The Work of Jamie Reid
Jamie Reid
‘God Save the Queen’
[pic]
‘Anarchism is generally defined as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations,’ this is very clearly one of the main driven forces behind the work of Jamie Reid as well as the punk culture of the era. In this piece I will look at probably the most iconic punk images, the cover of God Save the Queen by the Sex Pistols which Reid created.
My initial reaction to the Jamie Reid piece is that I like the vibrancy of the colours and the distinct patriotic feel that it gives me. But I am repelled by the distant and de-faced image of the queen making her identity seem hidden and mysterious.
The image itself is of an English flag which has a black and white image of the queen in the middle. It seems like a much younger image of the queen, the iconic image that is on sterling. It shows off the crown jewels and her expensive jewellery. However the eyes and mouth of the queen have been defaced by a black box, which looks as if it could have been torn out and replaced with the words God Save the Queen, Sex Pistols which appear to have been cut out of newspaper also. This gives the image a much more grunge look, perhaps linking the image to the punk rock fashion period of the 70’s by Vivienne Westwood. The idea of using newspaper gives it a more colloquial feel than what would usually be associated with the higher class of the Queen. It almost seems like Reid wants to make a mockery of the Queen and the patriotic country of England through this piece of work.
The image has minimal colours used, which are basic primary colours. The ratio of the different colours is fairly equal making it seem balanced and very blocky. The colourful flag contrasts to the tonal black and white image of the Queen, making the image strong and symbolic. The flag appears like it is creased in some places which are why I think it could be a real fabric flag and not just a painting or print. I think it could have been done using screen
‘God Save the Queen’
[pic]
‘Anarchism is generally defined as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations,’ this is very clearly one of the main driven forces behind the work of Jamie Reid as well as the punk culture of the era. In this piece I will look at probably the most iconic punk images, the cover of God Save the Queen by the Sex Pistols which Reid created.
My initial reaction to the Jamie Reid piece is that I like the vibrancy of the colours and the distinct patriotic feel that it gives me. But I am repelled by the distant and de-faced image of the queen making her identity seem hidden and mysterious.
The image itself is of an English flag which has a black and white image of the queen in the middle. It seems like a much younger image of the queen, the iconic image that is on sterling. It shows off the crown jewels and her expensive jewellery. However the eyes and mouth of the queen have been defaced by a black box, which looks as if it could have been torn out and replaced with the words God Save the Queen, Sex Pistols which appear to have been cut out of newspaper also. This gives the image a much more grunge look, perhaps linking the image to the punk rock fashion period of the 70’s by Vivienne Westwood. The idea of using newspaper gives it a more colloquial feel than what would usually be associated with the higher class of the Queen. It almost seems like Reid wants to make a mockery of the Queen and the patriotic country of England through this piece of work.
The image has minimal colours used, which are basic primary colours. The ratio of the different colours is fairly equal making it seem balanced and very blocky. The colourful flag contrasts to the tonal black and white image of the Queen, making the image strong and symbolic. The flag appears like it is creased in some places which are why I think it could be a real fabric flag and not just a painting or print. I think it could have been done using screen
Bibliography: http://www.google.co.uk/images (accessed 20/11/2011) http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna (accessed 20/11/2011) http://www.artrepublic.com (accessed 20/11/2011) http://www.jamiereid.org (accessed 20/11/2011) http://www.wikipedia.co.uk (accessed 20/11/2011) http://www.punkflyer.com/jamiereidartwork.html (accessed 20/11/2011) http://www.opus-art.com/artists/JamieReid (accessed 20/11/2011) http://www.eddielock.co.uk/index.php?cPath=83_88 (accessed 20/11/2011)