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Course: Tate > Unit 2
Lesson 1: ActivitiesDelve deeper into art with this activity
In this activity, we want you to explore the relationship between art and conflict by comparing and contrasting two works of art. Look at the two images below, examine them carefully, and then think of how you might compare them. How are they similar? How are they different? What other kinds of relationships exist between them?
You might want to begin your comparison by thinking about these elements:
- Medium: What are these works of art made of? Do their materials speak to a particular time, movement, or style? Is one medium more eye-catching or successful than another?
- Colour: How did the artists use colour (or a lack of it) to evoke feelings or atmosphere? Does the placement or intensity of colour tell a story?
- Subject: Do both works of art depict scenes of conflict? Do they achieve this in the same way? Would your understanding of these images be different if you didn’t know their titles?
- Or is there some other way you would like to compare these images?
For further discussion
Now that you’ve visually explored this work of art, share your thoughts in the Questions area below. Then read the other responses, compare them to your own, and see if someone might inspire you to think about art in a new way.
Remember: art is always open to interpretation, so there are no wrong answers!
Want to join the conversation?
I find it almost pointless to make a comparison between The Siege and Relief of Gibraltar and The Battlefields of the Somme, France 2000.
Medium/Color
The mediums/colours couldn't be more different. The first is coloured oils on canvas the second probably a black and white photograph.
Comparison:
The time between events depicted by the two works of Art is about 142 years. The first is lively and dramatic whilst the second is silent and sombre. In my view, the first could be seen as an attempt to show the British Empire's success during the American War of Independence.
The second seems to be somewhat metaphorical in that it depicts a set of tracks leading off into the horizon of the night; Those dark times when war shut out the light and so on.(3 votes)
Thanks for your comment, Jewel -- and your analysis of the horizontal/vertical divisions and the symbolism of colours really got me thinking about the Copley painting in a new way. Those are some great observations!(2 votes)
the first picture shows the chaos because of the intense color during the battle and the second picture shows the emptiness afterward because of the lack of color . Its haunting.(2 votes)
In this activity I am comparing The Siege and Relief of Gibraltar, 13 September 1782 with The Battlefields of the Somme on the basis of Medium, Colour, and Subject.
Medium: The "Siege" painting looks very clearly to have been painted on canvas. I would be surprised to hear that it has been painted on anything else, perhaps some form of wood. I believe an oil medium was used. The second work of art "Battlefield" I will call it, is a photograph very obviously.
Colour: The first painting "Siege", as I will call it, certainly uses a great deal of contrasting colours between light and dark, perhaps signifying redemption and damnation or a dichotomy between "good" and "evil." The photograph "Battlefield, as I call it, uses no colour whatsoever and thus leaves me feeling empty and lost.
Subject: The painting "Siege" has a glorified and grand display of war and seeks to make out who is good and who is evil. The "Battlefield" photograph on the other hand hardly looks like a place that ever held war at all. In fact, without the title the viewer perhaps could easily think that the image is in fact that of a quaint country road...perhaps that IS all that it is now, but we are reminded by the title of the horrible events that occurred here and we are encouraged to do our research if we are unfamiliar with this Battle....(2 votes)
I think the sky and clouds are what is similar. To me the comparison is that the earth, sky and clouds are still there, no matter what kind of shenanigans man wants to get up to. A year after man's epic battle, the earth and sky are restored to it's natural state. They are permanent. Men are not.(2 votes)
I am comparing The Siege and Relief of Gibraltar and The Battlefields of the Somme, in my observations I feel they are both closely related yet completely different which is what joins these two pieces of artwork together. Though the colour techniques are different in both pictures they both give off a similar vibe of seriousness and history.(1 vote)
I guess the point of this task was to prove that images of conflict can be equaly powerful with or without explicit attributes of a conflict. To be honest, with the first painting I was too engaged in studying the details, so the tension from a conflict was somehow weak. While the second photo was an embodiment of the eternal saddness. Even without knowing the story behind I felt the heaviness of the sky and the gloom of this road to nowhere. It is not at all like a happy yellow brick road from The Wizard of Oz.. As in one of the videos somebody said: "the conflict photography does not have to be momentary, it can be slow and considerate" . The same goes to paintings. Just google the painting of the 19th century Russian painter Vasily Vereshchagin "The Apotheosis of war" (1871) - you will be amazed by its powerful message.(2 votes)
- Since each work represent different style and different type of art, the only thing the compare is the subject.
The subject is war but one glorify and celebrate the war and the victory and the other one the darkness and the sadness. It's a good example how different colors bring complete different atmosphere.(1 vote)