2003, which was assigned to me, brought us events that centered on post 9-11 mid-east politics and conflicts. Powell addresses the UN with bogus intelligence. Columbia shuttle explodes in reentry. N. Korea withdraws form nuclear pact. Chicago wins Oscar for best picture. also, Saddam Hussein is captured by American troops. this last fact felt like it had possibilities.
the famus picture/video of an american soldier poking a flash light into Saddam's mouth was a visual starting point. after the drawing was done the result just couldn't compete with the real thing. I needed a broader angle.
People all over the world saw that news footage... Iraqis as well. his capture was celebrated in the west like another step towards 'fixing' Iraq, but must have been less than festive to the hundreds and thousands of Iraqi orphans living in ruins. not because they are for or against the old regime, it's that at this point they have so little to loose.
The composition and concept on this one are great. You took a giant leap from the original idea to this finish. Beautiful colors, I especially like the silhouetted boy on the left hand side. Great!
ReplyDeleteVery evocative. Well done.
ReplyDeleteLooks great! Love the transformation your work goes through from inks to colors. It's always such a dramatic boost when you spot those blacks and add details!
ReplyDeleteReally very nice, I think the topic is spot on. Did you intend to paint Saddam as 'evil' by putting him in green? I'm thinking I guess as in the way Warhol did with Nixon in this: http://www.nga.gov.au/warhol/details/102766.cfm.
ReplyDeleteAlso, do the arabic letters, above the television, have any meaning?
As for the original Saddam drawing, what medium is it in? Is it ink and pencil? My browser won't let me click on it for close inspection.
Again, great work.
Jack.
excellent piece.
ReplyDeleteThis was the highlight of the 25 pieces at the show. It feels like a lucid dream.
ReplyDeleteYes! wonderful work.
ReplyDeleteWow .
ReplyDeletegreat piece. I love the feeling...
ReplyDeleteexcelentes tus dibujos.
ReplyDeletereally good idea and it turned out wonderful.
ReplyDelete-Adam
The lighting on this is great! Have you used any other reference besides the picture of Saddam?
ReplyDeletethanks for the kind comments ; jack- good call on Warhol though i was't aware of it. i wanted the tv to be the 'warm' center of this scene, like kids sitting around a fire in summer camp telling horror stories only this is hell and it will last for years and the horror is real. so the green is a warmer version of blue. the arabic lettering were taken from actual walls in Bagdad i found in the reaserch stage. the original Saddam drawing was done with soft pencil and gotten darker in PS. ; manuel- yes, i had some references of children in Iraq that inspired these characters, though most are made up. had ref for the chopper and the buildings, where again I took some poetic liberties.
ReplyDeleteTomer, as usual the political becomes human in your hands. I genuinely think you should direct your work this way, and continue doing political work in your own time/on your own terms. Commercially there's always a need for it, and the genuine sympathy you always express lends the work the 'global' universality a great political cartoonist requires. You could be the Theodore Geisel of our time...
ReplyDeleteI set this image as my desktop (sorry!! ;) so I've been looking at it a lot for a couple days...this has to be one of your best! The highlights on the tv, on the left-hand kid's ear, the blurred building in the background, the light behind the chopper - every surface has been treated with a lot of care. Way to go!
ReplyDeleteTomer,
ReplyDeleteFound you through the Play Date story in the NYer. Incredible work, but you know that already. Wow again.
This drawing is simply fascinating.
ReplyDelete