Picture Critiques (Rraw)

Banksy- Elephant in the room

This image is an elephant that is painted in the same pattern as the wallpaper in the room it is displayed in. Their decor is reminiscent of the renaissance era, giving it the posh/ sophisticated feel the elephant is obviously out of place. This reminds me of a creature that has been taken out of its environment and made into a spectacle, it is cruel to paint a living elephant and make it your art work but it also brings up the idea of people not wanting to bring up big issues that are obvious by painting over it with words and ignoring it this relates to issues in our world that people don’t agree on but won’t put their hand up to change. The elephant in the room within this exhibition was, Banksy graffiti artist but he is able to have an exhibition of his work. This brings up the issue of people not addressing issues because they are ashamed to speak up. I like this work because I think it is a clever play on words as well as being a daring piece of work that is willing to bring up its ideals even though it is controversial.

 Francesca Woodman - Space²

This is an image of a person who is blurred, it gives of the feeling that this person if ethereal and the surroundings are damp and lackluster. This reminds me of a person who is moving on since they are moving towards the light it is almost as the person is a spirit that is on its way to the next life but is tormented by its surroundings that want to imprison it. It makes me wonder if the artist was contemplating what it would be like to be a ghost. This work doesn't bring up issues because it is an open work that doesn't have a set message so it could be interpreted in different ways. I like the Ideas I get from this work but it is a bit too abstract for my taste in art, I like the techniques that the artist has used and the thoughts that the artist has built up by my question this work

 Frank Miller- Sin City

This is a black and white drawing of a man walking through the rain in a trench coat. There are only 3 colours in this image, red, black and white. It gives the feeling of being sorrowful, dark and damp, almost like the man is the image death walking towards his next victim. It gives me the idea of being part of a story because the image does not seem complete, from this image it seems to be a sad story full of violence and intrigue while his clothing gives it the film noir aspect. This brings up the theme of noir films but in a comic state and with more violence due to the look on the man’s face and the fact that he has a gun, it is ominous. I like this image because it gives me a gritty feel, so it will most likely about a story that will interest me, the narrative of the image is also interesting it make me wonder where the man is headed and what he is about to do.

 Sheppard Faeiry- Obama Hope Poster

This is an image of a man who is in four different saturated colours, red, light blue, cream and dark blue. It looks dated and saturated because of the colour scheme.  It is an image of a political leader who is cast in the light of a hero due to the high contrast colours defining his face like a revolutionary. Obama is seen as a symbol of hope for the future and a better America, The artist makes him red and white even though in reality he is black, this make me wonder if the artist is trying to say even though he is black he stands for us all so people won’t be voting for him just because he is black. This raises the issue of people putting their hopes in someone who is promising to make their lives better through the choices he will make. I like this work because of the texture the artist uses and the look the saturated colours give to the poster, I am indifferent about the message this gives. 

Tom French -Skull

This image is a grey scale skull when you look at it initially with curved edges that are embedded into the dark background. When looking closer the images of two women sleeping on a bed are visible inside the skull, this forms an optical illusion with the ruff shading forming the blurred boundaries between the two interlaced images. The skull reminds me of death and the two people inside remind me of living. I interpret the image as life within death because the two people are inside the skull; it gives me the idea that death is an illusion of life since when you look at death closely you will see life. This Brings up the issue that society has with being so afraid of death that they aren’t trying to live. I like this work because it touches on an issue that everyone has, the idea of death seeming larger than life is something that everyone can relate but this art work shows us that it is not as important as living your life. I like the aesthetic, I think it looks interesting and I admire the technique that went into the image.