Ranya Saad
3rd Year, Art Education Major
To The War
(Printmaking) Etching on zinc with digital imagery effects
11.81 in x 15.75 in
2010
Literary themes have often served as a major source of inspiration for artists. In my practice, I am interested in transforming classic literary transcripts into contemporary conceptual visions. This artwork is one of a larger series recounting the story from Homer’s Iliad of The Golden Apple that led to the Trojan War. This story’s thematic relevance continues today to unmask and expose the tragedies and circumstances of war. The image of monochromatic cold colors imparts a sense of mystery and sadness married with a strong contrast in the lighting effects; this is designed to emphasize depth and texture.
To the war represents the story of Odysseus who, in the Trojan War, spent ten years fighting to retrieve the beautiful Helen. He then spent another ten years on the journey home to assume his rightful place as the King of Ithaca. While creating this series, my main concern was to reflect on war as a continuing by-product of desire for power and domination, and to depict the tragedy of distinct characters mired in confrontation. Although the Iliad was written around eighteenth century BC, the story suggests to me that not much has changed in modern times. While reading, I envisioned parallel stories of displacement and tragedy, which resulted in the production of these images.
**original image currently not available**