core2ah

[core2ah]

#10

Ministry Of Health, Great Britian, WW2 Propaganda Poster

I have always been intrigued by the posters created in World War 2. Though there are many to choose I think this piece is a great example and tells a very interesting historical story.

During the war, the German military ran extensive carpet bombing campaigns throughout Europe, targeting large cities as to inflict damage not only on the manufacturing efforts, but to also the civilian population as a way create more reason for a Allied surrender. As a safety precaution mothers were told to send their children to the countryside away from important bombing targets in hopes that this would keep them away from the danger. In this graphic a ghostly Hitler is seen whispering to a mother who is most likely missing her children, to bring them back and staunch warning to not listen to him and leave them be.

I have always thought the juxtaposition of such a serious topic with the more playful drawings is both very effective and also creepy. From the more personal cursive font, to the the stern capitalized sans serif command it effectively communicates it's message. The faint line work on Hilter portraying him as a spirit in the wind and the more defined mother with happy children playing work great as objects of graphic design.

It must have been a very interesting job as the artist, with such a task of creating something that had potentially very real consequences if it did not succeed in its job. A long shot from what the artist probably ever thought they would be creating art for.

[core2ah]

#9

Wrestlemania 13, Bret Hart vs Stone Cold Steve Austin, I Quit Match

(DISCLAIMER: This is a bit of a nerd out, but this photo is iconic and does an amazing time of telling a story)

Engrained in my brain for most likely life, this photo from Wrestlemania 13 tells a story much more complex than it may appear. Coming into this event Hart was a babyface (wrestling for good guy) and Austin was a heel (wrestling for bad guy), but it was time for this to change. Austin had grown in popularity to a point it couldn't be denied and a push from the company was inevitable, adversely Hart's babyface role had grown stale and it was time for change to bring back viewers. The answer to both of these problems was the very rarely successfully pulled off double turn (babyface to heel and vice versa) in an I Quit match.

This photo captures the penultimate moment in which, in Harts signature sharpshooter finisher Austin attempts one last push to escape his fate with blood profusely running down his face, only to pass out. Showing he was too tough to say I Quit and would rather pass out.

You can see the intensity of this moment in the face of the wrestlers as well as the attention in the faces of the crowd, completely bought in to what they are watching.

[core2ah]

#8

J. M. W. Turner, The Slave Ship, 1840

Evoking powerful emotion, this painting is believed to be based on the Zong. The Zong was a slave ship in route to Jamaica, who's captain ordered 132 slaves to be thrown overboard when water was running low as to collect insurance money, which would not be covered if those slaves died of natural causes. It is believed that after hearing of this account and the court case that ensued after, Turner was inspired to depict these horrific events.

Coinciding with international abolitionist conventions being held in London in 1840, J.M.W exhibited this piece at the Royal Academy of Arts. Undefined lines with an emphasis on color, I believe this painting encapsulates the absolutely morally repugnant act in all of its chaos. The brush strokes seem quick and the red of the sky (a typhoon incoming) add to the intensity. You can not help but feel a sadness looking at this painting and for that I believe it fit into the movement which was aimed to evoke an emotional response to inhumane treatment to the slave trade.

[core2ah]

#7

RHYMEZLIKEDIMEZ,

This piece is of Mac Miller by the artist RHYMEZLIKEDIMEZ, who I discovered via instagram. A fan of music and of course art, this artist peaked my interest as he takes current musical artists and puts them into a world he has created of his own. Through the use of bright colors and lots of curves he creates something that I believe makes the viewer happier. As in this visual he takes the particular musician and makes a snapshot of that persons "vibe" which fills out the rest of the frame. From the nike box, koolaid and pizza, the don't trip hat to the lotus flower there are easter eggs for the fan.

This for myself as a graphic artist is inspiration. The eye for composition and creativity makes me feel joy. I also appreciate the depth in the graphic as I do feel like sometimes I feel trapped with a flat perspective maybe because of the use of the computer to create the graphics. Overall this artwork reminds me to have fun in the art I create and that I can portray the world as happy as I would like to see it.

[core2ah]

#6

During my walk I came across this bench being overtaken by plants. To me it was the perfect symbol of the fight between humans and the natural world around us. With the belief that we as humans are the apex or most important life forms, we have made changes to the environment around us to better suit us. With this comes the destruction of nature and the deployment of mass amounts of concrete. Despite this the plant in this photo has started to retake the area around it, slowly swallowing this bench. Much as nature would if humans were to no longer be around reclaiming what was once its own.

Even more with all of the muted tones around Texas State, the break of bright green is a very welcome treat.

Lastly the reflection of the crane in the window showing even more construction going on, to me continues the story of the battle nature has ahead of itself.

[core2ah]

#5

Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath, Keith Macmillan

Considered the first metal album ever released, the Black Sabbath cover art could be nothing else than the image chosen to represent the music inside. Shot at Maplehurham Watermill in Oxfordshire, abandoned and rundown at the time, Macmillan knew he found the right location to fit the bands dark sound. A sound in part created from Ozzy Osbourne's attempt to create horror music through lyrics and Tony Iommi's use of down tuned guitars caused by a need due to his injured fingers, the result was music that genuinely scared unprepared listeners of the day. Macmillan dressed his model in witchy attire, added some smoke machines and finally shot the picture with aerochrome film. This film was created for military use due to its infrared sensitivity and camouflage detection, created the perfect tone that pairs well with the graininess of the photo. I have always loved this album cover, seeing it for the first time in my dad's vinyl collection, I would stare at it. Partially scared, but also enticed to come in and listen. It's almost like the witch is coming for you, speaking to you with just a look.

I think the objective to encompass the album visually was perfectly executed as it is every bit as dark and eery as the music is itself.

[core2ah]

#4

Johnny Cash to the Warden, San Quentin, Jim Marshall

He was the Man in Black, a symbol against a society he believed ignored the marginalized. A man who felt a connection to those men locked away in a prison system that didn't care to help them. This began his series of infamous concerts in prisons for those men to let them know, if no one else, he was in their corner. In one said performance Jim Marshall asked cash for a photo for the warden, without hesitation Cash reacted and what was captured is a moment of anger and rebellion thats almost palpable. It's a feeling of being fed up with what you've going through, but you aren't giving up, you're fighting back.

Decades later in Cash's twilight, years removed from those prison performances and far removed from the limelight, Rick Rubin would step in to produce his comeback record. A record that would go on to win Grammy's, but to the surprise of everyone involved would receive no radio play by country radio stations. In response Rubin dug up this image and attached the phrase, "American Recordings and Johnny Cash would like to acknowledge the Nashville music establishment and country radio for your support." Showing that until the end Johnny Cash wasn't afraid to rebel.

[core2ah]

#3

Lee Gihun, Korea

With many of the harmful ways social media has affected society at large it is easy to forget the positive ways it has helped. One such way is the exposure it allows artists in not only being able to share, but also view works of art. I cannot remember exactly how I found this artist (maybe in a brain rot hole in the middle of covid) but I have been a fan since first glance. Lee Gihun uses mixed media to create works that skirt the line between fantasy and reality. The overall arching theme a critique of the human-centric manner in which much of the west views the world. The children are masked reflecting the conditions in the future, which allows one to reflect on the world today. There is something soft yet menacing, recognizable yet foreign in the artwork. A perspective of the world all his own, it inspires me in how I think about the world around me. Stuck in much of how the world views itself here, it reminds me to break that thought process and present the world in a way that may change someone else's outlook as well.

[core2ah]

#2

"Saturn Devouring His Son" Francisco Goya c.1820-1823

From the time I first viewed this late work from Goya I've been fascinated. It is an intensely dark work that never fails to leave me uncomfortable, but at the very same time drawn to it. Not commissioned but painted on the walls of his home in a hermetic like state, it is part of the 14 Black Paintings done by Goya that were never meant to see the light of day. This leads to where I believe the magic of the painting lies as I view this connects the painting to Goya's true feeling of the world around him he saw ravaged during the Napoleanonic Wars, as well as the state of his own mental health after serious health scares which included the loss of his hearing.

The painting depicts the Greek myth of Saturn eating his children to prevent the prophecy of one of them overthrowing his power as he had done to his own father. Interpretation explains the painting as Goya coming to grips with Spain having seen it devour its own youth in War with France, as well as an overall theme of how bleak he saw the world overall. Add a layer of Goya having a filter of only one of his six children surviving to adulthood would connect him it even more on a personal level.

This to me is a pure expression of an artists true self with the filter of all the things that the artist had endured leading to a disturbingly moving piece of art.

[core2ah]

#1

George Condo, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy Alt Cover

In 2010 George Condo received a call from Kanye West to collaborate for his upcoming album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. After meeting in person and listening to the album George created five different covers, this being one I always thought was really fitting. Using contrasting styles of cubism and classicism he was able to paint a scene that feels out of a Shakespearean drama that perfectly incapsulates the story being told in the album. One of a man who reaches a level of power that inevitably leads to his demise, such as the king who loses his head. It also poses the king with his eyes open symbolizing Kanye surviving the self imposed exile after receiving wide spread criticism following the infamous Taylor Swift VMA's moment.

I've always loved the color palette chosen as well as the ability to use contrasting styles to create the image. Kanye has made a career of weaving musical styles together in his music, so it is was in my opinion genius to also use this approach in the albums artwork.