Discussion Board 6

Discussion Board 6

One of the works that is in the chapter, but we did not go over in class is Jacques Callot’s etching of The Hanging Tree from the Miseries of War series. It is considered some of the first anti-war images published. Find another powerful anti-war image and post. Let’s not get gruesome though. What do we see in the image? What makes it so powerful? Do we know what public reaction was?

For instance, street artist Banksy created this work of art in 2005. Titled CND Soldiers, it shows two soldiers – one holds a gun as the other one spray paints a peace sign on a brick wall outside of London’s House of Parliament. It was originally a reaction against Britain’s involvement in the Iraq War. The irony here is, of course, that the military who are government officials are now protesters. The CND is the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and their symbol has become the universal sign of peace. The design. slightly altered, was later utilized on a print by Banksy (second image) and sold at auction in 2006. Last month, the owner of one of the prints auctioned it off with all proceeds going towards the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv. Additionally, the auction website isn’t taking its usual commission fee meaning that literally funds go to the hospital. The anti-war image has now been repurposed for another war – in this instance though, it is more than making a statement, it is directly benefiting the people it is supporting. It raised 81,000 pounds ($105,000) for the hospital.