Artwork Title: Digger
Artist: Rheanna Schulz
Artist Statement:
A war art work, depicting a WW1 digger. A commemoration to those that served our country
Art Educators of the NT
Artwork Title: Untitled
Artist: Rachael Broeckel
Artist Statement:
The overall theme of my war artwork is based on loved ones left behind, specifically, the mother’s, lovers, and wives. This painting focuses on the women of WWI. During this era, it was no easy feat for these women to be left to fend for themselves and their family.
The use of colour to depict the emotional state of the subject was of great importance to me. The red and blue tones were used to symbolise her grief and pain and grief. The emphasis on the nose and eyes, depicts that she has been crying. These colours were chosen to show contrast and stand out to the viewer. The subject was a German WW2 actor, Leni Riefenstahl. I chose Riefenctahl, as I found her to be a woman with stern, strong facial features and a notable face during war times. I chose to not replicate her image exactly, but drew inspiration from the strong features and stare she holds.
Artwork Title: The Gasmask
Artist: Evie de Jager
Artist Statement:
This work is a representation of my perspective on War. A clay mask of a man who has died. The worms crawling out of the head symbolise how war rots ones brain and traumatises. I used dark glaze paints to create texture and to add a sullen mood to my work and to express how violent war is. I used red glaze paint to represent blood, which gives the effect that the man died a gruesome death, creating a darkness to the work, grabbing the viewers attending and making them feel uneasy.
Artwork Title: Consumed by War; The Young Won’t be Forgotten
Artist: Mikayla Brady
Artist Statement:
James Charles Martin was the youngest to die in World War 1 at 14 years old. Although, he did not die due to injury, he died due to the severe conditions that soldiers were living in. James became very ill due to the poor sanitation and caught a fever whilst living in the trenches, which eventually lead to heart failure. I have created a monochrome painting, with the shades of red utilised around his heart, contrasting and blending into the yellow, putting an emphasis on his cause of death, a fever and heart failure. This also brings attention to the highlighted region by the use of two differing colour schemes. I felt this image of James represented how war is full of violence and hate, and it consumes our youth, taking them too early.
Artwork Title: FREEDOM!
Artist: Princess Gurtiza
Artist Statement:
Freedom! is a war art sculpture, representing the survival and deception of the youth involved in war. Using human appendages; hands, to express one’s feelings. Hands are gestural and can show signs of wear and tear. The clenching fist represents, not only anger, but also the idea of fear. We humans clench our bodies when responding to both these emotions and the hands are the most visible appendage, by binding these hands together by the wrists, shows the restraints and lack of freedom these young soldiers have and how they are incapable of breaking free. Soldiers are often forced to fight and if they do not enlist, they would be considered cowards. They sacrifice their lives for many, yet they receive little or no attention and respect in return.
Artwork Title: War Art Embroidery
Artist: Ebony Grosser
Artist Statement:
In this war art embroidery, I have explored the theme of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD and its affects on those involved in war. I have utilised symbolic elements, woven throughout the work to convey my message. The image itself is of a person who has served in a military force and has come back with PTSD. The lace detailing represents their memories of war. The traumatic and distressing memories are presented as cotton thread and the positive ones are synthetic, shiny threads. The synthetic threads can be seen as consumed by the cotton threads, symbolising that the only positive memories of war are drowned out by the negative ones. The image of a body laying down with the poppy bleeding, is the memory of someone close, a fallen comrade. The purposeful use and placement of the poppy was to represent the idea of remembrance, whilst the silhouette of the soldier represents the vast number of those at war, often categorised by a number. In the face area, the stitches are close together and a different colour, while the rest of the head’s stitches are messy and have loose threads. This shows that the person is keeping up appearances to the outside world, whilst starting to fall apart and come undone on the inside.
The Art Educators of the NT (AENT) is a Professional Teachers Association for Visual Art educators. Focusing on visual art teaching practice.