Contextual Studies- 27.01.16
George Rouault- "Christ on the Cross" 1936
Print- not a painting, around A4 size. It's what we associate Christ as in Europe.
The bright primary colours and bold, thick black lines making the painting look almost childlike, although Rouault's use of tone on Christ creates a depth that the other people don't have giving him a feeling of righteousness and rising above everyone else.
Holocaust Remembrance Day
During the war people in Germany, Poland etc were being segregated because of their race, religious beliefs etc.
To destroy the evidence of what had happened in the concentration camps the Nazi's sealed carriages with these segregated people inside, people who had survived the horrors of concentration camps were being left to suffocate in a cramped train carriage.
Photography by Mohammad Domiri
Inside of a mosque in Iran. The mosque is very symmetrical and geometric, it's all about a spiritual garden. The points represent the different figures in Islamic culture and religion. Pray towards the East 'Mecca'. Visually this piece is very appealing, the colours and vivid and geometric making them seem rich in culture and history.
Black Madonna of Poland
Very old painting. It's survived the war, it has been stolen, broken, repaired. It is a very strong, timeless image. The 'Black Madonna' looks very powerful and seems to emit a monarchy type of strength. I believe that it's survival through all the things it has been through adds to the power of the portrait
Madonna "Like a Prayer" 1989
Challenging the conventions of European Christian imagery. Jesus is represented by a black man in Like a Prayer, which challenges the traditional image and brings up the relevance of racial tension and oppression in life today.
Christ breaking himself off the cross. The warm colours contrasting against the cold background shows the energy of christ breaking through, the use of red shows his rebellion which is powerful as it visually communicates a god like strength.
Megan Chilcott
