Synopses & Reviews
Based on the 2008 Society of Illustrators' exhibit, "Aritsts Against the War",
Artists Against the Wars draws from the history of graphic protest and demonstrates the many ways that illustrators — in comics, editorial cartoons, illustrations for magazine articles, and so on — have reflected on the representations and misrepresentations of war, specifically the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The history of commercial illustration in the United States encompasses the images of artists like Charles Dana Gibson, Maxfield Parish, N.C. Wyeth, James Montgomery Flagg, Frederic Remington, and Norman Rockwell. These and many other artists helped to shape and define the American experience. After the Second World War, a divide grew between the worlds of illustration and fine art. Commercial publishers bankrolled illustrators to produce images on demand that were essential to marketing. Fine artists, meanwhile, generally struggled on their own to create unique and contemplative works of a decidedly non-mercantile nature.
Early on, some editorial illustrators, while still on paid assignments sponsored by commercial interests, managed to bridge this gap between illustration and high art—creating evocative works that told of real world events. Harpers Weekly employed Winslow Homer as a war correspondent, sending him to the front lines of the American Civil War to sketch soldiers on the battlefield. Afterwards Homer evolved into one of Americas finest 19th-century painters. Business-related foundations aside, illustration commonly shared with fine art—up until the post WWII era—an exploration of the world through the traditions of objective realism. That relationship disappeared with the ascendancy of abstract art. The high art world is currently unable to provide thoughtful examinations that connect with the general public.
Surprisingly, the world of commercial illustration offers a model for the advancement of contemporary fine art. Endeavoring to communicate clearly, illustrators never abandoned realist aesthetics, which are the most direct way to deliver a thought or concept to a large audience. More importantly, illustration art does not wallow in the cynical disengagement and alienation that is so fashionable in todays high art. Therein lies the potency and importance of Artists Against the Wars.
Synopsis
Based on the Society of Illustrators exhibit “Artists Against the War,” this book of the same name draws from the vibrant history of graphic protest to demonstrate the many ways that illustrators in editorial cartoons, comics, magazine illustrations, and elsewhere have reflected on the representations and misrepresentations of war, especially the war in Iraq. Works by Ralph Steadman, Wendy Popp, Nathan Fox, Burt Silverman, Guy Billout, and other renowned illustrators not only bridge the gap between high art and illustration; they testify to the ability of images to examine complex issues in a way that connects with broad numbers of people. In doing so, they reveal how the world of commercial illustration offers a model for the advancement of contemporary fine art.