task number 4

Semiotic analysis of an illustration after reading "Understanding Media Semiotics' by R. Danesi.

Keith Negley's illustration was for the New York Times' Book Review which was on Michael McGriff's book of poems called 'Home Burial'. The poems look at a series of different characters who have come to a low point in their lives, are facing problems at home or work, or are in a moral dilemma. They hold a rather depressing and bleak atmosphere about them which I think has been illustrated well by Negley. 

The illustration is of two figures, one lying in the bath and one sprawled across the floor, but it has been composed so that the figure on the floor has their face covered by the shower curtain, drawing attention to the anxious expression on the second figure's face. This suggests that this character has something on his mind, that maybe he has done something wrong or made a mistake and is now stressing over what action to take next. This idea is supported by the denotative qualities of his body language, he is clenching his arms around his chest which implies fear, as if he is looking for comfort in himself. 

The body language of the second figure adds to this, as he is sprawled across the floor, which in itself is unusual as it is not comfortable, which suggests he is not there by choice. We cannot see this characters face which immediately cuts off any connection with him and the audience, and there is a pool of red around where the head would be which has many connotations in itself. The colour red is often symbolic for blood, which then connotes death to the audience. Having the place of injury covered and just showing blood is a more subtle method of implying death without having to show grotesque imagery. 

The colour scheme very much aids in the sombre tone of the illustration, the colour blue often connotes cold, death, clinical and depression. This all begins to tell the story behind the image, the use of different symbols implies that the figure in the bath has killed the second figure, and is now realising he has made a mistake. The location of the scene adds to this, as bathrooms are rather cold and uncomfortable, yet this character is trying to find comfort here, laying in a bath attempting to create a barrier between him and the corpse, to lock himself away in the bath tub. The illustration initially seems like there is not a lot happening, but through deeper analysis of the different symbols and use of semiotics, a story begins to unfold. 

task number 3

Image Analysis

 Propaganda poster by Savile Lumley 1915

'Unlce Sam' Range Cookers Poster 1876

The text in the Lumley poster is set out as a question asked by a child to a father which instantly makes it more personal and relatable to fathers seeing the poster. Also the emphasis on the word ‘you’ makes it much more direct and reminds of the famous General Kitchener poster with his finger pointing directly at the viewer, picking men out to come forward and fight. The question is talking about the Great War as a past event, even though the poster was made during the war which implies that only good can come of participating in this war, that those who fight will come home safe. The text in the ‘Uncle Sam’s’ poster is much more recognisable as traditionally American, with the typically Western font alongside the numerous American stereotypes in the poster such as; the bald eagle and the excessive use of the American flag design, it provokes a strong implication of American patriotism.

The purpose of the ‘Uncle Sam’s’ poster is to advertise an ‘Uncle Sam’s Range’ cooker, though that is not immediately clear due to how much is going on in the image, and with such a strong sense of patriotism one might first think it is to do with fighting in the war or something similar. Certain details such as the clock being set between 1776 and 1876, which counts 100 years of American independence alongside the globe holding a long list of countries; Ireland, Italy, China with stereotypical food beneath each country, which suggests that America has also been feeding the world for 100 years and has done so with the use of ‘Uncle Sam’s’ cooker. The purpose of Lumley’s poster is quite different as it is not an advertisement, rather a propaganda poster persuading men to fight in the ‘Great War’. By including children in the image it intends to make those who did not put themselves forward to fight, feel guilty or embarrassed, but also put emphasis on how it is a noble and respectable act to fight for your country. By having the children reading books and playing with toy soldiers it implies that they would enjoy hearing stories of the Great War, and would expect to hear them from their father. The fact that the boy is playing with toy soldiers suggests that he too will eventually put himself forward to fight when needed, also, the soldiers are dressed in the uniform of the Buckingham Palace guards which emphasises the fact that by fighting you are saving your country and your beloved queen, so pushing this idea of patriotism.

The target audience for both posters are fairly similar; both are aimed at middle or higher class men. This is evident in the ‘Uncle Sam’s’ poster from the way all the figures are dressed, the room they are dining in and the fact they are being served by someone from a working class, suggests that this cooker is not something everyone will be able to afford. Also, by having the man at the centre of the image and the women in the background, gaining much less attention it implies that men who buy this cooker will have a vastly improved American lifestyle. The Lumley poster is aimed at men in a higher class, which is evident from the well dressed fashion of the man in the poster, but it is also aimed at fathers who do not want to seem cowardly or embarrassed in front of their family, who are being persuaded to go to war for noble reasons.

task number 2

Is there a Fine Art to Illustraion?

Kathe Kollwitz - 'Woman with Dead Child' 1903
Though Kollwitz is considered a fine artist, I find that much of her work, including this piece, does contain illustrative qualities. Her work relates a lot to her own life and depicts experiences of her own, in this piece for instance; she lost a son during WW1 and then a grandson during WW2 as well as her siblings when she was young, so loss of a child became a very sensitive issue to her which is evident in her work. But she makes her work relatable to others who have also experienced loss due to war, poverty or who are going through similar feelings of depression that she went through. Her work definitely conveys these emotions in quite a narrative fashion which I think blurs the line between fine art and illustration.

task number 1

We have been set our first task in our Context of Practice module, which has been to show 5 images that communicate my interests in terms of my creative influences:

http://www.origindesignstudio.co.uk/blog/world-architecture-soviet-russia-part-one.html

ARCHITECTURE. I love to depict buildings and structures in my drawings, but in particular, Soviet and Constructivist architecture. I find it so striking and creative compared to much architecture we see. Reminds me of sets you would see in science fiction films. But I am also intrigues by the history behind a lot of these buildings, to do with the Soviet revolution and how that effected creativity.

 Wes Anderson - Rushmore 1998
http://www.blu-raydefinition.com/reviews/rushmore-criterion-collection-blu-ray-review.html

FILM. I think the films I watch feed a lot into my work. I particularly love the films of Wes Anderson (like Rushmore, the Dargeeling Limited) they are so well thought out and beautifully filmed - he pans the camera a lot to allow for the scenery to be fully appreciated. It is his attention to detail which I think really makes the films, which I like to try and do with my work, make sure the little details are not forgotten - to not just look at the bigger picture.

 JG Ballard's High Rise 1975
 LITERATURE. I also find the books I read filter a lot into my work, I am really interested in dystopian fiction, thinking about what changes could affect society and also questioning the way we live. I find it links well with the drawings I like to do of quite brutalist architecture. Some of my favourite books are JG Ballard's High Rise, Orwell's 1984, Philip K Dick's Do Anderoids Dream of Electric Sheep.

 Photograph taken by Nick Ut
HISTORY. It is a subject I regret not carrying further because I always want to find out more about past events, it intrigues me to see how people used to act and how that has influenced how we act today and whether we actually learn from mistakes.

 http://www.maths.surrey.ac.uk/hosted-sites/R.Knott/Fibonacci/fibnat.html

NATURE. I find it amazing how the world works, the way everything seems to fit so perfectly in this massive ecosystem, and the way maths has filtered into it all so that we can use that to understand the world. I find that it is all the little details in nature are so interesting to discover and depict.