This
is an illustration by a Polish artist, Pawel Kuczynski, found on an online
blog. It caught my attention because it comments on the influence of technology
on creativity. It was made in 2012, the same year that Adobe released Creative
Suite 6 which encompassed advanced tools and functions pushing the development
of digital media. Kuczynski specialises in graphics and graduated from the Fine
Arts Academy in Poznan, Poland. However, he has been producing satirical
illustrations since 2004, making bold comments about modern day society which
are relevant globally. Another example of Kuczynski’s work (fig.1) tackles
human priorities relating to treatment of animals. Reading the image from left
to right, we see a man tenderly petting a cat with one hand and wielding a
knife in the other which we presume will be used to slaughter the farm animals
on the right side of the image in order to feed the cat - this is an example of
Kuczynski satirising an issue other than technology. The image makes a comment
on our society and relationship with the natural world by conveying the message
that humans take what they want from the natural world for their own pleasure
as they see this as having a greater importance. It also sparks the argument of
whether one life is worth more than another.
Kuczynski
hand renders his illustrations using watercolour paints and pencil crayons
which supports the underlying message of the piece as he has avoided digital
media. Conversely, I found this image on an online blog so the first place I
viewed it was on screen. As I began to research further into Kuczynski’s work,
I realised it features on various blogs, alongside interviews he has had with
various online publications and he uses Facebook to publicise his work. This is
contradictory because using technology goes against the image’s argument, but
it shows Kuczynski still has a certain reliance on the internet for self
promotion and making his work widely accessible.
The
image has a computer mouse in the foreground which has its wire connected to a
chainsaw being held by what we presume to be a lumberjack. The computer mouse
represents technology here and the fact that it is powering a chainsaw being
used destructively against a paintbrush (symbolic of creativity and
craftsmanship) shows that it is damaging creative skill. John Holcroft produced
an illustration (fig.2) which works in a similar way to this; it uses imagery
showing literal destruction as a means to show how one thing is damaging
another. In this case, the image is about cuts to school education. It features
the HM Treasury cutting through classroom supplies, causing damage to them and
making them unusable, this is evidently an effective way of getting a big
message across using visual metonyms which in this case were objects found in
the classroom.
The
large scale of the paintbrushes suggest that they should be the dominant
objects but on closer inspection, they are shaded in dull, lifeless colours
suggesting weakness. ‘PhotoShop has certainly not replaced illustrators altogether
(and many fine illustrators employ PhotoShop as a tool), but this tool is far
more threatening than any previous technological development in the history of
illustration’ (Heller, 2003) This suggests that even though it had not happened
yet at the time this statement was made, digital media had the power to take
over illustration altogether which would then explain why even the hands
holding the paintbrushes that have not already been cut down appear to be
lifeless as if approaching death. In contrast, the red tint of the computer
mouse could be a subtle suggestion of danger as this is what we associate with
this colour - this paired with the snake-like curves of the mouse wire imply a
metaphor of the story of the serpent and the first temptation. Likening
technology to a serpent describes it as something evil, dangerous and not to be
trusted.
The
loneliness of the man chopping down the paintbrush could be making a comment on
how technology is isolating individuals in society.
The
lumberjack shows little enthusiasm for his actions in his face or body - it is
as if his approach to this repetitive process of cutting down paintbrushes is
passive which could be a reference to mass production.
·
Production
line - art work can be mass produced using digital technology.
·
Does this
make it worth less?
·
Will we
always value craftsmanship or is affordability now more important?
·
Mass
consumerism
·
The
internet brainwashing us to like and want certain things
·
Is the
internet affecting our taste and pressuring us to stay on trend
If
we are all buying the same products, our individual tastes and preferences
diminish until we are all following the same set of rules of what we should be
purchasing. A poster titled ‘Passive’ (fig.3) shows multiple copies of the same
person staring at their mobile phones, showing no emotion, while their brains
are being removed from their skulls. The hands holding the brains appear to be
holding a sponge as well suggesting that their minds are being cleared of
certain information, making the people less intelligent and capable. Their
structured formation implies that addiction to technology is turning us into a
zombified army with no personal individuality or taste which would make you
irrelevant in the creative industry.
Similarly,
Matt Golding’s editorial illustration (fig.4) for an article about gaming
addiction in children functions in a similar way using the words ‘connecting’
and ‘disconnecting’ to show that connecting to the internet is detrimental to
your brain function. Absorbing information from online can affect our way of
thinking and our exposure to advertising is increased massively whilst using
the internet. If we allow our minds to be fed by the information we see and
read online, we will all eventually be owners of the same range of goods which
we have been programmed to desire. Social media also has an effect on how we
view our own likes and dislikes; to create an online profile we go through a
process of ‘personal reductionism’ (Lanier, 2011 : 68), simplifying your
character down a number of words and figures to produce a profile you are
defined by.
· Restricting your ability to express yourself - putting
constraints on creativity?
· ‘a postpersonal world’ (Lanier, 2011 : 69)
· Are we losing our interaction and communication
skills?
· Are we afraid of sharing our real personality? -
affecting artwork?
· Are we in fear of being judged by the rest of the
online community because we feel their opinion is a legitimate analysis of
ourselves and our work?
ARGUING AGAINST THE IMAGE’S MESSAGE
‘If it is the pencil that wields the power, then it is the
computer that harnesses that power and enables an illustrator to transform the
pencil mark into a seemingly never ending array of new marks.’ (Zeegen, 2012 :
44)
‘The computer has opened illustration up to a full range of
digital possibilities and placed it on a level with other disciplines.’ (Zeegen, 2012 : 44)
Michelangelo: ’One paints with one’s head, not one’s
hands.’ p357
Obviously Michelangelo did not see the digital age but if you
apply this quote to present day, it suggests that the process of translating
what you can see into what you want to physically produce is the most important
part of the drawing process so whether you are using analogue or digital media
is irrelevant in comparison to the depth of consideration given to the thought
process.
The
landscape is a blend of oranges and browns and the sky appears dark with a
suggestion of cloud and mist. A speckled texture spans the sky and ground
making the objects and figure seem more crisp and clear cut in comparison,
enhancing the emptiness of the rest of the image.
The
setting for this illustration is reminiscent of a surrealist painting,
particularly the work of Salvador Dali. The desert-like, barren landscape is a
common trait of his work representing a desolate, lonely place with no sign of
life. This could be Kuczynski’s way of showing the future of the creative
industry if technology is allowed to take over. This illustration also has a
clear parallel to deforestation - if the paintbrushes are a metaphor for
creativity, chopping them down shows that draughtsmanship and craft will
diminish. It implies we are harming the creative industry, similar to how
deforestation is damaging the planet.
Fig.1
Fig.2
Fig.3
Fig.4
Fig.5
Fig.1
Fig.2
Fig.3
Fig.4
Fig.5
Bibliography
• Fletcher, A. (2001) ‘The Art of Looking Sideways’, United Kingdom,
Phaidon Press
• Glaser, M.
‘Computers
are to design as microwaves are to cooking.’
•
Lanier, J. (2011) ‘You
Are Not A Gadget’, London, Penguin
• Zeegen, L. (2012) ‘The Fundamentals of Illustration’, Switzerland,
AVA Publishing
