Week five

Newspaper article from the guardian about Portugal's economic plight

click on title above to access article and video

This article reflects the growing economic crisis within the euro zone which is gathering momentum despite the best efforts of the international monetary fund to stabalise and halt the prospects of Portugal having to declare itself bankrupt.

Week four

Discussion of what I have done this week, focusing on gathering and analysing research

Week three

Time plan

Experimental samples in specialist areas
Continue research into conflict
Visit galleries and exhibitions

I have not yet had an opportunity to visit the galleries because a trip from college was cancelled. However, I intend to go with a small group at some point in the near future.

I started to produce samples. The first one was based on a photograph of a plug sockett, which I turned in to an abstract representation of the human form. I also did a college based on a Muslim soldier who was on drugs. I deliberately displayed it in a disjointed form to convey the mental break up of the subject, but also the break up of Yugoslavia. I wanted to make people think.
I have expressed ideas of man as machine, with buttons to stop and go; GO and was starts. STOP and it ends. I also looked at the break down of a country resulting in the mental breakdown of its population. Although I feel my painting skills are limited, I think the validity and relevance of contents is honest, simple to understand and makes the point. It takes me to where I am going, with regards to the brief.

Whilst conducting research this week I looked at a number of cartoons, portraying and mocking war based conflicts.

This video of Charlie Chaplin made 2 years before the second world war, brings home the message that pursuit of profit is tied up with domination and war.
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=charlie+chaplin+pictures+the+great+dictator&docid=526817953223&mid=4195848822186A5FFD884195848822186A5FFD88&FORM=VIRE1&adlt=strict#

This article from the telegraph which was released February this year states that economic tensions may lead to civil, or even world wars. Again this would suggest that it is economic conflict that drives, or leads to war.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/globalbusiness/8296987/IMF-raises-spectre-of-civil-wars-as-global-inequalities-worsen.html

My main conclusion for this week is that war and economic conflict are highly interlinked. This led to the production of a painting entitled 'tears, screams and profits.' This will help me to experiement with the portrayal the link between the economic crisis, ordinary citizens and war.

Right-wing radio duck hits the net - Opinion - Al Jazeera English

Right-wing radio duck hits the net - Opinion - Al Jazeera English Economic crisis cartoon

I feel that this cartoon illustrates the currectn economic crisis by taking an iconic american character to tell the story of the effects of the economic crisis on individuals, and how blame is placed on them. I feel that the cartoon is quite relevant to our current situation: blame placing and loss of housing etc.

Week two

Time plan:

Complete project proposal
Continue research into conflicts
Begin to produce experimental samples in sketch book
Tutorials
Work on reflective diary.

I did complete my project proposal toward the end of this week. I was happy with the outcome of my brief, I feel it explains where I want to go effectively.

I started more thorough research into conflicts mainly focusing on war, looking at artists such as Goya and Peter Howson and by researching into the Bonsian conflict. The main thing that was portrayed in the media and the work of the Howson (who was comissioned by the Imperial War museum) were ethnic cleansing, which reminded me of the German consentration camps. This lead me back to Goya who, in the midst of the Nepolionic war, produced a series of prints that expressed the horrors and beastilaity of war, which were also present in the work of Howson.
Looking at these artists, as well as the Chapman b-rothers and Picasso's Gurnica, I decided that I wanted to stay away from these themes which has been looked at many times. I wanted to draw a conclusion about what war really meant. Blackness, horror and tears, but underlying this expansion and pursuit of profit.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Disasters_of_War

Having looked at a number of painters, and old broadcasts and newspapers, as well as informeation on the internet I drew the conclusion that, basically war is Black and destructive.

I spent most of my time conducting this research, but did start to produce some samples focusing on reproducing work by the artists I have named above. This was an exercise in attempting to develop my technical painting skills. I felt the images portrayed something powerful and I wanted to capture this. I think I was partly successful in this endeavor. The images I produced clearly capture the original and their emoitional content.

Reproduction of painting by Peter Howson

Reproduction of Muslim Fighter on Drugs by Peter Howson

I kept focusing back on the brief to make sure I stayed on topic and did not become overwhelmed by the potential vastness of my subject.

I started to collect information for this reflective diary.

Week One

Time Plan:
Write project proposal and word process.
Begin primary and secondary research into project theme, take photos, and begin sketchbook and journal.
Undertake tutorials.

Reflection
A start was made on my project proposal. I had to think in terms of what subject matter I was going to attempt to deal  with and how I would present it. I started to generate ideas and settled on the theme of conflict. I started to look at a range of conflicts and make a decision as to which ones were relevant to today, but also link to the past. I wanted to link the past, the present and arising future conflicts, so I chose to look at war, industrial conflict and economic conflict as my main areas of influence.

The depth of my initial idea was vast, and tutors suggested that I narrow it down but I felt that I wanted to give an overview and am now clear of the direction in which I want to go. I aim to give a brief overview of conflicts of war, industry and economics, and bring these subjects their basic elements.

My brief took longer to write than I expected because my tutors did not fully grasp what I wanted to say, and although they gave me some good advice there was a subsequent delay. After having tutorials with several different tutors I managed to communicate my ideas effectively and began to construct my project proposal.