Interpretation
Where does inspiration come from? To be inspired, creative’s do all sorts of things, reading books, taking a stroll in the park, among other things. They can be inspired by things they’ve seen, heard, touched, tasted or even smelled, just about anything. They take in whatever is happening around them, in a specific time and place that are surely revealed in their work, though not always in the most obvious way.
Works of literature are entertaining and interesting, but one look into the background of the author as well as his time will teach you a great deal more and consequently make much more sense.
I’ve decided to use the illustrations of Robin Hood as an example, as it is a classic and there have been many interesting interpretations throughout time.
1973. Disney brings to life Robin Hood using anthropomorphism. Incidentally, it is the time of the 73-74 stock market crash. Sure enough, Disney remarked that it was to ‘get out of their financial woe’, this using vivid colours, as well as their signature anthropomorphic characters.
Where does inspiration come from? To be inspired, creative’s do all sorts of things, reading books, taking a stroll in the park, among other things. They can be inspired by things they’ve seen, heard, touched, tasted or even smelled, just about anything. They take in whatever is happening around them, in a specific time and place that are surely revealed in their work, though not always in the most obvious way.
Works of literature are entertaining and interesting, but one look into the background of the author as well as his time will teach you a great deal more and consequently make much more sense.
I’ve decided to use the illustrations of Robin Hood as an example, as it is a classic and there have been many interesting interpretations throughout time.
The first, dating back to 1845, is by Daniel Maclise. Despite Robin Hood being an English folktale from medieval times, we find ourselves in a time when industrialisation was at the heart of either the improvement or severe depression of living standards, as well as the bad treatment of the poor. This, you can see, can easily relate to the historical context of Robin Hood, who ‘steals from the rich to give to the poor’ in a difficult economic situation. The illustration is a rather realistic depiction of Robin and his merry men, with looks of hopelessness and despair on the faces of the poor. There is a young man at Robin’s feet, clutching his stomach from hunger. 1845 also marks the time of the Irish potato famine. A coincidence perhaps? Or inspiration to discreetly protest with an obvious reference?
We can see that Maclise’s work aims to make a bold statement in regard to the dire situation as opposed to Disney, who worked toward recognizing the situation, all the while uplifting morale by presenting a positive outcome in the end.
Testing your work
It is hard to find success as an artist, a visual communicator, because there is so much competition. There are plenty who may have superb work, but without showcasing it, there is no way success will come and find them.
Italian artist Blu, rose to fame as an artist by displaying his work in the open, starting with illicit graffiti painted in the historical centre in Bologna. He developed his own style and began recording and displaying his work online, where art galleries noticed Blu’s artistic value and invited him to take part to one-man or collective shows. Expanding into the moving image network with his crossover to stop-motion animation as well as setting up a website has made him widely known and popular as an artist.
It is important to use all platforms available to showcase one’s work in order to appeal to all kinds of people with different styles. It builds up confidence, with positive as well as negative feedback motivating and influencing the work, making one worthy of success in the art world. You never know who is watching!
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