may be a visual pun on the cake’s apparent desire for a platonic relationship. Can you find another visual pun?