Name: Maria Comerford Student Number: P151996 Course: Illustration Title: Memoriam: How Art is the True Subjective Narrative to a Conflicted World Word Count: Tutor: Louise Burston Memoriam A Latin phrase meaning "in memory of". In this essay, I want to describe how artwork is one of the prime resources of information within a time of darkness or confusion. How imagery leads to a more black and white case compared to stories that over time become warped like a game of Chinese whispers. I also want to look at how art depicting great moments in time is always subjective and emotionally charged and can never be truly objective without any sort of bias. A quick example of how art can be the perfect vessel of lost information, Lars Andersen (b.1964) a Danish artist started to become interested in LARP-ing (Live Action Role-Playing). He is a known archer, renowned for his records in speed shooting. He started studying the art of archery back in 2005 where he would carry his arrows in a quiver, commonly depicted in big Hollywood films. He quickly began to realize this wasn't effective in quick range shooting. This began his studying of one-handed technique which he first noticed throughout Syrian artwork dated around 5000 years ago. He then found this to be written in the classical text of 'Arab Archery' where this technique is quoted to be "the strongest form of archery". Though he found it to be within the text he found studying imagery of the time and skill he found it to be much more telling and abundant to see the artwork depictions as it gave much more insight and depth to the practice. AIDS/HIV: Keith Haring (b.1958-1990) "Unfinished Painting" (1989) A self-portrait he had started knowing that due to his battle with HIV/AIDS he would die before seeing a more established creation. Controversially, despite only being a top left-hand corner piece, it was considered to be a finished portrait. He started this piece fully understanding that he'd never be able to 'complete' his work. He produced this work in lieu of the many other LGBT artists who would start work only to never see the completion or fruition of their work due to the governments' inactivity in reaction the AIDS epidemic. Felix Gonzalez-Torres (b.1957-1996) "Untitled" (A Portrait of Ross in L.A) (1991) conceptual art installation located in the Art Institue of Chicago. The work consists of multiple pieces of individually wrapped pieces of candy (proportionate to 171 lbs) to represent his late partner's ideal body weight. He encouraged people to take a piece when visiting to represent the loss of weight and loss of his love. Aside from the idea of loss, he emplored people to replace the piece they would take to replenish the collection and have the piece to be sustainable and permanent in the memory of him and to continue the legacy. While he stated it wouldn't necessarily matter if the piece were to completely disappear as it would represent the fleeting of time and how we are only a speck on the larger timeline of life and how quickly we can fade from memory. FEMINIST ART: Kathleen Gilje (b.1945) is a painting restorator. She is well known for her restoration work and uncovering using an x-ray on the work "Susanna and the Elders" by female painter Artermisia Gentileschi. Artermisia Gentileschi (b.1595-1656) was an Italian Baroque painter and is considered to be one of the most accomplished painters of that generation alongside figures like Caravaggio. "Susanna and the Elders" is a story of a young woman stuck between sexual abuse and death. Susanna, approached by two elders who leave her with the choice between spreading rumours and lies about her 'infidelity' against her husband - which at the time could be punishable by death or her alternative fate would be for her to have to lay with the men against her will. She uncovered this more graphic white lead painting depicting the men holding her at knife-point and her writhing in sheer anguish, raising her arm in self-defense from their advances. Gentileschi was known for her depictions of female figures in old fables suffering. This was also said to tell her own story of the rape and abuse she had received from her former tutor - Agostino Tassi. Gentileschi became an artist in an era where many females were not easily accepted into the field of art. Prevalent in the text "The Story of Art" by E.H. Gombrich; which features a variety of artists while only featuring one female figure. The art historian and feminist Linda Noclin (b.1931-2017) in her iconic 1971 feminist essay "Why Have There Been No Great Female Artists?" she criticised Gombrich's book for its lack of female creators despite plenty of astounding female visionaries i.e Gentileschi. In this essay, she poses the question that if you have to tell me about a female creator, you have already proven her point on the lack of coverage of female creators within a male-dominated field. Laura Mulvey (b.1941) in her 1975 essay "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema" she coined the phrase the 'male gaze' based on Sigmund Freud's theory on scopophilia and builds on it by suggesting how the objectification of women within media. Gentileschi's work challenges this directly compared to many male artists of the era. When comparing her depiction of the story of "Susanna and the Elders"(1610) compared to the artist rendition done by Giovani Frencesco Barbieni's 1650's piece in which Susana is depicted far more passive and less distraught by the situation in contrast to even the tamed version of Gentileschi's work. Another controversial piece by Gentileschi; "Judith Slaying Holofernes"(1614-20) which is a tale of a merciless commander who partook in pillaging and raping many women, Judith, with the help of a handmaiden restrains the resting Holofernes and both using their combined weight and determination overpower the hulking man and decapitate him. Gentileschi depicts the two with determined expressions, both trying their hardest to rid the world of this horrid man. Many other depictions of this tale either shows Judith to be meek, demure or cherub-like and disgusted by her own actions or are cartoonish in their depiction of this violence against men- almost diminishing the act. In Gentileschi's graphic depiction of the killing, Judith is shown to be determined to bring on vigilante justice. Gentileschi shows the handmaiden aiding the killing, many believe this to be her own admission to how she didn't harbour any hate towards her own abuser's staff; who when she would cry out for help, would ignore her. She wanted to focus on the binding of womanhood in the commonality of disregard towards them by men and how they should aid and embrace each other against their enemies instead of making enemies within their own ranks. PROPAGANDA: One of the most recognisable pieces ever is probably J.M Flagg's (1917) poster of "Uncle Sam" which was based on the 1914 British poster "Lord Kitchener Wants You"; both used to recruit soldiers for both World War 1 and World War 2. Propaganda is a strong tool for manipulation, using nationalism, scare tactics, misinformation, and scapegoats in order to politically charge and divide people. Those who did not want to go to war, due to family, insecurities and or fear would be portrayed as cowards and traitors to the nation. Families would be turned against and isolate members who didn't conform to this cookie cutter idea of what it meant to be part of the country through these dire times of stress, strife, and conflict. A prime example of propaganda used as a tool to warp and skew public opinion would be Hitler's regime of scapegoating Jewish citizens as the enemy. Many posters circulated throughout German pre-WWII and during would depict Jewish people using gross characterisations. Many posters depicting them as greedy characters with exaggerated anti-semetic features. These campaigns would lead to believe a crumbling and now revived Germany, pulled together by Adolf Hitler's work would suggest the reason and true enemy be Jewish communities being the true rulers and puppeteers of it all. Although many nowadays would separate ourselves from the idea that these posters would have such an impact and many would comment that it would be ridiculous to believe this to be true, you still can see this ideology throughout America, where there are many who believe Jewish people to be running Hollywood (and therefore media, the public mind). However, this is true many Jewish immigrants went into the media industry as there was still so much stigma against them despite America's ideas on how separate their ideologies were from Hitler, they would restrict jobs from Jewish people and the only open and welcoming market for them was within Hollywood and films. This would be echoed almost word for word in David Icke's (b.1952) 'lizard people' theories throughout the 1990's. Although on the face seeming absurd and almost comical to compare the Queen of England to a secret reptile, many draw conclusion towards this almost childlike imagery to the same hidden figures conspiracy that Hitler would suggest almost 50 years previously. Icke being a strong Holocaust denier leads to murky waters, because as funny and carefree his ridiculous theories may seem, giving voice to such a figure- even being as a joke, still launches his ideas to a new age of people who can be just and vulnerable as post-World War I Germany and may just take his words to heart. CONCLUSION: Within this range of topics and time frames, I wish to explore how art has influenced thought and portrayed times of deep anguish and grief through visual media. How this true form of expression can be used to describe a multitude of stories with little to any true clear narrative. Using fables to explore and confront abusers and tell personal battles and triumphs while still reaching a broader audience with a whole different concept and grasp on the topic while being able to bridge the gap between knowledge in how some may not relate or empathise with one's own story while viewing a broader scope and universal tale can grow to understand and relate and further feel empathy towards the more personal tale once not known. It's easier to describe a piece that is encouraged to be picked apart and taken away as a loss before describing the hurt of losing one's loved one to a preventable yet untouched illness just because of who you are. Using artwork from these different times not only gives you perspective to a world you may never have truly envisioned, it gives you depth and a deeper understanding as to what it was like and how it must have felt to try and communicate these thoughts verbally when they have to be encased in resin for anyone to truly recognise or acknowledge what it felt to be apart of such trying times. How the tales told from word of mouth only become exasperated and diminished over time, visual representation stays true to the intent. References Faris, N. and Elmer, R. (1945). Arab archery. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. Gombrich, E. (n.d.). The Story of Art. Phaidon. Leighninger, R., Hess, T. and Baker, E. (1977). Art and Sexual Politics: Why Have There been No Great Women Artists?. Contemporary Sociology, 6(3), p.303. Mulvey, L. (1975). Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. Screen, 16(3), pp.6-18. The Story Behind Lars Andersen's New Level of Archery Video. (2015). Men's Journal.