Andrew Cuomo
Cuomo’s poster, annotated
Picking apart a modern masterpiece.
Cuomo's 19th-century style campaign poster. Rusty Zimmerman/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
It’s a new decade, and instead of just giving speeches, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is also visualizing his State of the State as an intricately detailed 19th-century campaign poster knock-off.
From Cuomo’s lips to Brooklyn artist Rusty Zimmerman’s pen, here’s a brief analysis.
1. Cuomo apparently hasn’t aged a day in 10 years, using the same picture here that he did for his two previous neo-vintage posters, in 2010 and 2012.
2. Would a three-weighted scale even work? This may be the most imaginative piece of the poster.
3. Officially, that’s Aaron Burr dueling Alexander Hamilton in New Jersey, which suggests all of New York’s progressive accomplishments are piling up on the Palisades.
4. It’s a double rainbow! Were you aware New York legalized same sex marriage under Cuomo? The More You Know.
5. The Mario M. Cuomo Bridge may not have made it onto the new license plates, but it’s definitely making it onto Cuomo’s poster.
6. Imagine how much power wind turbines could generate if we could harness the breath of these bearded wind demons.
7. When is a ship not a ship? When it’s a LEADERSHIP.
8. Octopus No. 3 is named “Bryan” in homage to three-time Democratic presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan (d. 1925), whose populist posters inspired this one – if not Cuomo’s ideology.
9. Hallelujah! Cuomo also used this excerpt from noted Canadian Leonard Cohen’s 1992 song “Democracy” in his State of the State address.