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Author Topic: Guernica - 1984  (Read 2007 times)

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abhiroop.pal1

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Guernica - 1984
« on: December 02, 2018, 03:17:31 pm »
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Hey guys!

I am trying to analyse the human experience of suffering and i dont know any really good examples of that in Guernica (by Pablo Picasso) and 1984 - george Orwell. Please help!

Thanks!!!


angewina_naguen

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Re: Guernica - 1984
« Reply #1 on: December 02, 2018, 09:41:29 pm »
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Hey, abhiroop.pal1!

Just for a quick word first if you wanted to consider it  8) If you are having difficulty finding techniques and analysing your related, you could always look into other texts to use for your assessment! Your related text doesn't have to be one that is known to the marker or that will guarantee a high performance. It just has to allow you to present an original, literary-informed argument.

That being said, I didn't study '1984' for my HSC so I don't know the text too well but I did Picasso in Visual Arts and know quite a lot more about 'Guernica'  ;D If you wanted to stick to this pairing, I did a small breakdown of some techniques for you below.



Guernica

Facial expressions

- Side profiles of the subjects in Picasso's painting are situated as such to emphasise their agonised facial expressions.
- Open mouthed to show the terror and frightened reactions of the individuals.

Colour

- Monochromatic palette chosen to represent the dismal and depressive impact of war.
- Selective choice to not have any major colours standing out to craft a complete, unified atmosphere of mourning.

Composition

- Deliberate placement of subject matter captures a vignette of suffering.
- Omission of potential sources or causes of suffering; the painting serves to portray the extreme, emotive repercussions of war.
- Crowded setting and subjects suggest the intensity of suffering for the collective being represented.

Gaze

- Combined use of intra-diegetic and extra-diegetic features; for example, the offer gaze of the mother holding her child allows the composer to evoke sympathy from the display of suffering, whereas the demand gaze of the bull and horse confronts the audience directly of their suffering.

Lines and Shapes

- Defined lines draw audiences to the suffering experienced by the subjects and the suffering of the integrated whole of the artwork.
- Flat, two dimensional subjects lacking depth to show the reduction of humanity to cruelty and pain.



I hope these techniques can provide you some pointers for your task! Hopefully a '1984' student can add something to this thread too  :) :)

Angelina  ;D
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abhiroop.pal1

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Re: Guernica - 1984
« Reply #2 on: December 03, 2018, 04:45:35 pm »
+1
ang
Hey, abhiroop.pal1!

Just for a quick word first if you wanted to consider it  8) If you are having difficulty finding techniques and analysing your related, you could always look into other texts to use for your assessment! Your related text doesn't have to be one that is known to the marker or that will guarantee a high performance. It just has to allow you to present an original, literary-informed argument.

That being said, I didn't study '1984' for my HSC so I don't know the text too well but I did Picasso in Visual Arts and know quite a lot more about 'Guernica'  ;D If you wanted to stick to this pairing, I did a small breakdown of some techniques for you below.



Guernica

Facial expressions

- Side profiles of the subjects in Picasso's painting are situated as such to emphasise their agonised facial expressions.
- Open mouthed to show the terror and frightened reactions of the individuals.

Colour

- Monochromatic palette chosen to represent the dismal and depressive impact of war.
- Selective choice to not have any major colours standing out to craft a complete, unified atmosphere of mourning.

Composition

- Deliberate placement of subject matter captures a vignette of suffering.
- Omission of potential sources or causes of suffering; the painting serves to portray the extreme, emotive repercussions of war.
- Crowded setting and subjects suggest the intensity of suffering for the collective being represented.

Gaze

- Combined use of intra-diegetic and extra-diegetic features; for example, the offer gaze of the mother holding her child allows the composer to evoke sympathy from the display of suffering, whereas the demand gaze of the bull and horse confronts the audience directly of their suffering.

Lines and Shapes

- Defined lines draw audiences to the suffering experienced by the subjects and the suffering of the integrated whole of the artwork.
- Flat, two dimensional subjects lacking depth to show the reduction of humanity to cruelty and pain.



I hope these techniques can provide you some pointers for your task! Hopefully a '1984' student can add something to this thread too  :) :)

Angelina  ;D


TYSM OMG

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Re: Guernica - 1984
« Reply #3 on: December 03, 2018, 05:17:59 pm »
+1
Ah, what a nice related for 1984! Before analysing, I think it's important to go through some historical context so that you may understand the intentions by each composer. :)

Guernica was created as a response to the bombing of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War; now situated in the national Spanish museum, Guernica sits at over 3 metres tall and 7 metres wide and is a stark reminder of the tragedies of violence and war. Similarly, Nineteen Eighty Four was written as commentary/response to the Spanish Civil War. Essentially, Nineteen Eighty Four is a reminder to society about the dangers of such a dystopic society which he grew up in. It follows the oppression of a society, as well as a world in total control by the government.

We can see the human experiences of suffering in both texts quite vividly!

The contortions of the expressions on the faces directly represents the emotional and physical suffering of war and violence. The tear-shaped eyes represent the sorrows as a mechanism of suffering, while the rigid contours of the tongues convey a sense of despair. The claustrophia presented by the low-hanging ceiling may suggest the experience of suffering as an internal struggle, while a sense of hope is conveyed by the woman appearing from the window. There are some other great suggestions by Angelina, so I think this is plenty for you! :D

For 1984, you may choose to discuss the idea of totalitarianism as a means for suffering. The "removal of language" (Newspeak) was in place as a mechanism to restrict freedom of thought -- incl: identity, freewill, and expression of thought. The constant reminder of "Big Brother is watching you" is also suggestive of total surveillance - a typical ideology passed from a totalitarian society. Below are some other quotes you may like. Let me know if they help :D

  • Of pain you could wish only one thing: that it should stop. Nothing in the world was so bad as physical pain. In the face of pain there are no heroes.
  • Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.
  • War is peace. // Freedom is slavery. // Ignorance is strength.
  • But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.
    • I enjoy talking to you. Your mind appeals to me. It resembles my own mind except that you happen to be insane.