Socio Political Art
Socio political issues affect personal opinions; these often result in artworks, protesting authorities and sending messages to the public. Socio Political art is a conceptual expression of an idea. This style of art focuses on communication, reflecting socio political events transpiring during the time and allowing the audience to convey the artist’s response. Ben Quilty produced Captain S after Afghanistan and Self Portrait after Afghanistan 1 after being commissioned by the Australian Government to go to Afghanistan and illustrate the war on terror. Pablo Picasso was inspired by the war to paint his Weeping Woman, however he was also commissioned by the Spanish Government to produce a mural in memory of the Spanish Civil War. These artists are contrasted with Banksy, an anonymous street artist who chooses to illustrate messages through graffiti, artworks such as Balloon Girl and I Love You display deep meanings though simplistic. These artists present the whole picture of socio political art, from being commissioned to anonymous graffiti. Captain S after Afghanistan is oil on linen painting by Ben Quility after his journey into the Afghanistan War, commissioned by the Australian Government. Between October and November 2011 Quilty was exposed to the reality of war, experiencing firsthand an emergency situation with Captain S and his soldiers. Quilty was humbled by the soldiers’ strengths but respects the human nature tucked away from the media. The structural frame of this piece consists of a man in a vulnerable pose, lying down. The thick brushstrokes used to paint his muscles and face resembles the strength carried throughout the body and mind. Ben Quilty’s colour pallet evokes a form of power to the subject, using reds, blues and greys to contrast each other, creating the feeling of depression or pain. The subject in the painting is not the same man who left. this is embodied in his incomplete limbs. The hardships faced can be seen from the
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