My new creation, “The Massacred Earth” is about the brutalities of war and hatred in this world and its effects on the environment. I have used the concept of massacres and killing to show the effects of hatred and bloodshed in this world and the horrific effects of death and fatalities on human kind and the atmosphere. I have decided to display skulls to depict the ill effects of war causing loss of life and the deadly pollution it causes to the earth. Thus, in this artwork of mine, I aim to underline and emphasize the crucial and devastating effects of war on human life, environment and pollution.
Imagining this creation was indeed not an easy task since I wanted to depict two harmful effects of war on this earth; the harm to human life and secondly, the harm to the environment of the earth. Both the effects of war are irreversible terribly destructive and through the use of army brown color, I have tried to symbolize war in the creation. I have planned to include lights and flash bulbs in the globe to depict explosions of nuclear bombs and weapons of mass destruction used in wars.
I have used different colors in the globe to indicate the different countries and their state with regard to war. For instance, I have used the pink color for Iran, to show that it could be advancing towards war. Similarly, the use of black for Iraq indicates the massive destruction occurred in the country. The use of colors for different countries has thus been thoughtfully selected to depict the situation of that country with regard to war, bloodshed and human suffering. In this creation of the globe, I have also added more texture and color through the use of darker shades of blue and gray. The additional flashlights mentioned earlier depict the constant explosions around the globe. The knife struck in the center of the globe illustrates how the war and hatred have sliced the earth and have not only distanced humans from one another, but most importantly man, have created a rift between man and the environment. The addition of the war weapon, the knife, into the globe is used symbolically to depict that the globe has been brutally stripped of its environmental and natural beauty. I have used specific color schemes for different countries, for instance, shades of pink to show that Iran could be advancing towards war and, blue and brown for India to show how the country is peaceful, yet, has to fight the risks and dangers of terrorism form other countries.
Contextual Research
The earth and its peace and harmony are completely shattered by the wars which occur in the different regions of the world. I have aspired to depict this through the black cover of oil on the surface of the earth and have done so by camouflaging the background of the globe in three distinct colors, primarily brown and army color. This is because, in today’s’ world, armies are highly important and significant. The red color of blood on either side of the army colors, distinctly show that the army and wars have a direct effect on human lives and in the destruction of the earth’s environment. I have shown this through the mosaic photo collage which is highlighted by the black oil background around the entire globe.
The recent wars especially in the gulf region have resulted in the loss of lives of millions including the terrible loss to property and environment. These wars have not only resulted in terrible pollution but also tremendous loss to life and humanity. The pollution caused in the oceans and seas due to these wars has witnessed some terrible devastation, which have never been seen in the history of mankind. The loss of oil, which is a depleting reserve, was immense. My creation serves to highlight the ill effects of war on the environment and I have tried to show these effects in my creation of the globe. The “massacred” globe illustrates the long lasting devastation of these wars on the lives of the millions of innocent individuals directly and through the environmental pollution, all the world over. This has been depicted through my creation by the use of similar color schemes and techniques in the art work.
Self Assessment
When I began work on this creation, I distinctly had in mind that I wanted to depict the loss to environment and its related effects on human life, through this art work of mine. I had decided that I would strongly reflect my emotions towards war and blood shed, and accordingly I chose the theme and form. The previous experiences of creating artworks were, I must admit, much more difficult than this particular piece. In his creation, I realized that the difficulties I faced were lesser and not as severe as my other creations. My self confidence has improved tremendously and this has certainly reflected in this creation.
The look of the creation is much neater as my ability to work with different materials has improved tremendously. For instance, I can now work with glue in a much neater and cleaner manner than before. I am also able to visualize very clearly, what I desire and give it an appropriate shape which is very similar to what I had mentally planned. Thus, I can say with pride, that my practice and hard work has enabled me to get closer to perfection in my present art work.
The idea of creating the globe is similar but the theme projected is different. I decided to make the globe with a knife thrust in it and this has enabled me to depict exactly what I feel. As always, the difficulties encountered in the creation of this globe were immense. I had great problems in working with gypsum and cutting the Styrofoam so that the globe would fit into it perfectly. Each time, I had to use a hot knife so that the Styrofoam would be cut with in order to fit the plaster of the earth with precision and accuracy. I even burned my hands several times while doing this.
I had to cover the entire mosaic structure with blood and even ensure that the skulls were covered by the color red. Using black paint around the globe and to merge this with the red paint over the skulls was indeed a challenging task. Placing the toy figure of a killer on the globe to make the globe look more real and to bring about the coordination between the between war and the environment, was cumbersome, since the toy had to be placed and fixed very firmly. The blood effect was also achieved with great difficulty, since I had to ensure that the precise color of blood was used. When the appropriate paint was over and I had to make new supply for depicting blood, the new color would be different from the previous one, and I had to make the entire color and re paint all over again in order to maintain consistency through the entire art work.
Thrusting a hot knife into the Styrofoam and through the center of the globe was definitely not an easy task, and this is where I will differ from my earlier creation. I had to be extremely careful with the knife part, since even a small mistake may destroy my entire creation. Once, while thrusting the knife, my globe slit open into two pieces, and I was almost I tears, since after the completion of the final part, my creation was ripped open. I felt as though the knife had ripped open my heart which was now bleeding like the globe. At this instance, I realized what the almighty must be going through to see all of His creation, humans, earth, environment, being destroyed by man. Nevertheless, I began working on the creation once again, and re-did the entire creation once again. Through the confidence gained from my earlier work, I am sure to achieve this as well. The creation of skulls all over the earth, depict the looming dangers of war over the entire globe. I have achieved these and the many effects through the use of glue, which I have now mastered, with regard to neatness and precision.
The look of the entire creation is definitely neater and cleaner, and the mess that I now make during my creation is also greatly reduced. With the new creations and techniques, I now aspire to complete my works with much more pre planning than before and also aim to be neat and clean. Since, I have now achieved the ability to plan mentally the flow of ideas is also more enhanced than before. I am able to design my thoughts and to ensure that my work proceeds in accordance with my imagination. The creation of the globe with the desired material was difficult once again, however, this time I was able to achieve better finish. The overall look of the globe satisfied me tremendously. The use of paint to illustrate different ideas has also greatly improved and the combination of glue and paint was extremely successful this time too.
Formal Analysis
The use of art elements in the creation of the globe depicts the idea beautifully. For instance, the shape of the globe and the texture depict the true globe. The colors used in the creation are true and rich and with the sole purpose of depicting the embedded idea of the devastating effects of war and bloodshed. The symmetry and line has been maintained through the use of paint to distinguish the distinct man made boundaries on the globe. The shapes and colors used for the creation of the skull are used to depict death and devastation through the activities of man.
The principles of art have been maintained through the use of variety by way of different colors of paint. The contrast of the lighter shades of blue and pink alongside the darker shades of brown and black displays the deep and devastating nature of man’s activities. This time I have used the knife thrust through the center of the globe to emphasize the ill effects of war on humans and pollution. The haze has been created through the appropriate use of brown black color and depicts the effects of oil and pollution on the surface of the earth. Balance has been achieved through the color contrasts used in the creation. When looking carefully at my art work, I realize that I have been successful at reinforcing the central message I am trying to convey through this work of art. One look at my creation sends the crucial message that the earth is in grave danger due to wars. The ill effects of these activities have been well depicted and illustrated in my creation through the use of the knife, skulls and the dark colors and paints used.
The big question, that war causes only devastation and loss to human life, property and devastating effects on the pollution are once again highlighted in this art work of mine. I feel that the central message conveys what I was trying to achieve through this artwork; devastation to life and environment caused due to war and bloodshed, has been achieved. Thus, for this art work, I decided to create a title which would immediately paint a picture in the mind of the viewer regarding my creation. I choose to name this creation of mine; “The Massacred Earth”.