This second essay will look at 3 examples of socially or politically influential imagery in different contexts. Investigating the contents of the image, the techniques used and the overall effect the image has on the viewer.
Image 1 : Is a prime example of an Edward Bernays advertising campaign playing on the desire to be more attractive and in better shape. The picture shows a beautiful lady in front of the more overweight shadow or herself, thus suggesting that if you smoke you will be in better shape. At the top of the image it reads IS THIS YOU FIVE YEARS FROM NOW? A question aimed directly at the viewer, emotionally involving them and putting them on the spot,
‘when tempted to overindulge, REACH FOR A LUCKY STRIKE.’ The poster uses female insecurities to make money off tobacco sales. Using bright red text catches the eye and the woman has an enviable figure that is supposedly achievable through smoking lucky strikes. The thinner lady is looking directly at you with a cheeky smile, drawing you in, even attracting male customers with her beauty. Today this seems even more unpleasant as we are now aware of how harmful smoking is to the body, in the time of this ad campaign it was still believed to be healthy, reduce coughs and protect your throat. The overweight woman is in blue; a colour with sad or melancholy connotations. The image implies not only will you lose weight but you will also regain the colour in your life and feel happier. Everyone wants to feel happy and in better shape, we want to be attractive to attract a partner to eventually reproduce and start a family. Therefore this image plays to our instinctual human desires, all to just make money.
Image 2: Shepard Fairey’s ‘hope’ poster. Created during the 2008 electoral campaign the image became truly iconic. Depicting Barack Obama staring up and out with a pensive and powerful optimism. His gaze suggests determination and confidence. The colour scheme of the image is mainly red white and blue, the patriotic colours of the American flag. The use of red and blue also could represent the two main American political parties, democrats and republicans. Having them together on the poster might suggest a future attempt to unite the American people despite their preconceived political views. Also the use of white on Obamas face is interesting, suggesting that race is not important, Black white red or blue it is not how you look that is important within politics it is the content of your character and the conviction of your beliefs. I believe the use of colours suggest Obama would be a good president white or black and that race should play no part in it. Politics today has become more of a beauty contest trying to win over the general public with tricks and gimmicks like fancy suits, smooth faces or silly hair. What is really important is the message, what the politicians are saying, not how they look when they are saying it. The stencil aesthetic of the image gives it a DIY feel, stencilling being a popular form of creating intricate street art quickly. The fact that the image comes from an artist who started creating work some may call ‘graffiti’ or street art, makes the image seem more accessible for a younger generation. Graffiti and street art is heavily linked to youth culture and hip hop so when the creator of the urban brand OBEY and highly renowned street artist involves himself within politics it inspires young people to start thinking about it too. Politicians deliberately alienate themselves from the youth and lower-working classes using complex political jargon to further confuse and bewilder the uneducated masses, but imagery created by a youthful public street artist makes politics become something for any generation to think about. I think this was especially poignant after the years of George Bush being president, a time where I feel a large proportion of the American population were disillusioned with politics and Obama genuinely did represent a positive change and a hopeful future. It was the timing of the artworks creation that propelled it to global fame.
Image 3: is the most distressing one to look at. It highlights the brutality and the unjustness of Vietnam War. Hundreds of thousands of innocent people were killed and over 1.4 million humans died in countless inhumane and barbaric ways. This image documents the My Lai massacre which was an event of a mass murder of between 347 and 504 unarmed civilians in South Vietnam on March 16, 1968. The addition of the snippet from an American soldiers interview with a journalist talking about how even babies were murdered. The women had even been gang raped and mutilated. The text above and below the pile of bloody corpses is in a blood red colour. Representing the unnecessary blood spilt by the helpless victims. The composition of the image has the path leading off away from the corpses perhaps visually suggesting the path that could be taken to avoid such vile unjust murders from ever re-occurring. The original image was taken purely as a documentation of Vietnamese tragedies however the sub cultural art workers coalition used this image, added the text and mass released it. At the time where the true nature of what was happening in Vietnam was unknown to most of the American population this image became an iconic eye opener. It spoke out against the war and raised awareness to its atrocities.This image helped to bring down morale levels of the troops and the American people, thus leading to the final defeat and withdrawal of all troops from Vietnam.
All 3 of these images act as propaganda in the sense that they all have the intention of altering the viewer’s opinion, image 1; to sell you smokes, image 2; to influence voters in an election image 3; to make you realise the savage cruelty of war. Each of these images are persuasive and powerful.
Bernays, E.L. (1969) The engineering of consent. 3rd edn. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
Shepard Fairey, 2009. Art for Obama: Designing the Campaign for Change. 1st Edition. Harry N. Abrams.
Shepard Fairey, 2015. Covert to Overt: The Under/Overground Art of Shepard Fairey. First Edition, First Printing Edition. Rizzoli.
My Lai Massacre - Vietnam War - HISTORY.com
My Lai Massacre-En.wikipedia.org https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Lai_Massacre
No comments:
Post a Comment