 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Banksy There is Always Hope, 2002 Location: South Bank, London, UK The work is often referred to as The Girl with Balloon
Throughout the semester, each student will write two analytical research papers that introduce, describe and compare a work of art selected from our textbook.
Comparative paper:
Focused work = Banksy There is always Hope
Compare this work to an image we have seen from
Prehistoric work; Hall of the Bulls, from Lascaux, France
Hall of the Bulls, Palaeolithic cave paintings, found in a complex of caves in the Dordogne region of southwestern France. Approximately 20,000 years old, the paintings consist primarily of large animals, once native to the region.
The composition of all essays:
1. Line
2. Color / VALUE
3. Space
4. Scale
8. Write a paragraph for the conclusion to bring your essay to completion.
Comments:
Your essay should be well developed, thoughtful and analytical in nature.
Your essay should include an analytical comparative to an additional found drawing.
Your essay should be 1,000 words
Your essay should bring in excellent descriptive support of how the elements are operating in your selected particular works of art.
NOTE: In-text citations: Author-page style. MLA format follows the author-page method of in-text citation. This means that the author's last name and the page number(s) from which the quotation or paraphrase is taken must appear in the text, and a complete reference should appear on your Works Cited page.
IMAGES also need to be cited with the following:
Figure #1, Figure #2, etc. under each within the body of essay, followed by
Title or Untitled (in italics)
Date
Artist/Designer/Company
Media
Dimensions convert to inches
Collection where it is currently - if it no longer exists, you need to write, no longer in existence
In your Bibliography all images need to nclude:
The bliographic source material and URL
i.e.  Figure #1 Banksy, There is Always Hope, 2002 spray enamel on wall
Location: South Bank, London, UK
(The work is often referred to as The Girl with Balloon), no longer in existence
ESSAY # 1 / 2 Standards for grading
Double spaced -- 800-word minimum
Essay contains accomplishment in four areas:
A Quality = Surpasses Standards. A stellar performance
B Quality = Occasionally meets standards appropriately, a good performance
C Quality =. Approaches and meets some standards
D Quality = Meets some standards, however, not near enough to meet them adequately
F Quality = Does not meet the standards / unable to grade
1. 60% of overall grade goes towards content and description of how the formal elements are operating. The essay is well developed, thoughtful and analytical in nature. Essay brings in excellent descriptive support of how the elements are operating in both works.
2. 30% of overall grade goes towards the information provided of the cultural significance, symbolism in both works; technique, and application of materials, etc.
3. 10% of overall grade towards the essay's mechanics of writing. The essay's structure is well organized, transitions are smooth, grammar is excellent, and includes the addition of image with proper labeling. The essay is coherent and illustrates technical control by the author (you!). Your paper includes a properly cited bibliographic sources.
Essay contains accomplishment in four areas of grading:
 |
STUDENT PAPERS
Comparative Analysis
Although styles of art may change through the years, the basic elements and principles of design remain the same. Some pieces that are popular today may draw on the same elements and principles that pieces from previous periods have also used. “There is Always Hope”by Banksy from 2002, uses a lot of similar elements as “The Hall of Bulls”located in France, even though they were painted nearly twenty-thousand years apart (Stokstad and Cothren 24).
Figure 1. Banksy “There is Always Hope”,2002,
White wash and spray paint on a cement wall,
12’ by 5’
Waterloo Bridge, South Bank, London (no longer in existence)
“There is Always Hope” or “Girl with Balloon,” as it is also called, was originally created by the British street artist Banksy (Elsworth-Jones para 1) in 2002 in South Bank London on the Waterloo Bridge (Acres para 31). Banksy used graffiti and white wash on a cement wall, and what makes the piece really stand out, is that the only color that is not black or white on the piece is the little red balloon that is just out of the reach of the little girl’s hand, making the red balloon the focal point of the piece. Some would say that the balloon stands for more than just a child’s toy, but that it is a symbol of innocence, dreams, and love. Whether you interpret the balloon leaving the girl’s hand or gliding into it can determine if you see it as a loss of innocence or the arrival of hope and love (MyArtBroker.compara. 1-2). Others view it as the balloon leaving the little girls hand stands for a loss of innocence and love, but the words “There is always hope” in bright white paint, indicates that she is surrounded by hope. Richardson also points out that without the words “There is always hope” the pieces meaning would be straightforward and that the words allow the piece to be interpreted in different ways (para 2-3).
Banksy has recreated “There is Always Hope”at other times and in other places such as in Shoreditch, England in 2004, it was also reproduced in 2014 to commemorate the third anniversary of the Syrian War (MyArtBroker para 4-5). It was further recreated in 2017 around the general election in Britain to promote voting against the Conservative Party, and once more in 2018 where the piece shredded itself at an auction (para 6-8). The identity of who Banksy is, is largely unknown, just like how he makes his work. Banksy, like his work, both appeared overnight, and part of what makes them so intriguing for viewers is that there is so much mystery surrounding their identity (Acres para. 2).
Figure 2. Unknown, “Hall of the Bulls”
Paint on Limestone
62’ by 18’
Lascaux Caves, South France
Still exists though not open for public viewing
“Hall of the Bulls”does not have a known painter, but was painted on the limestone cave walls of the Lascaux Cave in southern France around 15,000 B.C.E. (Stokstad and Cothren 24). Archaeologists and art historians are not entirely sure what the paintings in the “Hall of the Bulls”mean or why they were painted to begin with. Some scientists suggest that it shows that humans have an aesthetic impulse, but others say that the effort required to create the works probably needed more motivation than just for aesthetic pleasure (Pepper, Chapter 1 para 36-37). According to Jen Pepper, a professor of art history at Cazenovia College some paintings were so high in the cave that no human could reach those areas to paint without some sort of a structure to help them reach that far. Others suggest that the paintings may have served a social function for the prehistoric people and were associated with ceremonies performed to strengthen bonds among them or to enhance the fertility of the animals that they used for food. And finally, others suggest that the paintings were used to teach novice hunters animal behavior. No matter which hypothesis is applied, there is no doubt that the paintings had a special meaning to those who painted them as archaeological evidence shows that the people then, and even now, return to them time and time again to gaze at their beauty (Stokstad and Cothren 23).
When the “Hall of the Bulls”was created, its creator(s) did not have the same tools as Banksy had available to him. According to Professor Pepper, the “Hall of the Bulls”creator(s) used earth pigments, placed on the wall with a bamboo rod, or blown on with the rod and the creators breath like spray paint. The colors were then stuck to the wall with a binder of some sort. The earth pigments tended to be brown, black, and red in color, and the binders were usually blood, egg whites, or human milk.
Line is an element of design that is usually drawn or painted with a length so much greater than its width that it only seems to have length. When the line is visible it is considered an actual line whereas when it is invisible, the movement of the viewers’ eyes over the work that tends to follow a path that its creator intended, it is considered implied (Stokstad and Cothren XIV). A line describes the direction of a plane in space and can vary in width which expresses visual height (Pepper, Introduction para 7).
Both “There is Always Hope” and the “Hall of the Bulls”use the line element in an implied way. Both pieces use the natural boundary of their mediums as an implied line to indicate the ground on which their subjects stand. Furthermore, in Banksy’s work, the balloon is pointing in a northwest direction with the string flowing behind it, coupled with the little girl’s coat and hair flowing towards the west implies a line, like a wind from the east blowing west on the little girl and herballoon.The sway of the balloon, not only implies a line, but also movement and lift. The bulls in the “Hall of the Bulls”almost act the same way as the girl’s coat and her balloon do when it comes to implying direction in their respective pieces. Some of the bulls appear to be moving east to west, while others appear to be moving west to east, implying direction and therefore a line.
Hue, value, and saturation are some of the several attributes that the element color has. Hue is what people think of when they think of color and can be broken down into primary and secondary hues. Primary hues are red, yellow, and blue (Stokstad and Cothren XIV), and secondary hues are hues in which two primary hues are mixed to form them (Pepper, Introduction para. 8). Value is the lightness or darkness of a color and saturation is the colors quality of brightness or dullness (Stokstad and Cothren XIV-XV).
Color is used in the same way by Banksy in “There is Always Hope”and the “Hall of the Bulls”. Both pieces do not use more than a few colors. “There is Always Hope” only features the colors black, white, and the red in the balloon, while the “Hall of the Bulls”only features the colors brown, red, and black. The color black in both pieces is mainly used to outline the figures in the pieces, while the color red in both pieces and brown in the “Hall of the Bulls”is used to fill in some of the black outlines while also helping to distinguish different parts of the piece. The use of color also gives the viewers a different dynamic to look at across the pieces, making them more interesting.
Marilyn Stokstad and Michael Cothren describe space as what contains forms (XV). It may be actual and three-dimensional or implied where three-dimensionality is represented illusionistically in two-dimensions. Representing three-dimensionality in two-dimensions is done by the artist using different perspectives (Stokstad and Cothren XV).
Space, like other elements of design in the “Hall of the Bulls”and “There is Always Hope”is used in the same way. Both pieces use what is known as vertical perspective which is when the creator(s) of a piece stack elements of their pieces, with the higher ones intended to be thought of as deeper in space by the viewer (Stokstad and Cothren XVI). This is seen in “There is Always Hope”with the balloon being located just above the little girl, implying that it is further away from the viewer than the girl is. Vertical perspective is seen in the “Hall of the Bulls”in the varying sizes of the bulls, the larger bulls seem closer to the viewer than the smaller bulls. The “Hall of the Bulls”also makes use of overlapping as some of the bulls overlap each other making the bulls that cover other bulls seem closer to the viewer (Stokstad and Cothren XVI).
Scale is the comparative size between forms and images (Pepper, Introduction para. 35). It is the relationship of a form occupying one shape to that of another form (Pepper, Elements and Principles para. 13). When looking at art people tend to compare the subject(s) of the piece to the size of their human bodies.
There is obvious use of scale by the creator(s) of the “Hall of the Bulls”as their use of it can be seen in the different sizes of bulls. There are a few large bulls that are almost over top and in some cases overlap several smaller bulls in the piece. In “There is Always Hope”Banksy’s use of scale tends to differ from the creator(s) of the “Hall of the Bulls”. The little girl seems to be in scale with the size you would expect to see her in the world and in comparison with the human body. The balloon does appear to be slightly smaller than would be expected in comparison to what is usually seen in the world.
Even though nearly twenty-thousand years separate the creation of “There is Always Hope”and the “Hall of the Bulls”there are many similarities between them. These pieces continue to amaze and inspire viewers while also sparking a sense of curiosity as to what their real purpose is. Even though the world and art changes as years go by, the basic elements of design still remain the same.
Works Cited
Acres, Ryan. “129 Amazing Banksy Graffiti Artworks With Locations.” Canvas Art Rocks,
Banksy.There is Always Hope.2002, Waterloo Bridge,South Bank, London, Retrieved from
Bull, Martin. Banksy Locations & Tours Vol. 1. PM Press, 2011.
Ellsworth-Jones, Will. “The Story Behind Banksy.” Smithsonian.com,2013,
Accessed 9 Oct. 2019.
Pepper, Jen. “The Elements & Principles of Visual Design.” FA.2019FA111.ArtHistory.Caz,
28 Aug. 2019, fa2019fa111caz.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-elements-principles-of-visual-design.htmlAccessed 9 Oct. 2019
Pepper, Jen. “NOTES: Chapter #1 > Prehistoric Art in Europe.” FA.2019FA111.ArtHistory.Caz,
2 Sep. 2019, fa2019fa111caz.blogspot.com/2019/09/notes-chapter-1-prehistoric-art-in.htmlAccessed 9 Oct. 2019
Pepper, Jen. “Stokstad's Introduction p.XIV.” FA.2019FA111.ArtHistory.Caz,2 Sep. 2019
Pepper, Jen. “Prehistoric Art in Europe.” Cazenovia College, 2 Sep. 2019. Lecture.
Richardson, Rachel. “Banksy, There is Always Hope….” What Banksy’s Street Art Means to the
World,2015, blogs.buprojects.uk/2015-2016/rachelrichardson/2015/12/16/banksy-there-is-always-hope/Accessed 9 Oct. 2019.
Stokstad, Marilyn and Cothren, Michael W. “Art: A Brief History.” 6thedition, Pearson,2016.
Unknown Artist(s). Hall of the Bulls.15,000 B.C.E., Lascaux Cave,Montignac, France,
Figure 1. Banksy “There is Always Hope”,2002,
White wash and spray paint on a cement wall,
12’ by 5’
Waterloo Bridge, South Bank, London (no longer in existence at this location)
“There is Always Hope” or “Girl with Balloon,” as it is also called, was originally created by the British street artist Banksy (Elsworth-Jones para 1) in 2002 in South Bank London on the Waterloo Bridge (Acres para 31). Banksy used graffiti and white wash on a cement wall, and what makes the piece really stand out, is that the only color that is not black or white on the piece is the little red balloon that is just out of the reach of the little girl’s hand, making the red balloon the focal point of the piece. Some would say that the balloon stands for more than just a child’s toy, but that it is a symbol of innocence, dreams, and love. Whether you interpret the balloon leaving the girl’s hand or gliding into it can determine if you see it as a loss of innocence or the arrival of hope and love (MyArtBroker.compara. 1-2). Others view it as the balloon leaving the little girls hand stands for a loss of innocence and love, but the words “There is always hope” in bright white paint, indicates that she is surrounded by hope. Richardson also points out that without the words “There is always hope” the pieces meaning would be straightforward and that the words allow the piece to be interpreted in different ways (para 2-3).
Banksy has recreated “There is Always Hope”at other times and in other places such as in Shoreditch, England in 2004, it was also reproduced in 2014 to commemorate the third anniversary of the Syrian War (MyArtBroker para 4-5). It was further recreated in 2017 around the general election in Britain to promote voting against the Conservative Party, and once more in 2018 where the piece shredded itself at an auction (para 6-8). The identity of who Banksy is, is largely unknown, just like how he makes his work. Banksy, like his work, both appeared overnight, and part of what makes them so intriguing for viewers is that there is so much mystery surrounding their identity (Acres para. 2).
Figure 2. Unknown, “Hall of the Bulls”
Paint on Limestone
62’ by 18’
Lascaux Caves, South France
Still exists though not open for public viewing
“Hall of the Bulls”does not have a known painter, but was painted on the limestone cave walls of the Lascaux Cave in southern France around 15,000 B.C.E. (Stokstad and Cothren 24). Archaeologists and art historians are not entirely sure what the paintings in the “Hall of the Bulls”mean or why they were painted to begin with. Some scientists suggest that it shows that humans have an aesthetic impulse, but others say that the effort required to create the works probably needed more motivation than just for aesthetic pleasure (Pepper, Chapter 1 para 36-37). According to Jen Pepper, a professor of art history at Cazenovia College some paintings were so high in the cave that no human could reach those areas to paint without some sort of a structure to help them reach that far. Others suggest that the paintings may have served a social function for the prehistoric people and were associated with ceremonies performed to strengthen bonds among them or to enhance the fertility of the animals that they used for food. And finally, others suggest that the paintings were used to teach novice hunters animal behavior. No matter which hypothesis is applied, there is no doubt that the paintings had a special meaning to those who painted them as archaeological evidence shows that the people then, and even now, return to them time and time again to gaze at their beauty (Stokstad and Cothren 23).
When the “Hall of the Bulls”was created, its creator(s) did not have the same tools as Banksy had available to him. According to Professor Pepper, the “Hall of the Bulls”creator(s) used earth pigments, placed on the wall with a bamboo rod, or blown on with the rod and the creators breath like spray paint. The colors were then stuck to the wall with a binder of some sort. The earth pigments tended to be brown, black, and red in color, and the binders were usually blood, egg whites, or human milk.
Line is an element of design that is usually drawn or painted with a length so much greater than its width that it only seems to have length. When the line is visible it is considered an actual line whereas when it is invisible, the movement of the viewers’ eyes over the work that tends to follow a path that its creator intended, it is considered implied (Stokstad and Cothren XIV). A line describes the direction of a plane in space and can vary in width which expresses visual height (Pepper, Introduction para 7).
Both “There is Always Hope” and the “Hall of the Bulls”use the line element in an implied way. Both pieces use the natural boundary of their mediums as an implied line to indicate the ground on which their subjects stand. Furthermore, in Banksy’s work, the balloon is pointing in a northwest direction with the string flowing behind it, coupled with the little girl’s coat and hair flowing towards the west implies a line, like a wind from the east blowing west on the little girl and herballoon.The sway of the balloon, not only implies a line, but also movement and lift. The bulls in the “Hall of the Bulls”almost act the same way as the girl’s coat and her balloon do when it comes to implying direction in their respective pieces. Some of the bulls appear to be moving east to west, while others appear to be moving west to east, implying direction and therefore a line.
Hue, value, and saturation are some of the several attributes that the element color has. Hue is what people think of when they think of color and can be broken down into primary and secondary hues. Primary hues are red, yellow, and blue (Stokstad and Cothren XIV), and secondary hues are hues in which two primary hues are mixed to form them (Pepper, Introduction para. 8). Value is the lightness or darkness of a color and saturation is the colors quality of brightness or dullness (Stokstad and Cothren XIV-XV).
Color is used in the same way by Banksy in “There is Always Hope”and the “Hall of the Bulls”. Both pieces do not use more than a few colors. “There is Always Hope” only features the colors black, white, and the red in the balloon, while the “Hall of the Bulls”only features the colors brown, red, and black. The color black in both pieces is mainly used to outline the figures in the pieces, while the color red in both pieces and brown in the “Hall of the Bulls”is used to fill in some of the black outlines while also helping to distinguish different parts of the piece. The use of color also gives the viewers a different dynamic to look at across the pieces, making them more interesting.
Marilyn Stokstad and Michael Cothren describe space as what contains forms (XV). It may be actual and three-dimensional or implied where three-dimensionality is represented illusionistically in two-dimensions. Representing three-dimensionality in two-dimensions is done by the artist using different perspectives (Stokstad and Cothren XV).
Space, like other elements of design in the “Hall of the Bulls”and “There is Always Hope”is used in the same way. Both pieces use what is known as vertical perspective which is when the creator(s) of a piece stack elements of their pieces, with the higher ones intended to be thought of as deeper in space by the viewer (Stokstad and Cothren XVI). This is seen in “There is Always Hope”with the balloon being located just above the little girl, implying that it is further away from the viewer than the girl is. Vertical perspective is seen in the “Hall of the Bulls”in the varying sizes of the bulls, the larger bulls seem closer to the viewer than the smaller bulls. The “Hall of the Bulls”also makes use of overlapping as some of the bulls overlap each other making the bulls that cover other bulls seem closer to the viewer (Stokstad and Cothren XVI).
Scale is the comparative size between forms and images (Pepper, Introduction para. 35). It is the relationship of a form occupying one shape to that of another form (Pepper, Elements and Principles para. 13). When looking at art people tend to compare the subject(s) of the piece to the size of their human bodies.
There is obvious use of scale by the creator(s) of the “Hall of the Bulls”as their use of it can be seen in the different sizes of bulls. There are a few large bulls that are almost over top and in some cases overlap several smaller bulls in the piece. In “There is Always Hope”Banksy’s use of scale tends to differ from the creator(s) of the “Hall of the Bulls”. The little girl seems to be in scale with the size you would expect to see her in the world and in comparison with the human body. The balloon does appear to be slightly smaller than would be expected in comparison to what is usually seen in the world.
Even though nearly twenty-thousand years separate the creation of “There is Always Hope”and the “Hall of the Bulls”there are many similarities between them. These pieces continue to amaze and inspire viewers while also sparking a sense of curiosity as to what their real purpose is. Even though the world and art changes as years go by, the basic elements of design still remain the same.
Works Cited
Acres, Ryan. “129 Amazing Banksy Graffiti Artworks With Locations.” Canvas Art Rocks,
Banksy.There is Always Hope.2002, Waterloo Bridge,South Bank, London, Retrieved from
Bull, Martin. Banksy Locations & Tours Vol. 1. PM Press, 2011.
Ellsworth-Jones, Will. “The Story Behind Banksy.” Smithsonian.com,2013,
Accessed 9 Oct. 2019.
Pepper, Jen. “The Elements & Principles of Visual Design.” FA.2019FA111.ArtHistory.Caz,
28 Aug. 2019, fa2019fa111caz.blogspot.com/2019/08/the-elements-principles-of-visual-design.htmlAccessed 9 Oct. 2019
Pepper, Jen. “NOTES: Chapter #1 > Prehistoric Art in Europe.” FA.2019FA111.ArtHistory.Caz,
2 Sep. 2019, fa2019fa111caz.blogspot.com/2019/09/notes-chapter-1-prehistoric-art-in.htmlAccessed 9 Oct. 2019
Pepper, Jen. “Stokstad's Introduction p.XIV.” FA.2019FA111.ArtHistory.Caz,2 Sep. 2019
Pepper, Jen. “Prehistoric Art in Europe.” Cazenovia College, 2 Sep. 2019. Lecture.
Richardson, Rachel. “Banksy, There is Always Hope….” What Banksy’s Street Art Means to the
World,2015, blogs.buprojects.uk/2015-2016/rachelrichardson/2015/12/16/banksy-there-is-always-hope/Accessed 9 Oct. 2019.
Stokstad, Marilyn and Cothren, Michael W. “Art: A Brief History.” 6thedition, Pearson,2016.
Unknown Artist(s). Hall of the Bulls.15,000 B.C.E., Lascaux Cave,Montignac, France,
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For thousands of years, humans have created art for a multitude of reasons, and in many ways. One piece that has drawn the attention of audiences throughout time is street artist Banksy’s There is Always Hope, or also known as The Girl with the Red Balloon. The work has captured the thoughts and imaginations of viewers since it was created in 2002. While it’s an original mural in South Bank, London, it has been adapted throughout the years into many different forms. This in some ways, can be compared to the famous cave painting known as The Hall of the Bulls in Lascaux, France. Both pieces were created in different ways and were created thousands of years apart from each other, thus it creates multiple differences in principles and elements of design in the work, but due to both pieces artistic nature, some similarities exist as well.
The Girl with the Red Balloon depicts a little girl releasing a red balloon shaped like a heart with words “There Is Always Hope” stenciled next to her. It was created in 2002, in South Bank, an urban area of Greater London. It is a stencil mural, which requires Banksy to create cutouts of images made from paper and or cardboard, then used those cutouts as stencils when spray painting them to a wall. The piece’s dimensions are hard to depict as the original was stenciled to the side of an outdoor staircase, as a form of graffiti. The piece's purpose is to represent love, hope, and losing something when it’s just within our grasp. The piece has since become iconic, as Banksy has used the piece of work on multiple occasions to support social campaigns. He has reworked the original design to support the Syrian Refugee Crisis of 2014 (Oxfam), as well as offering free artwork to anyone who voted against the Tories political party during the 2017 United Kingdom election (he later withdrew the offer as it’s considered political bribing in British law, a punishable offense) (O’Conner). The piece is highly popular worldwide, but especially in the United Kingdom where a 2017 Samsung poll showed that it was the most popular choice for a favorite piece of artwork in the UK (Samsung).
The Hall of the Bulls depicts bulls, equines, aurochs, stags and the only bear in the entire Lascaux cave system. It’s estimated to have been created roughly 17,000 years ago (smarthistory), in the large system of caves in Lascaux, France, during the upper paleolithic age. It was created by the artists using natural substances such as charcoal, clay, animal fat, and mineral pigments to create both colors, while also having them be able to stick to the walls and ceilings of the caves (smarthistory). The painting takes up the entire section of the cave, even including one bull that is an astounding 17 feet in length. All the bulls seem to be in motion, and they're even paintings on the ceiling of the cave, meaning somehow the artists must have designed a way to reach the top, meaning this project held much importance to the creators, and it took a lot of effort and brainpower to achieve the final product. It's hard to say what the exact purpose was in creating these paintings, as in prehistory, and there are no written records, and no one was around when it was created obviously. Experts believe that it could have been made for religious purposes, perhaps hoping this monument would provide a more plentiful hunt. Since its discovery in 1940, it has been an important cultural piece, as it has been observed by many prehistorians and others and has also been an important piece in helping interpret prehistoric art (smarthistory).
Because of the obvious differences in the period both pieces arose, locations, purposes, mediums, and dimensions. This, in turn, creates both similarities and differences when it comes to analyzing the principles and elements of design for both works of art. For example, when analyzing how Banksy uses the most basic of the elements of design, line, in The Girl with the Red Balloon. When looking at the lines on the girl, there are multiple different types of lines used to create the image of the girl releasing the balloon. There are contour lines to created realistic elbows, and facial details. Horizontal lines were used to create a distinct bottom to the dress, and vertical lines to create legs. The lines are not bold but instead defined to create clear shapes. When inspecting the balloon, the curved string helps create the illusion of the balloon moving in the wind, helping the viewer assume that there is wind present in the mural. There are curved lines used to help create the shape of the heart, helping reinforce the symbolism of hope and love that Banksy is intending to depict through his art. His use of lines in The Girl with the Red Balloon expresses the realistic style he wishes to depict in his mural.
When compared to The Hall of The Bulls, the lines are far different than Banksy’s work. The bulls were created using thick black contour lines, as well as having both dots and spotted lines on them, to represent patterns. These lines are undefined, being darker in some spots than others. The stags are painted with thinner faint lines than the bulls. The way the artists created lines in The Hall of the Bulls was far different than the way Banksy created lines in his stencil mural, making The Girl with the Red Balloon a much more realistic depiction of the intention of both artists.
As well as line, the way both artists used value, and color can be both compared, and contrasted. In The Girl with the Red Balloon, Banksy uses high contrast when creating the image of the little girl releasing the balloon. There are few differences in shades of white and black, with very few greys. The differential in white and black in the original mural was used to create the illusion of light. Throughout the years, it appears that the sun has faded the original black used on the girl's dress, creating more greys than originally intended. The Girl with the Red Balloon is mostly monochromatic, with the only color being red, on the girl's balloon, obviously drawing attention to it, as it is only one of two objects in the painting.
When comparing that to The Hall of the Bulls, there are multiple differences in how the artists use both value and color within their works. Unlike in The Girl with the Red Balloon, The Hall of the Bulls is low contrast. There are multiple shades of whites and blacks, creating tones of gray within the bulls, horses and other animals. Along with that, The Hall of the Bulls is polychromatic, featuring many earth colors such as orange, reds, and browns. This can mostly be attributed to the differences in periods and mediums of the artists in The Hall of the Bulls, and Banksy in The Girl with the Red Balloon.
When looking at the space of both works, there are points to compare the two works as well. Through observing The Girl with The Red Balloon, it can be interpreted that Banksy creates an open feeling of space to help create a feeling movement on the two-dimensional space. There space between the hand of the girl and the balloon and mixed with the earlier stated use of curved lines, it helps the artist show that the girl is releasing the balloon, and it is flying away into the wind. This also reinforces Banksy’s purpose for creating The Girl with the Red Balloon, symbolizing losing something close, and not giving up hope. It is difficult in the art to help create the illusion of wind in art, but Banksy’s use of space does just that in The Girl with the Red Balloon.
In comparison to The Girl with the Red Balloon, The Hall of the Bulls spacing is far different. The open and almost neat spatial structure displayed by Banksy is a far cry from the cluttered prehistoric ancestor. The overlapping of animals in The Hall of the Bulls helps create depth and signifies importance within the piece, with the less important animals being placed perhaps in the background, while the bulls, placed in the foreground, are much larger. Overall the chaotic style present in The Hall of the Bulls is just one of many differences in style from the way Banksy uses the principles and elements of design in The Girl with the Red Balloon.
Finally, when comparing the way scale is used in The Hall of the Bulls, to that of the way scale is used The Girl with the Red Balloon, there are multiple differences. In Banksy’s work, the girl and the balloon are realistic in proportion to each other in size. This means that the size of the girl and the size of the balloon, are believable when compared to each other. When it comes to the depth created by scaling, there isn’t much in The Girl with the Red Balloon. The depth that is created is through shading, and spacing, to help show that Banksy is creating the illusion of wind within his piece, not scale.
When compared to The Girl with the Red Balloon, The Hall of the Bulls scaling is far different. Due to the chaotic nature developed in The Hall of the Bulls, the proportions are highly unrealistic. The animals are sized based on depth and importance. This is far different from the realistic, two-dimensional scaling of The Girl with the Red Balloon.
Overall, Banksy’s The Girl with the Red Balloon is far different from The Hall of the Bulls from Lascaux, France. The differences start with the location, mediums, periods, purposes, dimensions, and impacts on art. Those differences are not limited to the differences in the principles and elements of design, more specifically, line, value and color, space, and scale. While these differences exist, the fact they impacted the world, through putting color on a substrate exists as well. Both pieces have captured the imaginations of many, and have been and will be symbols of their period, for as long as humans view art.
Works Cited
Banksy. “There Is Always Hope.” Girl with Balloon – Banksy’s Most Inspiring Painting?, 23 Sept. 2019, publicdelivery.org/banksy-girl-with-red-balloon/.
“The Hall of the Bulls.” Lascaux Cave Paintings, www.visual-arts-cork.com/prehistoric/lascaux-cave-paintings.htm.
Looney, Mary Beth, and Mary Beth Looney. “Hall of Bulls, Lascaux.” Smarthistory, 19 Nov. 2015, https://smarthistory.org/hall-of-bulls-lascaux/.
O'Connor, @Roisin_OConnor, Roisin. “Banksy Is Offering Free Art to People Who Vote against the Tories.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 6 June 2017, www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/general-election-2017-banksy-free-print-vote-against-conservative-party-theresa-may-eu-brexit-a7772341.html.
“Street's Ahead...Graffiti Triumphs Over Classics As The Art Of The Nation.” Samsung Global Newsroom – All the Latest News, Key Facts and Inspiring Stories about Samsung Electronics., 26 July 2017, news.samsung.com/uk/streets-ahead-graffiti-triumphs-over-classics-as-the-art-of-the-nation.
Wilson, Alex, et al. “Banksy Creates a New Image of Hope to Stand #WithSyria.” Oxfam Canada, 17 Dec. 2018, www.oxfam.ca/blog/banksy-creates-new-image-of-hope-to-stand-withsyria/.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comparative Analysis I
The primary art work There is Always Hope, often referred to as Girl with a Balloon, is a graffiti painting by Banksy, a world-renowned artist known for his thought-provoking art. The medium is stencil filled in with spray paint. The painting was, although no longer existing, “first spotted in 2002 in London’s South Bank, stenciled atop a washed-up wall” (Banksy’s Girl with a Balloon). Despite the dimensions not being specifically stated, it can be assumed that the artwork was quite large considering it took up a portion of a wall. The time period was the early 2000’s, which were known for life-altering events, such as “the Twin Towers fall, terror alerts, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the disputed 2000 presidential election, and Hurricane Katrina” (James). Banksy is known for making art that is open to interpretation, and although his message is not exactly clear, based on the events of the time period, the interpretation may be that there is always a hope, even during the hardest of struggles. “Children have a sense of excitement that often fades with time, but here Banksy reminds everyone to hold onto that innocence” (Banksy’s Girl with a Balloon). A notable fact is that graffiti is illegal, despite that being a primary factor for his work, resulting in “questions in the social sphere about the lines between public art and vandalism” (Banksy).
Line is an element that can be actual or implied, typically indicating direction to guide the eyes through the piece. This piece not only uses actual line to create the entirety of the piece, but also relies on the importance of implied line. The letters of the phrase There is Always Hope are created by actual lines that make it appear as capital letters. This makes the phrase seem bold, contrasting with the softness of the girl and her balloon. There is an implied line between the fingers of the girl and the string of the balloon. This symbolizes the distance between the hold on for innocence and need for hope in a struggling situation. There is also implied line underneath the artwork’s phrase. Despite the line of the walkway being above the phrase, it is as though it is sitting on the line of a piece of paper because of how neatly they were written.
Color and value are important aspects of the artwork. The colors are neutral with the values varying to portray the details of the girl’s body, as well as the white tint of painting’s message. The colors and values of the piece create contrast, leading to emphasis. The white letters of the phrase contrast with the dirtier part of the wall, therefore emphasizing the important message. The bright red of the balloon contrasts against the wall and the neutral colors of the piece, emphasizing the balloon and its symbolism of hope and innocence, which “Banksy makes very clear by making it the only aspect of the image that has color” (Banksy’s Girl with a Balloon).
Space is the scale between objects, and has the ability to imply depth as the illusion of being three dimensional. This piece has space between the balloon string and the girl’s hand,
implying the distance for her to reach the balloon’s symbolism of hope and innocence. There is also a very large amount of space between the artwork’s phrase and the girl. This elongates the piece, and depending on which aspect the audience sees first, can change how it is viewed.
Scale is the relationship of a form occupying one shape to that of another. Scale is present in this piece because the girl and the balloon are representational, and seem to be a realistic size. The words are also fitting to these two elements of the piece. Although the phrase already contrasts with its value, it is not emphasized by its size. As previously mentioned, the phrase is written in capital letters. This results in the message to hold a larger emphasis, while still remaining smaller in size, relative to the rest of the artwork.
The secondary artwork, Hall of the Bulls, was created by the people of the Paleolithic Period, dating “between 28,000 and 10,000 BCE” (Art 198 – History of World Ceramics). The painting is located in the Lascaux Caves of the Dordogne region of southwestern France. The size of the painting reaches “11 feet 6 inches” long (Great Hall of Bulls). The white calcite rock was painted with locally available minerals, including the colors of black, red, dark brown, and yellow. “Nearly all of the pigments were obtained from minerals, earth, or charcoal” (Lascaux Cave Paintings). The people of this period were inventive, creating painting tools out of patches of moss or hair, even developing a form of prehistoric “spray-painting,” using a tube made of “bone, wood, or reeds” (Lascaux Cave Paintings). During the Paleolithic Period, the culture focused on the importance of animals, explaining why the painting is focused on bulls, horses, deer, and cattle. Its use was for communicating ideas, “religious rituals, storytelling, and preserving their history by drawing what they saw” (Great Hall of Bulls). A notable fact is that the caves were closed to the public in 1963. This led to reproduction of the Hall of the Bulls, which “took 11 years, employing 20 painters and sculptors, who imitated the methods and media of the original paleolithic artists” (Lubbock).
Similarly to There is Always Hope, Hall of the Bulls utilizes both actual and implied line. The Paleolithic people use actual line to create the outlines of their most culturally important animals. There is actual line depicted at the bottom of the piece that represents the substrate. There are only smaller animals on this substrate, the most important ones being brought to the top. This contrasts against Ancient Egyptian art, specifically the Narmer Palette, where the most important figures were placed on anchor lines because it represented “holy ground.” This painting also depicts the importance of implied line. It brings the audience’s eye from the left side of the painting to right side because of the depiction of the direction of the animals’ movement in the herd.
Color and value are important aspects of this piece. The piece is neutrally colored, similarly to There is Always Hope. The use of these neutral colors symbolize how they are man-made materials from the earth, highlighting how inventive the Paleolithic people were. Also similar to Banksy’s piece, pops of red and yellow create emphasis throughout the picture. Despite the values of these colors leading to a more toned look because of their gray coloration, they still establish contrast against the earth tones.
Space, or lack thereof, is present to depict the herd consisting of their important animals. There is little space between the animals, with overlapping being utilized. This overlapping represents how close together the herd is, something that the Paleolithic people may see often. Despite this, some of the details of the animals are still present. The space of this piece contrasts to the space of There is Always Hope. This piece fit as many objects of importance into one area as possible, while Banksy focused on lengthening his piece across the wall.
Scale is present in this piece because the animals are larger towards the top of the piece, especially the bull. This is similar to Ancient Egyptian art, specifically the Narmer Palette, in which hierarchical scale was used to depict the most important figure of the artwork. It seems that the Paleolithic people use that similar idea, meaning that the bull is the most important animal in their society. This contrasts against the scale of There is Always Hope because this piece focuses on making animals of different sizes, while Banksy kept all elements of his artwork cohesive.
Overall, There is Always Hope and Hall of the Bulls show many similarities, specifically when it comes to line, and color and value. These similarities demonstrate how they are connected by their ability to portray the different elements, despite one painting being from the Paleolithic Period. These two pieces show how the elements and principles of design have been present and effective in all works of art from the beginning of time.
Works Cited
"Art 198 - History of World Ceramics." Glendale, www-01.glendale.edu/ceramics/lascauxcaves.html. Accessed 12 Oct. 2019.
"Banksy." The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/artist/banksy/. Accessed 12 Oct. 2019.
"Banksy's Girl with a Balloon." Guy Hepner, guyhepner.com/banksys-girl-with-balloon/. Accessed 4 Oct. 2019.
"Great Hall of Bulls." AP Art History, sites.google.com/site/adairarthistory/i-global-prehistory/2-great-hall-of-bulls. Accessed 12 Oct. 2019.
James, Michael S. "The 2000s: A Decade of Doom or Diversions?" ABC News, 4 Dec. 2009, abcnews.go.com/Technology/Decade/defining-2000s-decade-doom-digital-divas/story?id=9174978. Accessed 12 Oct. 2019.
"Lascaux Cave Paintings." Visual Arts Cork, www.visual-arts-cork.com/prehistoric/lascaux-cave-paintings.htm#materials. Accessed 12 Oct. 2019.
Lubbock, Tom. "Great Works: The Hall of the Bulls (1983)." Independent, 31 July 2009, www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/great-works/great-works-the-hall-of-the-bulls-1983-1764859.html. Accessed 12 Oct. 2019.