Graphics essay

Essay 1.0 How are current/past events of the last century and political issues portrayed through the artist’s work?

I will be comparing how each of my three chosen artists covey their personal views on issues and current events through their artwork. I will be comparing and contrasting how the artists do this through their work and how useful art is as a political platform.

Guy Catling works with digital collage and his most impactful/recognised work is his war photography where he replaces weapons with flower prints. This work relates to the question as it shows his views and how he turns war into something more positive. Banksy is famous for producing large scale, illegal, graffiti pieces that are thought provoking for the viewer, Banksy conveys a satirical view on current world problems through his work. Shepard Fairey is a street artist, illustrator and graphic designer. He links to the question as he is known for creating propaganda posters including a widely recognised propaganda poster which was incorporated into Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign.

I decided to look into some early political based work and propaganda as well as Victorian allegorical art to compare with that of today’s political art. Political cartoons from the early 20th century were used as a way of influencing the public using art which is what the artists I have chosen to look at also do. A lot of this cartoon based work would use a lot of satire both in any quotes or just imagery alone. Victorian allegoric art is also relevant, in my opinion to my research as it would often show imagery of people of power such as kings and queens. The way they were portrayed by the artists showed them as being powerful and like idols to the people. I feel this has been shown and carried through to art surrounding political issues in more recent years.

Guy Catling is a freelance graphic designer and artist who was born and is based in Essex, England.

He has worked in many different mediums including photography, collage, fashion and illustration over the years to develop his own style. He describes his style as ‘organic and from the heart’.

Which shows how personal his art is to him. Guy Catling creates digital collages and artwork mainly surrounding elements of nature. His most recent collection of work includes using nature based photographs and simple manipulated text reading phrases and words such as “lost in the world” and “where are you?”. using black and white photographs and combines them with brightly coloured floral wallpapers. I feel his work demonstrates a high visual contrast as well as the message behind the artwork which can also be seen as quite contrasting. Catling said “I believe that collage can create beautiful visual contrasts and can also give old material new life”.

This ideology is seen throughout most of Catling’s work. Catling has taken inspiration from his surroundings as he says: “The floral aesthetic of my work was originally inspired by visiting a local graveyard and seeing how flowers can turn something that is quite sad and morbid into something full of life and happiness”. I feel his inspiration can really be seen in his work as you can see how visiting a graveyard would have influenced him. This idea of the graveyard and flowers shows a strong visual juxtaposition of a place associated with death and sadness and flowers which are a symbol of new life and happiness. This contrast of light and dark is seen visually in a lot of Catlings other pieces of landscapes and other old black and white photographs however I feel it is most impactful in the war photographs as it really fits the subject of the work. I feel using the war photographs with this style of art is especially contrasting as the feelings associated with war are almost polar opposites with the brightly coloured flower print wallpapers he has used to replace the helmets of the soldiers with.

Catling also uses this contrasting style in other collage pieces but I do not find them as impactful as the war photographs. While the images are still striking the message behind the work isn’t as impactful in my opinion. Especially seeing the facial expressions of the soldiers coupled with the brightly coloured helmets which is something that nobody is used to seeing.

I see Catlings work, especially the war photographs, as almost a visual representation of a graveyard. Graveyards are a morbid place just like the scene in the photographs but have contrasting bright colours dotted around in the forms of flowers. The way Catling deals with death and war in his work shows how he, as an artist or designer deals with current and past issues. Guy Catling says he “found this juxtaposition very interesting and began to experiment with it” when referring to the contrast in bright flowers and the morbid scenes he put them in. I also found the idea very interesting as it created a contrast on many levels, the most obvious being visually but also the ideas behind the work and other links to his early inspiration from graveyards. The visual contrast is the most obvious as it’s the first thing we see but it also draws our eyes away from what’s really happening in the picture.

His series of war photographs deal with a past event/issue by editing the original photos to create feelings of happiness within a photograph that was originally quite sad. He creates a contrast between the morbid war photograph and the bright colours of the flowers that take our minds away from what’s really happening in the picture. He portrays the event in a different light in his work and completely changes the entire mood of the artwork.

Banksy is a street artist, activist and film director from England. His work mainly consists of epigrams that communicate his dark humour through his graffiti art. Banksy’s work grew from the Bristol underground scene where he was inspired by other graffiti artists and collaborated with musicians and other artists. His work has been seen in multiple major cities all over the world where it is often removed quite soon after due to it being deemed as vandalism. Despite being so well known and winning multiple awards, such as ‘Person of the year’ at the 2014 Webby Awards, Banksy has maintained a very low profile.

Banksy’s is a very influential figure even though we know very little about him. The style and message behind his work is often used to get a reaction from his audience. Banksy often does this to have a positive impact and provoke change in beliefs or to raise awareness on a certain issue.

“There's nothing more dangerous than someone who wants to make the world a better place.” Is a quote by Banksy. The quote is most likely based around himself and his own ideas. I feel this shows how dedicated he is to make a change in the world. The fact that he says “there’s nothing more dangerous” is almost threatening and relates to his illegal graffiti work he creates.

Banksy’s work makes you think and ask questions about the message he is trying to convey in the art and whether it might relate to yourself or what is happening in the world at the time. The piece by Banksy I have decided to look into more is the ‘follow your dreams cancelled’ work.

Banksy’s ‘follow your dreams cancelled’ is a great example of his work dealing with a current issue. Through this piece of art, Banksy is confronting and questioning social constructs and American ideals of either following your dreams or falling into, for example, the same boring jobs that most people end up doing for the rest of their life. I feel Banksy is trying to communicate to the American public about the so called American dream and how it has died in today’s society.

The American dream is a national ‘ethos of the USA where freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success’. In this piece I feel Banksy is displaying his thoughts and feelings on the American dream through a man who clearly isn’t living it himself. This shows a clear answer to my question and a link to US politics over the last 100 years as the term American dream was said to

be invented in 1931. I feel through his art it makes people think whether they are at all happy with what’s happening in their life and where it’s heading and possibly realise something about themselves and make a change. Banksy shows how his ideas and views on current issues and events through his work. I think this is shown strongly through his thought provoking work that makes us really question either ourselves or what is going on around us.

In the image, there is a white washed wall with the text 'follow your dreams' painted on the wall in messy writing. over the top of the text is the word 'cancelled' in a red box. The cancelled text appears to be pasted over the original text behind it. There is also a man standing next to it painted in black and white in the graffiti stencil style that Banksy is known for. The man looks miserable and is holding a bucket, brush and rolls of paper under his arm. I feel that this man is being used by Banksy to symbolise ALL OF THE American people who aren’t following their dreams. I get this impression as this man is literally putting a cancelled sign over following his dreams which is what Banksy is trying to suggest a lot of people are doing nowadays. They are cancelling and giving up on their dreams. Looking at the man and his facial expression makes you ask questions about him and his story. Has he cancelled his dreams? Why is he in black and white?

Why is he there? Where is he from? How old is he?‘Follow your dreams cancelled’ is a piece that shows how people do not follow their dreams and end up regretting it.

Banksy provokes a reaction from his audience by using controversial imagery and often creating scenes that people do not expect to see. Some examples of these contrasting images include children with guns and animals partaking in human activities such as riding bikes. This is what makes Banksy's work so effective as it has an element of satire and humour which makes his work recognisable and engaging to us as viewers. Shepard Fairey creates propaganda style work by using bold imagery of recognisable figures that will catch people’s eye. This makes his work very effective as it is always recognisable or relates to everyday people. He doesn't particularly use any

humour in his work, unlike Banksy’s juxtaposing imagery, but the stylised and stencil techniques both artists are recognised for have some similarities. The way they both use more simplified and unrealistic styles of picturing people is often used in poster and propaganda design. They both create contrasting portrait images of people however the difference in the style is how they use colour. Banksy only uses black and white in his images of people which focuses heavily on shadows and defining features whereas Fairey uses shades of different colours when picturing people to create depth. Using bright colours as appose to black and white will make for a more interesting design. Both artists have been seen to work on a large scale: Banksy with his Graffiti work on large walls and Shepard Fairey with his huge and eye-catching wall murals. The main similarity between the artists is that they both use create their work around and deal with current events and political issues in their work.

Banksy and Guy Catling both have some form of political message or idea within their artwork.

Banksy often has a humorous or satirical element to his work, usually consisting of unusual images that we are not used to seeing such as animals doing human activities or funny quotes whereas Catling does not. The main difference between them is how they create their work. Catling creates collages which are often created digitally whereas Banksy is a graffiti artist who creates, large scale, illegal graffiti work.

Russian Constructivist poster compared with some of Fairey’s

Shepard Fairey is an American contemporary street artist, illustrator, graphic designer. He is also the founder of OBEY clothing. His work has some clear links to Russian constructivism of the 1930s. Work produced in this style was often produced as a form of propaganda and there are many similarities both in the context and design of Fairey’s work when compared constructivism.

Both Fairey and the Russian constructivist artists used a very similar colour scheme and image style alongside bold contrasting typography. He creates a lot of illustrative work which often is produced on a large scale. His style mostly consists of bold images using contrasting colours and stylised imagery. Fairey has produced a lot of propaganda/ campaign work throughout his career that often is used to provoke a reaction from the audience. Shepard Fairey displays current events, mainly his political views, through his work. This is seen in his propaganda style posters that he uses to get a reaction or inspire people. He uses bold meaningful imagery and words/phrases to make the user think about the real meaning behind the work especially in the propaganda style posters.

Fairey’s Obama ‘hope’ poster is one of his most recognisable pieces alongside his "Andre The Giant Has a Posse" sticker campaign in 1989 which kick started his creative career. Fairey intended the Obey Giant to inspire curiosity and cause people to question their relationship with their

surroundings. The Obey giant website said "The sticker has no meaning but exists only to cause people to react, to contemplate and search for meaning in the sticker". This just proves how Fairey uses his work to influence and provoke any kind of reaction from his audience. His art is heavily influenced by politics and current events. These often include war, racism, equality, peace and the government/ presidential system and his work is mainly propaganda posters and campaigns.

His work all follows a similar style of using bold colours mainly red, white, black and blue. This piece was bound to cause a reaction as Fairey (has been arrested 15 times for graffiti) was working alongside the Obama presidential campaign. Fairey said "I’d like to do something for Barack Obama but I don’t want to create fuel for the Right to say ‘Look at the company he keeps". He says this as he knows that any opposing party would have been able to use Fairey against Obama’s campaign due to his bad reputation and run ins with the law.

The Obama 'Hope' poster was widely described as iconic and came to represent Barrack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. The main body of the work is a stylised portrait of Obamas face using red, shades of blue and an off-white colour. At the bottom of the image there is one word which has different variations. The most often used words are 'hope' and 'change'. He clearly uses these words to link to the powerful/determined look on Obamas face in the image to inspire the American population. A similar use of patriotic imagery has been seen in propaganda posters from great Britain in world war one and the USA who reproduced the same poster in world war two.

These posters were used to encourage people to fight using a bold image of a leading figure with text such as ‘your country needs YOU’. Although Fairey has used different words the patriotic message is still present and you could suggest that Fairey’s Hope poster is the modern day equivalent of these well-known war time propagandas. I feel that the image is inspiring and would

have had a great effect on the people seeing it during the campaign. It became used by the official Obama campaign after Fairey's great success through initially, independently printing and selling the work on the street. I think the fact that Obama is such a recognised figure it adds to the effectiveness of the work. Also the image he has chosen to use with the facial expression with him looking upwards and ahead implies a he is positive and determined. The bold colour blocks create a striking image that I think makes it more memorable than a simple photograph. The colours are also fitting to the message and ideas behind the images as the red white and blue symbolises the USA and the American flag, making the work very patriotic and inspiring.

The fact that Obama used Fairey’s art in the actual campaign makes his work probably the most fitting to my question. Fairey has used his art to have a huge effect on politics and a huge, worldwide event at the time.

Banksy and Guy Catling both have some form of political message or idea within their artwork.

This is shown in Banksy's quite literal messages within his work and Catling’s war photographs.

Banksy paints on walls whereas Catling creates digital art. They both deal with current events or issues and both take on a propaganda type style in their own ways. Both of their works are produced to get a reaction from people or to make people stop and think. Fairey doesn't particularly use any humour in his work unlike Banksy but the stylised and stencil techniques both artists are recognised for do have some similarities. Fairey and Catling again both deal with political themes within their work. Fairey’s work follows much more of a propaganda type theme than Catling’s as he sometimes uses bold words and titles which Catling does not.

I feel there is a strong correlation between early political cartoons and Victorian allegorical art and the artist’s work I have chosen to analyse in more detail. I see Banksy’s work to be very similar both visually and contextually to that of the political cartoons of early 20 th century. His combination of satirical imagery and quotes can clearly been seen also in the older political cartoons which I find particularly interesting. I feel the work of Catling and Fairey can quite clearly be linked to Victorian allegorical art especially the portraits of kings and queens when compared to Fairey’s Obama poster for example. Both posters show a leader who is portrayed through their facial expressions and image profile as being powerful, determined and somebody that people should look up to. Aside from the text in Fairey’s the overall image and composition is very similar in both the modern and much older portraits.

All artists have a theme of current/past events and all have their own ways of dealing with things that are happening or have happened around them. Also all of the artists have different methods of producing their work. Whether it be illegal graffiti or a mix of digital and non-digital illustration and design techniques. From this project I have realised how useful and effective art can be as a political platform, allowing people to share their views to the world through imagery alone. I feel it is particularly powerful that artists use their large followings to share their thoughts, possibly provoke a change in how their audience thinks. This can be seen from all of the artists and how they have shown their views on political events in the last 100 years through their artwork.

From looking at the subject matter of the artist’s work I decided to look into what was happening in the news of recent times. I came across a lot about US politics and especially Donald Trump and how some said he was running the country like a business. After taking some inspiration from Shepherd Fairey and some additional propaganda artists I decided to produce some propaganda that I feel would definitely spark a reaction wherever it was distributed.

I have produced an outcome that I feel relates to the question and the artists I have chosen. I have produced a propaganda piece which I feel would be distributed and viewed as Shepard Fairey’s ‘hope’ poster was. I decided to use the imagery of the monopoly character as symbolism of capitalism in power which I feel people might be able to link to Donald Trump. I also used a quote from him to back up the message behind the imagery as a way of opening people’s eyes to how some of the world’s leaders abuse their power. I feel it would work as this type of piece as it has bold imagery that would catch people’s eye and will also leave the user questioning the exact meaning behind it.

Bibliography https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepard_Fairey https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/28811.Banksy http://guycatling.tumblr.com/ http://www.banksy.co.uk/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banksy https://obeygiant.com/

Tom Wade