Thursday, 7 April 2011

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.

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