Final Artwork

 

 

Thesis Statement

I have always been fascinated with visual story telling, particularly comic books and graphic novels. My digital illustrations and images explore the violence resulting from religion throughout history. My art examines the way such violence comes and goes in waves, like the cyclical tide on the beach.  The crusades of the middle ages are some of the biggest religious wars in Christian and Islamic history. They weren’t the first, nor are they the last. Even today the two religions collide in the middle east and also here at home. The judgment of a person’s belief is just as strong now as it was then. The characters in my art display the actions of what has been and what is surly yet to come.

The silent comic tells my story through actions and not words. I encourage curiosity in the viewer to seek out the meaning of my art. I combine the style of the comic with the layout of the triptych to draw the viewer into my art and envelope them within its panels. It’s the story of our failure to accept and our emphasis of forceful change. Religion brings people together, tears them apart, and its one of the greatest forces of conflict in our history. 

Progress as of 11/19/13

 

 

Preview of Gallery Layout

Center Image Rough

3 character cells for the left panel

Right panel rough outline

This is the right panel in my triptych. It shows the opposing side to the aggressors from the left. The right side characters will represent different religious groups working together to defend off the oppression from the left group. However as you can see, most of the cells within the right panel are slightly more darker than the left panel. Soldiers fight and die, yet their are always civilian casualties(represented by a mother and child). The final cell depicts the "last stand." Three soldiers fight on, but one stands within the foreground and is displayed in a moment of reflection while holding symbol of his god.