Bye and Bye (Social Studies)

Discussion through works of art encourage how to approach ambiguous and complex ideas, thoughts, and feelings. The MFAH offers a democratic space where students and teachers can develop, practice and articulate these habits of mind. Remember that the quality of the conversation is what is important, not finding the artist’s “answer.” Slow down and take the time to make careful observations. Talk about what you notice, and try to avoid jumping to conclusions and interpretations. Be sure to give enough time for silent looking and thinking. 

Work of Art

Trenton Doyle Hancock’s Bye and Bye features crowded imagery representing figures from the artist’s personal mythology and requires long looking to unpack fully. A black and white, monochromatic forest with leaf-barren trees is tightly populated with a menagerie of animals which surround a stark-white tree topped with a skull. Centered on the canvas, the tree’s smooth, white exterior and twisting limbs sit in contrast with the dark, rough bark of the surrounding forest. The words “bye and bye” are collaged around the canvas in various sizes. The animals are rendered in a variety of styles with some appearing more naturalistic while others appear more cartoonish; however, they all have red eyes. Upon close inspection, even the insects have been given either red eyes or jagged red auras. These are the only instances of color beyond black and white in the work. Hancock features both land and sea creatures. An octopus wraps one tentacle around the base of the central tree while the other tentacles reach throughout the bottom left quadrant, leading to other creatures in this strange grouping. The various predators and prey gathered all direct their focus toward the central tree that seems to support a human skull from its topmost branch.

Hancock’s rich imagery and draftsmanship create a visually compelling work. Every inch of the canvas has been worked and reworked. The animal and treelike figures depicted in the scene are mythological creatures that Hancock names the “mounds.” Hancock described the “mounds” and their origins:

 “Mounds are these half-human, half-plant mutants that came to life about fifty thousand years ago, when an ape-man masturbated in a field of flowers, and up sprang these creatures, and they’re called Mounds. Since then, many of them have died off for various reasons, but the main cause of death of Mounds is the premature death caused by creatures called Vegans who are evil creatures who can’t stand Mounds at all.”

As Hancock’s story about the mounds continues, the artist describes the narrative depicted in Bye and Bye. Here, we see these fantastical animal-plant figures grieving the death of Mound #1 seen in the center of the image depicted as an ashen white tree topped with a human skull. Speaking about the significance of Mound Number 1, Hancock recounted: 

And over the past few years, I have worked through the first major chapter about Mounds, and it’s called The Life and Death of Number 1. And Number 1, The Legend, is named that because he was the very first Mound to exist. And he’s the oldest Mound. And the Vegans hate him with all of their being, and so it was their mission to take him out. And so, the Vegans plotted, and they achieved their goal.”[1]

Hancock has used the mythologies he created to express universal feelings such as grief, love, and fear through the use of visual elements. Hancock frequently uses word-play in his images. Playing off the term “by and by,” meaning “before long or eventually,” the artist changes it to “bye and bye.” Paired with the artist’s description that this scene represents a funeral, the words echo the sentiment of hoping to see a lost loved one eventually. The overall monochromatic style of the work enhances this feeling of grief. The black and white is only interrupted by small moments of red. The red marking the Mounds’ eyes represents another important aspect in Hancock’s work, color. Describing the significance of color in his work, the artist specified:   

“I’ve always been drawn to color, but it always has to be necessary. Color has to have some sort of a meaning if I’m going to use it. It’s hard for me to just choose random color and use that as information because I start to feel disconnected from it. So, especially lately in the work, every color—every time it appears, it’s there for a specific reason. And if there’s no reason for color to be there, then the piece will probably just end up being black and white, which I’m perfectly okay with.”

With this in mind, the red in the Mounds’ eyes can be interpreted as grief through Hancock’s deft use of color. In the same year that Hancock completed Bye and Bye, he also created a series of prints entitled, Bye and Bye: Nine Sad Etchings that include depictions of individual Mounds with some accompanied by text commemorating their eulogies for the death of Mound Number 1. These images are also primarily black and white with the exception of the Mounds’s red eyes. The lion, seen on the right edge of the canvas in Bye and Bye, is also included in the suite of prints. The print includes text from the lions stating, “The presence of the great mound was felt by us all and shall be missed… Oh, by the way, I suggest you guys scatter, eulogizing makes me hungry.”[2] Seemingly conflicting emotions, such as humor, joy, and grief, often intermingle in Hancock’s work.  In 2012, Hancock revisited this idea with a “cheerful update” when he created Hi and Hi as a colorful mural at Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston at the entrance of the pediatric imaging wing, filling a monumental wall approximately eight feet tall by thirty-nine feet wide.[3]  In contrast to the somber tone of the black and white scene of mourning in Bye and Bye, the mural for the children’s hospital embraces color. In Hi and Hi, horizontal bands red purple, blue, green, yellow, and orange create a rainbow backdrop for the scene with the words “hi and hi” repeatedly inscribed. Color and style transform Hancock’s mythological story and characters from Bye and Bye to create a scene of joy, humor, and discovery in Hi and Hi that welcomes families and visitors to the Houston hospital.

Conversation

• Consider this mixed media work in its entirety. What do you notice first?
• Notice the overall lack of color of this work. How would the painting change if the artist used naturalistic colors? What about vivid colors?
• How has the artist used layering to create the composition? What about his use of lines of varying weights?

• Consider the variety of animal species represented. Would they naturally convene together? Why or why not?
• Why might the artist have depicted the Mounds in a variety of styles? Could it have something to do with their individual identity? How so?

Because this work of art has so many details, it gives more students a chance to be included and “discover” different pieces of this work of art. Also because the images in this work of art are familiar to students, it might be easier for them to take risks without fear of being “wrong” about what they see in the image. 

Learn more about this artist at Art21: https://art21.org/artist/trenton-doyle-hancock/

Subject Matter

• Observe the work of art, using the 3-2-1 Thinking Routine.

• While exploring more about the work of art in the above activity, information such as the following may have been revealed:

“His (Trenton Doyle Hancock) stories are complex, but taken together the works are meant to illustrate various episodes in the history of a group of creatures he has invented called "Mounds." Half-plant and half-animal, these Mounds are the tragicomic protagonists in a vast narrative that weaves allegory, word play, humor, and satire into a tale of struggle, survival, and redemption. The Bye and Bye portfolio concerns the death of Mound #1, a peaceful being represented in the first plate as a dead tree with a skeletal head.”

• In Cooperative Learning Groups, relate Hancock’s allegorical representation of struggle, survival and redemption to a historical development/event. Compose an explanatory report that synthesizes the relationship between the work of art’s themes and history.
• Four Corner Reveal Activity: Groups generate questions based on reports. Include 4 multiple choice answer options (labeled A,B, C, D). Teacher labels each corner of the room A,B, C, D.
  • Each group reads a question to the class, without giving the answer options.
  • Allow time for the students to independently think about an answer to the question. Teacher asks students to write down their answer and reasons for their choice.
  • Then, the groups provide their ‘A.B. C, D’ answer choices. Individual students choose the corner that corresponds to their original answer.

Assessment

The incredible details in this picture allow for students to observe a wide number of details in the work of art. It also fosters questioning based on the potential message of the artist: “What is the message? Why has he chosen to create this image in this visual form?” It would be interesting to include this on a discussion on sustainability to see what connections students can make with this image.

Resources

Resources Available to Order

Check our online collection module for further information.