I think the judges got it wrong.
That's more than just a black line traversing the darkness of a gray canvas from left to right. No. Instead, it symbolizes the journey of life from birth to death, from the unknown to the known. At the far left it's birth and as that same line moves towards the right, it shows us the passing of time, the evolution of consciousness, but also serves as a harsh reminder of the fact that what does start, will in fact end.
This would be no mere linear progression. Wiggs' kid choice of a gray canvas suggests a sense of primordial Chaos, a canvas that can become pregnant with infinite possibilities. The black line, truly serves as a beacon of order amidst the chaos, imposing meaning upon the void.
Wiggs' kid would be a genius had she created that.
P.S. For those that also missed Grape's humor, Grape was trying to depict the contrasting perspectives on the shape of the Earth held by children. One portrayal captured the popular belief in the Earth's roundness, while the other illustrated the notion of a flat Earth. Hence the title on the picture of "4th grade science fair "Draw Earth", because, you know, Wiggs would teach his kids that the Earth is flat.
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