Contrapposto

The novel’s timeline aligns with the First Gulf War between 1990 and 1991, which provides the backdrop for Jed Shipski’s sudden military activation and the impact it has on Cricket and Olympia’s perspectives of art. The conflict began on August 2, 1990, when Iraqi forces under Saddam Hussein invaded the neighboring country of Kuwait. In response, the United States and a coalition of 42 countries launched Operation Desert Shield, a massive military buildup in Saudi Arabia to deter further Iraqi aggression. This operation involved the largest mobilization of American reserve forces since the Korean War, with more than 200,000 members of the National Guard and Reserve called to active duty, many with little warning. There were various reasons for the United States’ rapid response to the conflict, including regional stability, international law, and the threat that Iraq posed the oil-rich region that the United States and many other countries were dependent on for reserve supply. While Kuwait was considered an oil powerhouse in its own right, there were urgent concerns that Iraq would expand its military operations to Saudi Arabia, which would give Iraq a monopoly over the global price of oil and control over its impact on the energy sector (Aarts, Paul, & Renner, Michael. “Oil and the Gulf War.” Middle East Research and Information Project, 11 July 1991). 

In the novel, Jed, a member of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps, is part of this rapid deployment, reflecting the real-world experience of thousands of young Americans who were pulled from civilian life. His anxiety about deployment, and the belief that his unit would not see combat mirrors the uncertainty of the period. As part of their response to news of the conflict, Olympia, Cricket, and Jed work together with Bulgarian conceptual artist Nedko Solakov to stage a conceptual protest piece that critiques the futility of the United States’ intervention in the conflict and its primary motivation of easy access to global oil reserves. Though the show is a local success, it fails to garner wider attention and affect the war effort in any significant way. Jed is deployed, and Cricket becomes gradually disillusioned over the political leverage of art in the world. This disillusionment is underscored by the irony surrounding Jed’s death and Cricket’s struggle to reckon with his grief over the loss of his friend. 

When the conflict shifted to the offensive phase, which was designated Operation Desert Storm, on January 17, 1991, the ground war was swift, lasting only 100 hours. Jed’s death in a post-conflict vehicle accident in Kuwait highlights a reality of the war: of the 383 American military fatalities, 145 were from non-combat incidents, including accidents. His fate emphasizes that for many soldiers, the greatest dangers existed outside of direct fighting. In response, Cricket tries to paint a memorial portrait of Jed, but soon learns it does little to console the Shipski family over their loss. It is only later on, when Olympia collaborates with an Iraqi artist named Faisal on the conceptual piece Bedrooms of the Dead that Cricket’s faith in the discursive power of art is restored.