MJS_Journal # 2_Iraq's antiquites

"What is your policy idea for protecting Iraq’s antiquities during the war?"


My idea for the policy to protect Iraq’s antiquities during the war would have to lean towards the punishment looters receive. The readings that were given to us to read stated nothing about punishment. Consequences are important in order to achieve the level of society considered civil. Also, a certain amount of respect for art needs to be achieved. One has to learn about art and why it is important to our civilization in order to understand and have respect for it. There are those who will not ever have any kind of respect for art no matter how educated they become. This is why we have consequences for our wrong doings. Consequences should be time served doing the community a service. Maybe they can be put to use recovering the antiquites ... who knows.

There should first be surveillance on each historic digging site. There should be video surveillance and armed surveillance at all times. The armed surveillance needs to be well-educated archaeologists with good morals. This personal criterion is needed so the looters cannot buy off the armed surveillance. The personnel would also need to be paid and fed well during their shifts. These are all important things because if associates are not treated well then they will not want to work or will become a sell out.

In my opinion if someone is doing well for them selves and their family then if they are able they should help their neighbor. I say this because the oil farmers are not helping out their neighbors. Their civilization is not evolving because everyone is poor except those who struck oil. The poor part or majority of Iraq is unable to become more civilized. They are more or less still living in the past. The Sumerians and Babylonians did not live much different than most of the Iraqi’s do today. People need three things to survive in life: food, shelter, and warmth. I believe that if the Iraqi people had these things all the time and did not have to wonder if they would have these things from day to day. Then they would be less likely to help the looters for money. And those that would still help the looters would get caught and have consequences to answer to.

In my opinion these things I have talked about should be done during and after the war. Everyone needs rules and or guidelines in order to have a civil civilization.


Misty J Slavens

As our book states graphic artists gave visual form to the fearful that believed the world would end with a terrible destruction. Supernatural explanations was given to natural disasters such as eclipses, earthquakes, plaque and famine were seen as warnings and punishments. For the faithful if they could overcome the struggle between good and evil on earth then they would have eternal salvation. Illustration of the Book of Revelation was an important use of conveying information to the illiterate.
One example is with using Revelation 8:12, inside our book, illustration (4-14), the fourth angel from the Beatus of Fernando and Sancha, A.D. 1047. Wing feathers are as sharp and menacing as daggers. The trumpet, wings, and tail bring an angular counterpoint to the horizontal bands of color. The sun and the moon are one-third white and two-thirds red, to illustrate that one third of each had fallen away. The comparison that I have chosen for the assignment is The War in Heaven and Alien Invasion.

The war in Heaven brings attention that the Archangel Michael battles with Lucifer. Michael is gripping the shoulder of Lucifer and is ready with sword to finish the task at hand. The colors are bright and cheerful with a contrasting darkness around the scene. An illuminating presence of God is close above in the clouds. In the world today war in heaven is not the only thing that is talked about. Some people believe alien invasions to be true. So in some people’s beliefs the world could end in with war with aliens. The picture of the alien invasion shows a ufo coming out of dark stormy clouds and flooding, rushing waters that is starting to cover the trees. Pictures at the bottom are building that is in the plans to be attacked first for the destruction of earth.

Today graphic illustrations cover many forms of the apocalypse. It comes down to what each person believes to be true for their self.

The War in Heaven

Alien Invasion

The early apocalyptic messages compared to the ones of today differer greatly as far what is depicted, but the message is the same. Comparing the four horsemen of the apocalypse from the beastus of fernando and sancah, to An Apocalyptic landscape these differences start to become clear.
First off, all religious symbolism in Apocalyptic landscape has been removed completly, and the emotional emphasis and meaning is put more on color, and brush work. The paintings colors are all muted, and have no real warm colors. Everything seems to be distant, and unclear. The over all feeling is a very melancholy. Buildings are generally monochromatic only having enough detail to make out what it is, and the colors have an over all dark feel to them. Compared to The Four Horsemen, this image has starking contrast.
The four horsemen is a obvious reference to biblical scripture of the apocalypse. The four horsemen ride across the sky, each holding its own unique symbol. It tells more of a story of what is to come from the horsemen rather then depict much emotion. The over all emotion on the horsemen seems to be neutral only displaying an object to show what the horsemen is representing (war, famine, pestilence, and death). The line use is very flat, and little space shown. It is not expressive at all like the landscape. Colors are used more for representational use (such as the color of the horses) to add meaning instead. The Four Horsemen also has a more asymmetrical composition. Its almost purely representational. It seems to fall short of enticing the viewer to grasp much of it beyond that.

Comparison of Apocalyptic Images

The images shown in chapter 4 depict some literal scenes from the book of Revelations. In the various versions of The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse there are four horsemen that visually represent each of the four horsemen of the apocalypse; death, pestilence, war, and famine. These are usually represented as angels or men carrying a symbol, or having the appearance of what they represet. The more recent images of the apocalypse are more secular than religious in nature. These images often show causes for death, pestilence, war, and famine, and the results of these things. The four horsemen are more abstractly represented. For instance, in the image at right (courtesy of msmaverick.blogspot.com) one might see in this barren landscape, war, death, pestilence, and famine, with out a symbol to represent it.

It is interesting that even though the imagery is different, the subject matter is still the same, and that the idea of an apocalyptic ending to the human race is still very popular. Perhaps this is largely because it is difficult to believe that the human race could simply dwindle away or last forever.

Apocaplypse Then and Apocalypse Now: One in the Same

Since the creation of the the bible, there have been many interpretations of the Apocalypse. Many of the earlier depictions of what the Apocalypse was or what it represented were influenced by what the artist thought that God would do to any who did not believe in him. Let's examine the painting to the right. This painting is known as The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse from the Beatus of Fernando and Sancha, created in A.D. 1047. Beatus saw the Apocalypse with the first horseman as God's envoy, whose arrows pierced the hearts of nonbelievers.
When looking at the detail in this picture, and many others of this time the vivid colors and lettering cannot go unnoticed. You see, unlike paintings that have been created in modern times, almost all paintings created during the A.D. period contained frames, images of animals, some with hybrid animals and humans, text in capitals, and depicted battles. During this time, the use of reds and bold colors seemed to be a requirement for Apocalypse paintings.

Now, this is a painting created during modern times of what the Apcalypse means. Unlike earlier times, death is now represented by deep dark colors. The usage of bold, bright colors no longer comes into play and the usage of lettering and written messages cease to exist. You can see that there are clearly no frames outlining the photo and that there are no weapons displayed. There are more humans displayed and it seems that the photo covers every inch of the canvas. The photo to the right is by an unknown artist created in 2004.
In comparing today's depiction of the Apocalypse with the ones of earlier times there would appear to be many differences, but just as they are different they are the same. It seems that with the loss of coloring, frames, and battles the usage of humans, hybrid species, and the paintings representing the surroundings of the artists stills plays a part in their design. Back then, they were surrounded by horses, spears and animals and the lost of a home was not uncommon nor was it thought as the end of the world. However, if you were to cut off their horses used for transportation and food supply and if there were no worriers for battle, that would indeed effect their existence. Now a days, if you were to destroy our cars and homes, you would have affected our existence. In comparing the two photos, on thing is for sure; these photos depict what the end of the world would be during the era they were created.

4-13 The Four Hosemen of the apocalypse from the Beatus of fernando and Sancha, a.d. 1047. This picture is the dipiction of the world's end. Many peolpe in the Christian faith in the early stages were completely tarrified of this outcome. the Catholic churh would use thius picture to inflict fear in to the none believers as well as the christain going faith.

http://www.blackhorsedesign.com/artworks/four-horsemen-apocalypse.jpg

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.blackhorsedesign.com/artworks/four-horsemen-apocalypse.jpg&imgrefurl=http://economicspolitics.blogspot.com/2007/10/six-horsemen-of-apocalypse.html&h=365&w=550&sz=43&hl=en&start=3&tbnid=1DmcrJL-OD3jVM:&tbnh=88&tbnw=133&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dapocalyptic%2Bfour%2Bhorsemen%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX

In contrast to the early turn of the 11th century manuscript of the apocalypse, the 20th century photo depicts the end of the world as propaganda. it is used tobe a joke. It illistratates with graphic design the change in motive, rather than fear, it promotes political propaganda.

apocalypse and fear. a match made in heaven.

Perhaps the most difficult thing about this assignment was (aside from not being able to find a usable version of my favorite apocalyptic image which totally ticked me off and changed the direction of my writing and thought all together) narrowing my choices to just two.  well, i just decided not to.  first we have a picture depicting the apocalypse dated 1608-1614.  its a basic biblical visualization of the biblical apocalypse. the general idea here is doom and gloom. the Fear generated by this image strikes a chord with us and we become emotionally drawn into, the story.  i believe that this helps to pay attention, live right or we could be like these folks.  

                  El Greco, The opening of the Fifth Seal of the Apocalypse

El Greco, 1608–1614 

oil on canvas 

224.8 × 199.4 cm 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City 

next we have two modern images that personifies the biblical apocalypse into a super villain (complete with four horsemen)  with the same name. 

with these images the goal is to incite viewers' present associations with the fear and 'evil' of the biblical apocalypse in order to draw us into the story and in this case videogame.   this gets us excited because if we don't play all the way through this big nasty evil thing wins. 

 

 http://swordattheready.wordpress.com/ 

this last pice is perhaps the most interesting.  it is a pice of anti-achmedimashad (or however its spelled) Propagada.  it ties the biblical apocalypse to apocalyptic feeling the viewer likely felt on sept.11th 2001 through the alleged mastermind osama bin ladin.  a woman in the background depicts the suppression of women while at the same time adding a feeling of concern with her eyes.  then we have the modern symbol of apocalypse, the mushroom cloud.  even still there is a black flag (which has never had a positive meaning) with arabic writing.  these events and feelings are immidiatly associated with  with the current president of iran and the middle east as a whole. 

in the end we see that 

fear has always been used as a means to get audiences to pay attention.  

there are few ways to give more fear than depicting the end of the world.  

the end of everything we know and love.  

The End.

Comparing two different Apocalyptic Images

For this particular journal assingment, I chose to use Figure 4-14 on page 53 known as the fourth angel from the Beatus of Fernando and Sancha during AD 1047. I found a rather interesting picture that is apocalyptic in its very own way that enabled me to make some similiar comparisons to Figure 4-14 while still being different.

When I first began observing this picture, I immideatly felt like there was definetly emotions involved. I noticed that there is a very beautiful color scheme present representing the sun going down. In comparison to Figure 4-14, which revolves around Revelations 8:12, it is discussed in the text that the sun and the moon are one third white and two thirds red which illustrates that one third of each had fallen away. As seen in the image that I am sharing with the Gorilla, the sun is casting a orange, white, and red color scheme which is touching.

Also, in Figure 4-14, it is noted that a eagle flies into space screaming, "Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth." It is also discussed that the angel presented is worlds away from the pure white angel of hope. I felt I could really compare the image I selected to when the eagle flies by in the image in the text. Even though the gorilla isnt saying exactly what the eagle said, the gorilla is still creating a question to the outsiders in the world referring to there being any hope for anyone on earth with even the smallest things gone.

It is very interesting to me to actually be able to make comparisions from images dating so far from ech other. Even though both images are not exactly the same and have there own meanings, I found it very meaningful and touching that they were both simple creatures such as the eagle and the gorilla but both had such powerful and impacting words even though one was from way long ago and the other is present day graphic design. Its amaxing to see how images can still have similarities even though they are both being produced with totally different tools and technology.

(I found the gorilla image at deviantart.com)

Apocalyptic compare and contrast

I guess if you were to compare apocalyptic images of to day as apposed to the years 1000 the mane difference would have to be the biblical references. A lot of the older images tend to deal with the four horsemen of the apocalypse (War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death). But now a day you see images of destroyed buildings, ruined cities and so on. Weather this has anything to do with the fact that the church dose not have as much power as it did back then or not I do not know. Or perhaps it might be that back then people thought of the apocalypse as something the only god could bring about, it was to have been a time of judgment where god would pass judgment on mankind. Now with the invention of the atomic and hydrogen bomb man kind has the ability to destroy it’s self and the planet along with it. With everything that has been going on in the Middle East recently the possibility that we may create our own apocalypse is very real and frightening. Or perhaps every thing is the same as it was back then, and people merely represented war and death in a different manner. I for one would prefer not to find out any time soon.

Apocalypse Now vs Apocalypse Then

When looking at the pictures of old for the apocalypse, one has to wonder what they were used for. Here we have the picture of the four horseman of the apocalypse. One of the most recognized pictures depicting the end of times. The four horseman, which include, death, pestilence, famine, and war, are the first four plagues to hit earth during the biblical tribulation.

The picture itself while not very scary to us could have been horrific in the 1000's when this was created. The church would have used an image like this to keep power and to gain even more throughout the lands. The church would have used this image to gain believers, saying that they should repent or they would have to endure witnessing these times. Another way that the church would have used this image was to gain money. The images would have been used to be very controlling during that time period. They used these to feed off the restlessness of the people about the end of times, and used it to the church's advantage.

Today though, these pictures have very little meaning to us. People who are religious still find these images intriguing, but do not find them frightening. The pictures that people have created today of the apocalypse, though can strike fear in today's society.


Images such as the one on the right can bring a grim reality upon us. This image depicts a city after a disaster. We don't know what this disaster could have been. It could have been a raging fire, or a massive tsunami. This could have also been the product of a nuclear explosion. While one may wonder what could have been the cause of this destruction, we still realize in the back of our minds that these ideas are quite possible. This is how the images of the apocalypse today scare us. We know that in the back of our minds that there could be the possibility of this really happening. The images hit closer to home, and make us wonder when it could happen.

The images of the apocalypse from centuries ago do not have the same affect that images of the apocalypse have now. Now the images are more real; more defining. The images of then are used more as propaganda than they are depicting a reality that is possible.

Apocalypse: then and now

When looking at the images in the manuscripts, you can see that the images are created on the basis of the environment and the beliefs of the people. It could be said that not much has changed. The end of the world or human kind can be interpreted in many ways today. My thought is that they were a little more limited in possibility. The world today offers death and destruction many doors. These avenues have created new theories on the apocalypse and how it might arrive. A virus or chemical that can raise the dead or cause a the body to go through these stages and become a flesh eating"zombie" is one of those theories that has been beat into the ground through film and literature. I am not saying that todays interpretation of the "end of the world" is less based on beliefs, I am saying we have found new ways of interpretating and applying it to our environment and the state of affairs. 

I also took notice to a ton images I found making light or poking fun at the thought or idea of this topic. The logo posted above is a logo for a slot machine game. Funny, huh? I thought, wow, we have come a long way from a serious enterpretation of dooms day. While there are still some who still take the subject seriously, you really can't blame the ones who make fun. How may times have we heard, "the sky is falling!"  

Images of Apocalypse

Apocalypse. The name comes from the Greek 'apocalypses', meaning unveiling, revelation, particularly of divine nature. Revelation of John, written at the end of the first century A.D., foretells us of the end of the world and the coming of the Last Judgment, the destruction of the wicked, the overthrow of Satan and the establishment of Christ's kingdom on earth. Back in "old days", artists visions of Apocalypse were greatly influenced by their religiouos backgrounds.

The sequence of fantastic images - the author's visions - forms a cycle of themes that are found in fine art.

For example, Albrecht Durer in his woodcut print "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" (1498) showed the end of the world as it was described in the book of John. I believe that the general concept of this work of art can still be easily understood nowadays. Although, to get the idea about death and rebirth and the agents of divine rage (Conqueror, War, Famine and Death) one may still need some specific religious background.

As times change and humankind develops more sofisticated means of self-desctruction, visions of apocalypse change. Should you show medieval people a picture of the "magic mushroom" (symbol of nuclear explosion), it would mean nothing to them. Meanwhile, the image has become one of the universally recognized symbols of Apocalypse. A modern person of any race, age, ethnicity or cultural background would not think twice about the meaning behind it.

One of the most famous artists that was inspired by the destructive power of this perfect weapon was Salvador Dali. In his paintings (THE THREE SPHINXES OF BIKINI, Galatea of the Spheres, Raphaelesque Head Bursting, est.) he tries to depict deadly explosion more humanlike. These are works of political importance as well as philosophical.

The images of Apocalypse change with the society: as common believes change, change the pictures. We used to imagine the end of the world as something triggered by supernatural phenomena, while it looks like the humankind has reached the level of being able to destroy the world on its own. Artists sense these changes and reflect them in their work. They are constantly trying to depict some of the major concerns of the humankind, to find some answers and to change the world.

Compare and Contrast apocalyptic image from graphic design today with apocalyptic manuscripts

http://www.jrsfilm.com/APOCALYPTIC%20VISION%20-%20FULL.jpg



I'm sure that everyone remembers Y2K when it was believed that the world would end or at least all of our computers and electronic devices would fail. Preparations were made and ...nothing happened. The same incedent happened 1000 years before that and just like with Y2K ....nothing happened. It wouldn't suprize me if it occurs again in the year 3000. Don't get me wrong, im not saying that the world won't come to an end im just raising question to all of the hype about the end of the world. Do you think that people would be half as scared of the end of the world if we didnt have all of the images of the apocalyps?




Although, still proficiying doom and destruction the images of the apocalyps have changed over the thousands of years. They have gone from being line by line illustrations of the scripture to being more imaginative and almost photographic images of what it would be like when the end finally happens. In the 1000's it was believed that the apocalyps was to be God raining his judgment down on the unbelievers in the form of four horsemen as illustrated in Megg's History of Graphic Design fourth edition image 4-13 in chapter 4 on page 52. The pictures created in 1000 show the apocalyps playing out word for word with the scripture like the image 4-14 in chapter 4 on page 53. The scripture talkes about the sun and the moon being divided into pieces and there it is in the painting.




Today, the images we see of the apocalyps are very different. They are not as litteral as the images from 1000 years ago. It is like ,after experiencing the first end of the world scare where nothing happened and the new interpretations of the scriptures were thought out, they dove deeper into the meanings behind the scripture. Now, the images we see of the apocalyps are not limited to four horsemen and divided celestial spheres rather they include images of war(represented by bombs and rubble), pestilence (represented by natural phenomenons),famine and death (represented through the skelital creatures and the starving people garbbed in rags). Most of the apocalyptic images we see today are post-apocalyptic. This might be attributed to the churches desire to get people to repent so they do not have to experience the aftermath.

apocalyptic images

As far as what people believe and the apocalypse, not much has changed from AD 1000.  However, technology was invented a very long time after the era of which illuminated manuscripts were produced.  The use of computers and even photoshop enhance the look of images created to show apocalyptic happenings.  In AD 1047, only two dimensional representation of objects were created. The images of today are far more realistic-looking due to the use of three-dimension enhancing tools on the computer.  

While the belief is much the same, the subject matter of images I found are also very similar.  Horses and fire seemed to dominate what the vision of the apocalypse may include.  And due to the subject matter the colors are similar...red and orange.

Signs of the Apocalyse

From reading the text from chapter 4 it seems to me that there really is not that much of a difference from the people in AD999 to the year 1999. I remember at the turn of the century people all over the world sold there possessions and quit there jobs so that they could “be ready” for the apocalypse. In the text it says that many people “spent the night naked on there cold rooftops waiting for the end”. So the way people think of the apocalypse has not changed that much. Sure with today’s technology we have movies and computer images of what we think the end times will be like. But we still get our visions of the end of the world from the book of Revelations in the Bible. Looking at the images from then and now we still have the same basic outlook on how the world is going to end. Over time we have kind of strayed away from creating these great graphic manuscripts to just creating graphic pictures. Since the literacy rate was so low back in 999 I think that the artist choice to paint pictures of the end times was probably better than using words. And image just seems to get the point across faster than if you have to explain what the words mean to everyone, because often times words can be confusing even to the literate. And the old saying a picture is worth a 1000 words was true then and is true even today.

Apocalypse Then and Now

In medieval times, it was believed that the world would end with the “Last Judgment” predicted in the Book of Revelations. Most felt the year A.D. 1000 to be the year that it would come to pass, and on New Year’s eve of A.D. 999, Europeans stood through the night to await the end. In A.D. 776, a book detailing the Apocalypse was written by a Spanish monk named Beatus. The illustrations that accompanied the passages of the book were very vivid, as they were meant to relay the same message as the text to those who were illiterate. The thought of the Apocalypse instilled fear in some, while it gave hope to those who felt that their faithfulness would be rewarded when the end came.
Now, theories concerning the end of the world still involve religion, but many predictions include everything from natural disasters to wars. The images depicting the apocalypse have also changed. Although they are no longer needed like they were when much of the population was illiterate, pictures dealing with the end of the world are still common. With the tools that modern technology has made available, pictures are more detailed than those from medieval times, but most of them convey the same emotions to us as medieval images did to the people of that time.

Compare and contrast apocalyptic images...

I don't have a great religious background, so I was curious to know what the four horsemen of the Apocalypse meant, and I chose to compare this image from the Book of Revelation (Figure 4-13 in our text) to this image created by David Miles on photoshop. 

Supposedly the four horsemen are symbolic of different events which will take place at the end times. The first horsemen, the white one, refers to the antichrist. He will be given authority and will conquer all who oppose him. He is a false imitator of Christ. The second horsemen, the red one,  symbolizes warfare that will break out. The third, on the black horse, symbolizes a great famine, possibly resulting from the war (though I do find it interesting that it says that oil and wine and luxuries will be plentiful- just not food). The fourth horsemen is represented by a grey-ish horse, and is named death ("by sword, famine, plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth".) 

Scary as it sounds, these horsemen are merely the beginning of worse things to come. 

(http://www.davidmiles.net/IMAGES/large_4Horsemen.jpg)

In both images, there are four riders. The antichrist in both images he has a bow and a crown, and is riding a white horse. Warfare in both images is a red horse, and has a large sword. In both images he also appears to be followed by a demon looking creature. Famine is shown with a black horse, and each horsemen is holding a scale in his hand. The fourth, Death, is very different in each picture. The photoshop image shows him on a grey horse with a shadow which seems intentional. He has no sword, only a cloak. In the Book of Revelation, the horse is also grey but has no shadow, and carries a sword.

The styles in which each apocalyptic image was created are very different. In the book of revelation the images are flat. They are not quite profile views, but they do not show depth, or perspective. I'm sure these images were made this simply so that people knew exactly what these images represented. The significant objects each horsemen carries are very clear. Many people were illiterate at that time so the images had to say what the text meant.

In contrast to this is David Miles' picture. which shows perspective and shadows. It is photorealistic, but we know it was digitally altered.  Even though this image has much finer detail, what each horsemen represents is still very clear. If you couldn't read, you would still know what this image represents.

Apocalyptic Images then and now..

In medieval times depicting what the written word said through images was vital to understanding. Since many could not read, the images gave them a glimpse into what the end of times would be like. The medieval apocalyptic images dealt with the spiritual realm and came from the book of Revelation. When looking at the images from this time period they explain the passages and are self explanatory. The images are there for the sake of learning and knowing of what was to come. Now-a-days, apocalyptic images are a little bit more than that.
People don't rely on images to tell them a story. Literacy has improved drastically and images are now used for shock value and emotion. Sure, images are still used to represent what the story is about. However, I think that apacalyptic images today are mainly to instill fear, to entertain, shock, or cause the reader to wonder "what if?" Many of the same characteristics remain the same (angels, demons, good/bad) and that is because many of the images still depict the book of Romans and what it says about the end times. It's interesting to see how much time has gone by since the medieval period and how little the main idea of these images have stayed the same. Although the purpose behind the images today is quite different than the medieval times, they still are similar in nature.

Comparing Apocalyptic images Past and Present

(Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
from the Beatus of Fernando and Sancha.)

Faithful people in medieval times considered life to be a prelude to eternal salvation. Many still believed in supernatural explanations to natural phenomena that wasn't understood including eclipses, earthquakes, and famine. Most believed in the destruction of the earth as foretold by the Biblical Book of Revelation. Many considered the year A.D. 1000 to be the end. The Spanish monk Beatus wrote a frightening interpretation of this event in A.D. 776. The book included images of destruction that couldn't be overlooked. And on New Year's Eve A.D. 999, many Europeans gathered to await their final judgment. As the new year arrived and nothing happened, new interpretations of Beatus's commentary were made. Honestly, I would have probably lost faith after sitting on my rooftop stark naked, cold, and embarrassed....But thats just me.

All kidding aside, I'm sure these apocalyptic images played a large role in people's faith in earlier times. Most couldn't read. And a picture is known to be worth a thousand words. I'm sure the simple mystery of these images scared people into submission.

(Catostrophic events as portrayed in the movie"The Day After Tomorrow")



In today’s world, the images only seem to get worse. With the advancement of technology, one can actually picture themselves in catastrophic events portrayed by artists. The images seem to be more real than ever. This can be the ultimate tool in converting non-believers as well as opening one’s eyes to what they might be contributing to.

I think that apocalyptic images have done what they were set out to do since the earliest times. They portray images that get people to think deeper and contemplate life and its consequences. They also create a “what if?” mentality. The images really get you to think. Without them, I believe most people would take life for granted as they so often do.

Whether its for the sake of religeon, or to just create an awareness of how we actually effect the world individually (and as a whole), Apocalyptic images are necessary in keeping civilization in order. Granted, I don’t know if the four horsemen will actually fly out of the sky and wield death and destruction. And I’m not sure if what these religions have written is true. But because of the advancement of science and studies, I do believe that we are destroying the world and its resources. And if we don’t try and correct it on a personal level, the images that we see (pertaining to global warming) could become more of a reality than they already are.

Apocalyptic Fun

Many of the covers for bands or exhibitions that are seen today have some sort of apocalyptic nature about them. In the manuscripts that we have seen in chapter 4 we see a design that is depicting or describing an even that happened during that time period, that people were wanting to remember. Also, another thing that these designs were trying to get across to the viewer was a pictorial representation of something that the people were able to understand. Since literacy was not as prominent, especially with lower class families, these people needed pictures to explain or to help them understand or remember a story. Now, we have words that a good portion of people are able to understand.

The designs that we see today are not usually used to actually represent something, but more to come across to want to grab the viewer’s attention. In some cases they show a theme or a “logo” to the type of event that they are attempting to show information about. To some extent there is an extreme popularity with the gothic art work and the Renaissance of things in today’s society. Many people attending festivals or even produce artwork that is replicas of what we might have seen back in the 4th or 5th centuries. The main differences, of course, are that these pieces of artwork and not always used to get across a story as much as they are being used for actual pieces of artwork. This is what separates what they were attempting to do back in the 4th century as opposed to what the artists of today are attempting to do.

My images were found here:
http://www.mysticuspublishing.com/



Salve Regina
Retablo Poster
18" x 24"



Apocalyptic Resurrection
Daniel Martin Diaz
2006 Solo Exhibition Poster
18" x 24"