A Story of Whaling and the United Sates?

http://outofprintmag.com/2011/09/news/art/dick-a-story-of-whaling-and-the-united-sates

Dick:A Story of Whaling and the United States

It wasn’t until the X-Files’ Scully drew the comparison of Mulder’s obsessive nature to Captain Ahab’s pursuit of the white whale, did I feel the need to read Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. With plenty of evenings to kill, I limited myself to two or three chapters per night to insure that I fully absorbed everything in Melville’s story. My evenings with Ahab and Ishmael became an obsession of it’s own as I began to draw parallels between the whaling industry of the 19^th century, the institutionalized slavery of Africans, and the modern day dependence on crude oil.

Moby Dick could be interpreted as America’s quest for dominance over nature, as well as inspiration for Richard Wright’s racial charged Native Son, but the strongest message to one could take away from Melville’s 1851 masterpiece is that Captain Ahab is a dick.

After many months of preparation, the illustrations of Melville's Moby Dick are ready for exhibition at Slingluff Gallery on October 1st, 2011. The Saturday night reception starts at 6pm, and will end at 9pm. Slingluff is located at 11 W. Girard Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19123. For more information about Slingluff and the show visit www.slingluffgallery.com.