Study Task 4

For this task I chose to analysis Laura Carlin’s ‘inside a rape trial. The illustration shows a lot of meaning and emotion through the detonations.  The signifiers of the image are the umbrella and the steps and the bottom of some pillars. This signifies the image of a rainy day and a really large extravagant building.

The illustration’s main focal point is the large steps in the centre. With them leading towards what looks like is going to be a large, posh building, it makes it feel quite intimidating and connotes the descent in to the woman’s loneliness.  The large pillars at the top of the steps helps reinforce this; although you can’t see all of the pillars you get an idea of how big they are from the small man stood next to it. The building looks old and grand and what you’d imagine a court to look like. The connotations of a court are negative and imposing.

Near the bottom of the steps is a woman painted in black. The emptiness of the steps connotes that she’s lonely. She is the darkest part of the illustration, singling her out from the rest of the image. This connotes how she must be feeling; different and alone from everyone else. The rest of the crowd of people at the bottom are all grey like the rest of the illustration. This connotes that they all blend in with the rest of the world and she feels different to everyone else and possibly feels like she will stick out and everyone will judge her.

However the people at the bottom seems to ignoring her presence, possibly to connotes that they don’t notice her and she isn't important or perhaps to show she has nothing to worry about because she’s normal just like everyone else. The illustration denotes the woman walking in to a wall of people. This connotes her coming back in to society and leaving the court that was once separated by the large steps in between.

The colours used a are dull and grey, connoting sadness. When you look at this illustration your mood is affected and you feel sad and sorry for the woman in black. As well as this, there is a small amount of blue within the piece, which is connoting dull unhappiness. The use of media was important with the piece; the washed ink again connotes sadness and a horrible rainy day. The people at the bottom of the illustration are holding umbrellas, connoting that it’s raining, adding o the misery of the piece.  As a whole it shows a really horrible day.

The illustration detonates shapes that resemble birds. These have also been drawn in a black like the lonely woman. Perhaps it connotes that she feels disgusting like a pigeon.






Fine art and Illustration

NC Wyeth is known for being one of America's most successful illustrators, and yet his work is similar that work displayed in a fine art gallery.  However many of his pieces were commissioned by people like Coca Cola and Lucky Strike so I think it's a good example for the term 'illustration is the beginning of selling out'.
Whats's interestign though is that Wyeth said "Painting and illustration cannot be mixed—one cannot merge from one into the other.".   Gopnik, Adam (November 15, 1998). ""Pictures Great," His Publisher Told Him, review of N.C. Wyeth by David Michaelis". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-02-18.