My Bachelors thesis deals with the bloody red thread that runs through the entire history of man. In a wider sense my models wear literally the war on their skin.
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Thesis - A promised land | A relentless war
1. Degree program Fashion Design BA
Thesis with theme
CLASSIC WAR
- THE PROMISE LAND IN A RELENTLESS WAR -
Author: Saskia Lubnow
Tutor: Arianna Canata
Florence, 24.03.2014
2. Index of contents
1 Introduction 1
2 Review of Literature 2
2.1 Terminological and conceptual clarifications: War 2
2.2 Infinity history and philosophical foundation of war 4
2.3 Historical association of fashion related to war 6
2.3.1 Fashionable recognition at the end of 20th century 10
2.4 Influence of art based on war 12
2.5 Theories and points of view 15
3 Methodology (application-oriented part) 17
3.1 Introduction to “Classic War” 17
3.2 The painting 18
4 Entire Process 19
4.1 Photomontage 19
4.2 Inspiration 20
4.3 Printing-process 21
4.4 Interpretation 22
5 Conclusion 25
Bibibliography 27
Sitography 28
3. 1
It is important to look at death because it is a part of life.
It is a sad thing,
melancholy but romantic at the same time.
It is the end of a cycle – everything has to end.
The cycle of life is positive because it gives room for new things.
Alexander McQueen, 2010
1 Introduction
This discussion will try “to make a digression on the theme of war, without any
pretense to be exhaustive”, but will try to be a stimulus towards reflection on a
theme always present that has affected every aspect of human history. It is
often argued that the most important discoveries and major progress made by
man have occurred in times of crisis. Events such as war stimulate the human
mind in search of solutions that can be expressed in political, economic, and
scientific areas as well as in cultural and artistic academic fields. The core of the
discussion will elaborate on the innate human ability to rework even the most
catastrophic events into an artistic and cultural product capable of representing
a synthesis, admonition, and reflection of the potentially positive and very de-
structive nature of the human race.
4. 2
2 Review of Literature
2.1 Terminological and conceptual clarifications: War
Bosnia, Chechnya, Kosovo, and Syria need to not look far back in time or to
distant places to find numerous wars that characterized their recent and ancient
history. The history of man has always been marked by continual power strug-
gles and even in ancient times some philosophers have acknowledged the
“cosmic value” of war as the dominant role of the universe. The Greek philoso-
pher Heraclitus1
, for instance, called war the "mother and queen of all things"2
,
while in more recent times the military theorist Clausewitz3
regarded war as an
instinct inherent in man. During the 19th
century one could justify war on the
basis of an opportunistic interpretation of Darwinian theory, a concept that
came to be known as "social Darwinism"4
. This social theory identified a philos-
ophy that considered the concept of the "struggle for life and death the natural
rule of each human community”.
But what would motivate a person to inflict the cruelty of war on his fellow
man? Is it the economic and political interests of a few that affect the lives of
many, or is man indeed an "animal warrior" in a literal sense? Many believe that
the control of natural and/ or economic resources is the basis of every human
conflict; survival instinct would drive man to obtain any possible way to live,
even at the cost of obtaining them through the use of force. In Sanskrit, at the
1
Heraclitus (Ephesus, 535 BC - Ephesus, 475 BC) was one of the most important philosophers of ancient Greece, be-
longing to the school of Miletus. In general, the pre-Socratic philosophers tried to analyze the phenomena surrounding
not resorting more to explanations based on myths, but through more rational explanations.
2
Περί φύσεως ("Around the nature"), the philosopher deals with the relationship between reality, thought and language
in which reality is expressed
3
Carl von Clausewitz (Burg bei Magdeburg, 1 June 1780 - Wroclaw, November 16, 1831), generally, the Prussian milita-
ry theorist and writer, famous for his treatise on military strategy titled “On War” (Vom Kriege)
4
Charles Robert Darwin (Shrewsbury, February 12, 1809 - London, April 19, 1882), British geologist and naturalist,
famous for having formulated the theory of evolution. The term "Social Darwinism" was coined, with pejorative intent,
the French anarchist journalist Emile Gautier in 1879, in reference to the 50th Congress of German Naturalists.
5. 3
time of 1200 A.D., the word “yuddha”, the term for war, translates as “desire to
own more cows”, which is a further indication that war is a selfish and violent
manifestation of survival. Nevertheless, history also provides ample evidence of
wars that are waged in the name of and supported by arguments of religious,
political, or psychological nature. It therefore seems difficult to find a univocal
motivation able to explain the phenomenon of war in its totality. For centuries,
scholars and intellectuals have tried to decipher the causes and consequences
that appear in every human conflict. In virtually every war they two distinct
stages have been found:
• a period of tension, which begins when the parties perceive the in-
compatibility of their objectives
• a period of crisis, which begins when the parties conclude that it is
impossible for them to achieve compatible objectives.
The significance of the word crisis, which is used in the media with increasing
frequency and is often used synonymously with the word war, warrants further
analysis. Crisis derives from the Greek verb Κρίνω, meaning, "to separate" and
was used in reference to the threshing of grain and the subsequent separation
of wheat from the chaff. The word crisis, free from any negative connotations
acquired over time, is therefore connected to choice and oriented towards the
improvement of a given subject. The concept of choice should not be forgotten
because it reaffirms its value in every human activity. This makes it possible to
assert the primacy of culture over nature and liberate man from an anachronis-
tic and limited vision in which he is the slave of his primitive instincts.
6. 4
2.2 Infinity history and philosophical foundation of
war
Always Western thought has always questioned on the subject of war, trying to
answer the question: "And possible a world without conflict?” Almost always,
the answer was negative5
. Although at the dawn of philosophical thought en-
lightened minds who understood the futility of war, confidence in the ability of
men to work together for a common peace. Heraclitus was one of the first
thinkers to treat this topic. For the Greek philosopher in the world you can find
the extremes in everything, as there is good there is also the absolute evil,
peace can only exist if there is a war before. In an attempt to bring order to the
chaotic events that characterize human history, the philosopher develops the
concept of "logos" as the basis of reality and that operates according to the
principle of complementarity of opposites. War and peace cancel each other
out, creating a balance in the "logos".
Although Plato6
does not condemn the war nor has of it a negative vision. In his
thought, however, the war is no longer an end but a simple tool, an element of
the more general "political art", which should be aimed at the achievement and
preservation of peace. In the work entitled "A Protagoras"7
However, the phi-
losopher expresses a negative opinion about the policies of Crete and Sparta
inspired by the necessities of war.
"From the study of dreams and bungled actions of healthy people, as well as
neurotic symptoms, psychoanalysis has drawn the conclusion that the primitive
impulses, wild and wicked humanity have not disappeared but continue to live
5
According the phenomenon of war Carl von Clausewitz would not an exceptional phenomenon on the contrary, "War is
the continuation of politics by other means".
6
Plato (Greek: Πλάτων, Plátōn, "broad"; 428/427 or 424/423 BC – 348/347 BC) was a philosopher in Classical Greece.
7
Protagor (Greek: Πρωταγόρας) is a dialogue by Plato. The traditional subtitle (which may or may not be Plato's) is "or
the Sophists". The main argument is between the elderly Protagoras, a celebrated Sophist, and Socrates.
7. 5
in the unconscious of every single subject. Psychoanalysis has also taught us
that our intellect is something fragile and dependent trinket of our instincts and
our suffering. "8
With these words, written in a private letter, Freud9
expressed his doubts about
the widespread euphoria regarding an entry into the war of Austria. The close
link between war and psychology evolved in Freudian thought through the
elaboration of the "disappointment of the war". This theory maintains that small
and trivial frustrations of everyday life can potentially find psychological outlet
in the form of mass phenomena. Later, this concept would be expanded into a
deep emotional analysis contained in the text "Reflections on War and Death“.
By 1509, Erasmus of Rotterdam10
regarded the phenomenon of war as a form
of madness that afflicts man. The Dutch humanist disputed the merits of war
during a time in which heroic and epic visions of war were prevalent. Viewing
war as a noble pursuit was typical during his time, and reflected the opinion of
classical culture. In contrast to popular opinion, Erasmus argued that war was
an "undertaking carried out by parasites, ruffians, brigands, assassins, farmers,
imbeciles, indebted similar human scum"11
.
Santayana12
famously wrote "mortui solum finem belli viderunt" (only the dead
have seen the end of war). War leaves a trail of devastation and death that on-
ly its victims can actually comprehend and feel in all its cruelty.
8
In this operetta Freud reveals a pessimistic view of the social fabric which, being the sum of individuals, is subject to
the same phenomena of regression and psychological emancipation from civil and moral values of the individual.
9
Sigismund Schlomo Freud Sigmund said (Příbor, May 6, 1856 - London, September 23, 1939) was an Austrian neurol-
ogist and psychoanalyst, founder of psychoanalysis.
10
Theologian and philosopher Netherlands (Rotterdam, 1466/1469 - Basel, July 12, 1536).
11
In the "Reclining" examines the phenomenon of the peace and the possibility of its maintenance through compliance
with the scriptures.
12
Santayana (poet, writer, philosopher Spanish - 1863 to 1952) in the work Soliliquies in England 1924.
8. 6
2.3 Historical association of fashion related to war
Since war profoundly changed society by affecting even the most intimate and
personal aspects of our lives, an area as important in the daily lives of people
as fashion could not remain untouched.
Primo Levi13
had written in his romanzo „La tregua“: „When there is war, two
things you have to think first of all: the shoes in the first place, secondly the
stuff to eat, and not vice versa, as the common people believes, because those
who have the shoes can go around to find to eat, not the opposite”.
This correlation was already strongly felt in ancient times. Armor and typical
warrior clothing not only had the task of protecting the subject in battle, but
thanks to the elaborate decorations and friezes also catered to the desire of
nobles and knights to satisfy their vanity and to reaffirm their superordinate
social status.14
The First World War chanced deeply the conception of fashion of
that period.
The First World War in fact changed drastically the way they dress, the short-
age of tissues and poverty imposed more sober and simple.
Paul Poiret15
, which until then had perfectly embodied the style and soul of "Se-
cessian“, fell into disrepair. At first he was forced to suspend its activities in or-
der to achieve the uniforms of the soldiers, when the war ends, the opulent his
clothes were no longer in tune with the spirit of the time. His maison closed
down, his clothes were sold by the kilo and the first true modern designer died
forgotten by everyone. With the totalitarian regimes fashion represents an im-
13
Primo Levi Michael (Turin, July 31, 1919 - Turin, April 11, 1987) is a writer, partisan, Italian chemist and
poet. In 1943 he was deported to the concentration camp of Auschwitz.
14
The author Lars Svendsen FH in his book Fashion: A Philosophy reminded us such as during the period of the Cru-
sades, Church and State undertook to regulate the luxury even in the field of clothing according to the social rank with
appropriate laws, Sumptuary Laws.
15
Paul Poiret (Paris, April 20, 1879 - Paris, April 30, 1944) considered the creator of the fashion in the modern sense.
9. 7
portant instrument of propaganda. The fascist regime16
in 1935 establishing the
"National Agency for fashion" that exerts a strong control on ateliers and re-
quires that in each new collection there is at least 35% of Italian suits regarding
fabrics and designs.
During the 20th
century the World Wars fundamentally changed the way one
creates clothing and its role in society, and especially changed the social role of
women. With the men engaged on the fields of battle, new possibilities of work
and a new visibility for women emerged. The typical “queen of the firebox”
woman of the previous century was replaced by the working woman who had
to perform the patriotic duty of feeding, clothing and arming her sons, hus-
bands and brothers. The war imposed a simplification of lines, cutting, and gas-
kets to better adapt to the new demands of dynamism and efficiency. The cor-
set was replaced by more practical articles of clothing, wide skirts of the 19th
century were replaced by a masculinization of style thanks to the new decisive
role played by the female figure. For both sexes the fashion borrowed heavily
from military research on new fabrics and synthetic materials. Typical mass
production employed by the armament industry was extended to textile produc-
tion, leading to a standardization of patterns and clothes. In more recent times
the gaudy colors, loose and comfortable clothes, and open shoes and sandals of
the Hippie movement represented the rejection of the grayness and constrictive
bourgeois mentality, mainly because of horrible injustices like the widely de-
tested war in Vietnam17
. In the same way the military shirt John Lennon18
has
made history and has strongly influenced the style of those years and subse-
quent ones. The example in question shows us how fashion can be a tool of
16
Political movement founded in Italy in XXs to work of Benito Mussolini with character typically nationalist, authoritari-
an and totalitarian.
17
The Vietnam War, and the conflict fought between April 30, 1975 (the fall of Saigon), mainly in the territory of South
Vietnam, between the forces of pro-communist insurgency that arose in opposition to the pro-American authoritarian
government formed in South Vietnam, and the government forces of this state, created in 1954 after the Geneva Con-
ference, after the so-called Indochina War against the French colonial occupation (1945-1954).
18
John Winston Ono Lennon (Liverpool, October 9, 1940 - New York, December 8, 1980) was a singer-songwriter,
multi-instrumentalist, poet, activist and British actor. Item of The Beatles from 1962 to 1970, after working as a solo
artist, painter and poet.
10. 8
communication. John Lennon, convinced pacifist, who wears a garment military
represented a reason for reflection on the theme of war and violence more ef-
fective than any proclaim or word.
Sometimes the war breaks ties with the past by imposing a new concept of
clothing, but on the other hand, this often leads to innovations that persist over
time. Impossible not to mention an item of clothing is still widely used and re-
appears periodically on the runways of fashion: the trench coat. This was in-
vented for the British officers to equip their soldiers engaged in battle in the
trenches, its shape responds to specific military requirements. The long collar
prevents water from leaking during the rainy days, the cape behind his back
allows greater freedom of movement of the arms, the belt that closes the coat
has rings to which it was possible to hang weapons and grenades, the fabric
used was a cotton canvas waterproofed and thick enough to resist a stab.
The binomial war - fashion has evolved over the centuries also under form of
direct influence in the 'civilian clothing. In the military world to dictate fashion
were the Austro Hungarian soldiers whose uniforms, adorned with braids of
wool and metal, were famous for their elegance. This style soon spread even in
the clothes of the nobility and the bourgeoisie all over Europe, coming up to the
present day in the extravagant interpretation of Michael Jackson19
. There are
numerous cases of daily use clothes that take their names from famous gener-
als and officers. The "Raglan" coat - mantle, takes its name from Lord Raglan,
British commander in the Crimean War20
, the British Worm was used by British
officers in World War I, became widespread in the postwar even in noble ver-
19
Michael Joseph Jackson (Gary, August 29, 1958 - Los Angeles, June 25, 2009) was a singer-songwriter, composer,
dancer, choreographer, actor, screenwriter, entrepreneur and philanthropist statunitense. Sopran nominated "The King
of Pop" entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for being the most successful artist of all time with over a
billion records sold. It has been the center of many controversies because of the accusation of pedophilia. His death has
been attributed to an excessive intake dose of drugs, however, is not considered a case of suicide but rather a result of
a mistake reckless behavior.
20
The Crimean War, conflict fought from October 4 1853 to 1 February 1856 between the Russian Empire on one side
and an alliance consisting of the Ottoman Empire, France, Great Britain and the Kingdom of Sardinia on the other. The
conflict originated in a dispute between Russia and France over control of the holy places of Christianity, in the Ottoman
territory. The peace conference for the Crimea gathered in Paris from February 25 to April 16, 1856.
11. 9
sion clothing in cashmere and camel; L’ "Havelock" owes its name to the British
General Sir Henry Havelock21
, this was later worn by women in an elegant re-
tailing, the "Montgomery", recognizable by its typical buttoning with "alamari",
was equipment of the Royal Navy guided by General BL Montgomery22
, became
famous when at the end of the war surplus military clothes were sold to civil-
ians, today it is easily recognizable in the suite of Chris Martin23
, a famous sing-
er and lover of vintage. In the seventies spread among French university stu-
dents and intellectuals representing the symbol of the "unconventional and in-
formal clothing". Even the great contemporary designers have found in the mili-
tary world an inexhaustible source of inspiration. In 1969 Yves Saint Laurent24
interprets the typical military jacket in a safari style creating a cult hit. Also the
grunge scene of the 90s and the world youth was not immune to this influence,
developing it in a casual version, with long military shirts worn over simple t-
shirt. The examples are countless. The military-style minimal by Prada25
in
1994, the visionary collection by Rifat Ozbek26
of 1998 or yet the famous retail-
ing of the Napoleon´s jacket by Christophe Decarnin27
. In conclusion we can
see how extreme events such as war influence the habits and customs of the
people, evident manifestation of man's ability to adapt to even the most terrible
living conditions and derive from them stimuli and innovations that not infre-
quently take the form of fashion.
21
Major General Sir Henry Havelock KCB (5 April 1795 – 24 November 1857) was a British general who is particularly
associated with India and his recapture of Cawnpore from rebels during the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
22
Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein 17 November 1887 – 24 March 1976),
nicknamed "Monty" and the "Spartan General", was a British Army officer.
23
Christopher Anthony John "Chris" Martin (born 2 March 1977) is an English singer-songwriter and multi-
instrumentalist, and is the lead vocalist, pianist, rhythm guitarist and one of the founders of the band Coldplay.
24
Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent, known as Yves Saint Laurent (August 1, 1936 – June 1, 2008), was a
French fashion designer, and is regarded as one of the greatest names in fashion history.
25
Prada S.p.A. is an Italian luxury fashion house, specializing in ready-to-wear leather and fashion accessories, shoes,
luggage, perfumes, watches, etc., founded in 1913 by Mario Prada.
26
Rifat Ozbek (born in 1953 in Istanbul, Turkey) is a Turkish-born fashion designer, known for his exotic, ethnically-
inspired outfits.
27
Christophe Decarnin, (born 1964 in Le Touquet), is a French fashion designer.
12. 10
2.3.1 Fashionable recognition at the end of 20th
century
"I suspect that within a few years there will be a widespread rejection of the
20th
century its horror and corruptions. Despite huge advances in science and
technology: it will seem a barbarous time. My grandchildren are all under the
age of four, the first generation who will have no memories of the present cen-
tury, and are likely to be appalled when they learn what was allowed to take
place. For them, our debased entertainment culture and package-tour hedon-
ism will be inextricably linked to Auschwitz28
and Hiroshima29
, though we would
never make the connection.” J.G. Ballard30
On the contrary Caroline Evans31
: "The connection Ballard argued we ourselves
would never make was in fact mad.”
Diverse fashion designers were pointing out the fascination of beauty and hor-
ror entwined. Walter van Beirendonck32
expressed himself with his "Aesthetic
Terrorists” spring–summer collection 1999, showing rough-cut in graffiti style t-
shirts under an eighteenth-century dress. The neon graphics on top of the t-
shirts were more alive than the model itself with bleached skin matching to the
grey tone of the dress referring to the past and at the same time reflecting the
death. Oliver Theysken’s33
crystallized the historical design with his own inter-
pretation in a gothic version of the past. On the fiftieth anniversary of the liber-
28
Auschwitz was a network of concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish
areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II.
29
Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture and the largest city in the Chūgoku . It is best known as the first city
in history to be targeted by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) dropped an atomic
bomb on it at 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945.
30
James Graham "J. G." Ballard (15 November 1930 – 19 April 2009), English novelist, short story writer, and essayist.
31
Caroline Evans is Professor of Fashion History and Theory at Central Saint Martins School of Art and Design.
32
Walter Van Beirendonck (Brecht, Belgium, 4 February 1957) ,Belgian fashion designer. He graduated in 1980 from
the Royal Arts Academy in Antwerp.
33
Olivier Theyskens (born January 4, 1977 in Brussels, Belgium) is a fashion designer who has worked with several
major houses, including Rochas, Nina Ricci, and Theory.
13. 11
ation of Auschwitz, Comme des Garcons34
let two young men with shaved
heads wearing dressing gowns and striped pyjamas with numbers on them
walking down the catwalk of the spring-summer collection 1995 menswear ti-
tled "sleep" in Paris. Likewise, Martin Margiela35
in March 2000 presenting his
autumn-winter collection 2000-1 at a French national railway depot in Paris.
The seated audience seems to be standing spectators, who had only few
chances to watch the models through grimy windows in a cart. The characteris-
tics invoke the images of Hitler’s death train. The French house of Jean-Louis
Scherrer’s36
used Nazi insignia in its 1995 couture collection and Dolce & Gab-
bana37
performed American gangster motifs during the time of Mafia murders in
Italy. Vivienne Westwood38
and Jean Paul Gaultier39
in the mid 1980’s revealed
the corset as an outerwear. The reinterpretation of contemporary corsets
evoked an idea of captive unit and sketching conflicting tears and desires on
the body.
Lynda Nead’s40
developed the idea of modernity in a dialog so that "the mod-
ern" can never break through the past.
The development of such themes was an allusion to poverty, violence, attack
and cruelty "in Europe not only concerned about its undeclared wars", as Jo-
anne Finkelstein41
stated.
34
Comme des Garçons, is French for "Like Boys", is a Japanese fashion label headed by Rei Kawakubo.
35
Martin Margiela (born April 9, 1957 in Genk, Belgium), Belgian fashion designer. He graduated from the Royal Acad-
emy of Fine Arts (Antwerp) in 1979.
36
Jean-Louis Scherrer (19 February 1935, Paris – 20 June 2013, Paris) ,Parisian fashion designer and couturier.
37
Dolce & Gabbana, Italian luxury industry fashion house. The company was started by Italian designers Domenico
Dolce (born 13 August 1958 in Polizzi Generosa, Sicily) and Stefano Gabbana (born 14 November 1962 in Milan).
38
Dame Vivienne Westwood (born Vivienne Isabel Swire on 8 April 1941) ,English fashion designer and businesswom-
an, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream.
39
Jean Paul Gaultier (born 24 April 1952 in Arcueil, Val-de-Marne, France), French Haute Couture and Pret-a-
Porter fashion designer. Gaultier was the creative director of Hermès from 2003 to 2010.
40
Lynda Nead, Victorian Babylon: People, Streets and images in ninetheen-century London, Yale University Press, New
Haven and London, 2000: 8
41
Joanne Finkelstein, is Dean of School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Greenwich. After a Fashion,
Melbourne University Press 1996.
14. 12
2.4 Influence of art based on war
Extreme events such as wars have always stimulated more sensitive minds,
causing them to create works of art that give substance and synthesis to the
emotive universe, sometimes with celebratory function, and sometimes with the
purpose of condemnation. Madness is connected with the destructive capacity
of man himself. Equally famous is the combination of artistic genius and mad-
ness. It would seem that there is a thin invisible thread that connects the most
extreme manifestations that can express the human soul. These manifestations
can move from barbarism to the sublime, from life’s contempt for death, and to
the celebration of life through art. Art and war are two opposite poles attracted
to each other. Although many of the most remarkable artistic works were cre-
ated on the basis of baleful wars, we must not consider the artistic expression
as a simple reaction or a direct consequence of human atrocities. War also
finds lifeblood in artistic thought, because beyond the economic, political, and
social reasons what pushes the weak-minded towards oppression and violence
more than anything else is the fear of free thought, of different modes of
thought, and of people who, like artists, are able to look beyond conventions
and existing balances.
History books, documents, and simple daily newspapers are full of information
and often morbidly detail the numerous theaters of war, both present and past.
However, these publications are not able to convey the true essence of war- its
raw reality, its deep injustice. This is task of art. Only the sensitivity of the artist
is able to internalize and then show the most frightening face of war. Literature,
paintings, sculptures, and every creative manifestation throughout history has
produced admirable works born from conflicts among different peoples. Ancient
peoples knew this connection, and its expression can be found in an epic writ-
ten in 750 BC. This poem was one of the most articulate, passionate and in-
15. 13
tense literary works ever made: the Iliad by Homer42
. In the famous epic, the
Trojan War becomes a stage on which to evolve important human affairs: love,
friendship, hate, and loyalty. Homer explores the human soul in depth and the
ways in which it finds its expression in extreme conditions such as a ten-year
war. Even the painting "the art par excellence"43
found inspiration in the bloodi-
est events throughout the centuries and always managed to create hope even
during the darkest events. For example, Goya's44
painting "El tres de mayo de
1808 en Madrid"45
displayed the repression of the Spanish people by Napoleonic
troops. The painting shows a body collapsed on the ground with his head re-
duced to a bloody pulp, with inexorable troops shown from the back, as if to
remind us that violence has no face. The crowd covering their faces with their
hands to escape the brutality of the scene serves to create a strong tone of
drama and pathos. But even here the painter provides the spectator with a
spark of hope, the same that is seen in the eyes of the condemned man that
opens his arms with proud contempt for his tormentors in uniform and in the
lantern that emanates a warm glow, as if to remind there is always a light. It is
the courage of those men that can light up even the most black and bloody
nights. This relationship has not waned over time, on the contrary has been
strengthened and became more articulated. A fundamental stage was the birth
of photography46
. With it, the painting was freed from the task of representing
fighting and battles. The artist was relieved from purely descriptive duties and
became free to open his work to a more intimate and emotional vision of war.
This new vision was directed at the life and history of private subjects and
sought to capture their fear, terror and sense of loss unleashed by these cata-
strophic events. Artists therefore assumed the task of giving voice to any emo-
42
In the Western classical tradition, is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest of ancient
Greek epic poets.
43
According to the “romantic” conception of art during XVIIIs, painting is the most important expression of the figura-
tive arts.
44
Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (30 March 1746 – 16 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter.
45
The Painting completed in 1814 by the Spanish painter Francisco Goya, now in the Museo del Prado, Madrid.
46
Although the first photographic image was made by Joseph Niepse in 1826, traditionally the date of birth of photog-
raphy is 1839, year in wich Daguerre presented the invenction to the Academy of Sciences and Fine Arts of Paris.
16. 14
tional dimension of great intensity that was otherwise unconscious and destined
to remain in silence. An example of strong emotional impact in this regard is
Picasso's47
Guernica48
, a work created to commemorate a massacre committed
by Franco's49
troops upon the inhabitants a Basque village. In the painting no
descriptive element refers explicitly to the event of war; on the contrary, a de-
formed bull and a dying horse dominate the scene, and to them was entrusted
the task of representing symbolically the suffering and the injured pride of the
Spanish people with an intensity greater than any literal representation. In a
process that seems to incessantly repeat itself, art is opposed to the deadly na-
ture of war and its inherent malevolent vitality. This opposition encourages re-
flection and in turn brings harmony, which then helps us learn from the past
through new stimulations. Consequently, illuminated minds such as Apolli-
naire50
, Duchamp51
, Grosz52
, and others reacted to the atrocities of World War I
by developing the concept of Dada53
. This movement that has been described
as irreverent, ironic and critical at the same time and fought the barbarity of
war with its own creative nonsense. Dada proposed an innocent but light-
hearted view of the world, which created its name as well. According to some
47
Pablo Ruiz y Picasso, known as Pablo Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973), Spanish painter, sculp-
tor, printmaker, ceramicist, stage designer, poet and playwritter.
48
The painting was intended, at the behest of the Republican government, to decorate the Spanish Pavilion at the
Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1937. At the fall of republican government Picasso forbid that the picture came back
home until 'the government of Franco remained in power. The work was then a long time housed at the Museum of
Modern Art in New York. It came back in Spain only in 1981, after Franco's death and the fall of the Franco regime.
Today it is exposed into the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid.
49
Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco y Bahamonde Salgado Pardo (4 December 1892 – 20 November
1975), dictator of Spain from 1939 to his death in 1975.
50
Guillaume Apollinaire (26 August 1880 – 9 November 1918), born Wilhelm Albert Włodzimierz Apolinary
Kostrowicki was a French poet, playwright, short story writer, novelist, and art critic of Polish descent. He is considered
one of the foremost poets of the early 20th century, as well as one of the forefathers of surrealism.
51
Marcel Duchamp (28 July 1887 – 2 October 1968) was a French-American painter, sculptor, chess player, and writer
whose work is associated with Dadaism and conceptual art.
52
George Grosz (July 26, 1893 – July 6, 1959) was a German artist known especially for his caricatural drawings
of Berlin life in the 1920s.
53
Dada or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century.
17. 15
scholars it would, in fact, refer to the first utterances of children, making it a
symbol of purity and innocence.54
In the never-ending succession of wars, conflicts and battles a reversal of roles
seems to have been created from the collective madness. Artists can only ob-
serve and remark "What is happening, are they all crazy? How can they possi-
bly kill children, smash monuments, drop bombs ... "55
The destructiveness of
war paradoxically heightens the creativity of art, giving meaning to the artist
and his vision.
2.5 Theories and points of view
Newspapers, magazines, movies, music, every day almost every aspect of our
existence speaks to us of the tragic events that are repeated constantly in every
part of the world and which take the form of ethnic wars, for the territory, the
economic monopolies or sometimes for the simple human folly. We are perhaps
too informed about the individual aspects of each event any given conflict, the
newspapers are committed to show details more and more bloody and grue-
some, internet and new technologies allow us to live the war almost as if we
were in the first person on the scene of conflict. But all this makes us excep-
tionally aware of what war really means, both for the people directly affected
by it, but for those that are privileged enough to be able to deal with such a
complex matter through the filter of the news. Probably all this takes us away
from a real and deep understanding, not only of its meaning, but also its social
and cultural implications. Already in 1974 Drabman & Thomas56
had shown,
54
However, Tristan Tzara, the founder of the Dada Manifesto wrote in 1918: "Dada means nothing. It's just a sound
produced in the mouth"
55
Vittorio Sgarbi, political and art critic.
56
Dr. RONALD S. DRABMAN, Psychologist in Las Vegas, Nevada
Dr. margaret hanratty thomas, Psychologist in Florida
18. 16
through the so-called "sensitization theory", that excessive use of violent scenes
imagine leads to a progressive addiction and increased tolerance for violent be-
havior. In more recent times Harris57
then highlighted that such use, if it takes
place in a comfortable and relaxing environment, this may be an association
between violence and the sensation given by the context. Also important schol-
ars of information such as the renowned Herbert Marshall McLuhan58
showed
how the modern means of communication sometimes caused us to move away
from the real understanding of the message they conveyed. The semiotician
such as television sets, yet still the dominant medium of information, despite
the advent of the web, the "means of consolation", the comfort, physical and
mental sluggishness. It appears natural to ask whether the information is sim-
ple enough to achieve a deeper awareness of the world around us and what is
happening around us. It is therefore increasingly important role of the artist
who, through a form of communication less didactic, but at the same time more
sensitive to reality, can stimulate the minds of the viewers. Each artistic mes-
sage carries with it a message and a reflection, not always easily decoded, but
which touches the deepest strings in people, inviting not only to a passive en-
joyment, but to an active assimilation of the message itself as a function of its
own personal reflection on it. The creative work does not bring definitive an-
swers to the truth or reality, is not simply to inform, rarely has a notional value,
its message does not go through the viewer, but it pervades the vibration and
brings his imagination, the emotional aspect and emotional.
If, as affirmed from Drabman & Thomas, desensitization interrupts moral evalu-
ation in front of thematic such as war, which bring with them a huge emotional
burden, than the mere information is not enough, the product creative as op-
posed can create a real empathic perception of reality. Based on these consid-
erations and on unfortunately numerous international news, the author has de-
57
Marvin Harris (August 18, 1927 – October 25, 2001), American anthropologist.
58
Herbert Marshall McLuhan, CC (July 21, 1911 – December 31, 1980) ,Canadian philosopher of communication theo-
ry and a public intellectual.
19. 17
veloped a personal reflection on the theme of war. The work moves on a strong
parallelism between the present and the past, visually and conceptually, past
and present items come together to show the bloody red thread that runs
through the whole history of man.
3 Methodology (application-oriented part)
3.1 Introduction to „Classic War“
The development process of the topic started through the reading and watching
of the most important testimonies of war that have been transformed into mov-
ing books, movies, or sometimes in the daily news. The vision and the reading
of them moved with the purpose to find a connection about the events of war
and its influences on the culture and the practical life, with particular attention
to the changes in our vision of the fashion. Each information has been devel-
oped in a personal reconstruction of the elements that touched the interest of
the author. Wars began along with the history of the humanity, so in the work
of the author we can find an attempt to combine, also in a technical way, dif-
ferent stiles and different techniques originating in various historic periods.
Modern sewing techniques are combined with antique processes, tech fabrics
coexist with precious vintage fabrics, old printing walk alongside the digital ma-
nipulation of the images.
20. 18
3.2 The painting
A painting of the Baroque59
era of Nicolas Poussin60
has been used as starting
point for analysis and research. The choice was not random, but dictated by the
particular historical context in which the French painter worked. The 600 is con-
sidered to be a period of great political, economic and social change. The tradi-
tional Spanish dominion was undermined by old and new military powers such
as France, England and the Netherlands. The shortage of precious metals was
due to strong economic instability, the wealth was accumulated in the hands of
a few while the rest of the population became increasingly poor. Traditionally
we speak of "the crisis of 600." The same term is now increasingly used to refer
to the complex political, economic and social factors that are passing through
all of the contemporary world. But the similarities do not stop with the termi-
nology, then as new emerging powers endanger the previous economic bal-
ance, the lack of precious metals has been replaced by the race to 'black gold,
oil, the separation between wealth and poverty runs through our society divid-
ing it in two factions, opposed by interests more and more distant. From an
artistic point of view the 600, as in any time of crisis, has led to great innova-
tion and renovation, the traditional canons of the Renaissance61
are challenged
by the Baroque movement that, with its splendor, with its shapes and its freak-
excessive decorations, aimed to challenge the aesthetic canons of traditional
art. In the proposed work from “author is possible to find the same search for a
new form of representation of reality”, distant from the preexisting canons
based on an emotional and empathetic communication, designed to decode,
thanks to the use of shapes and colors the complexity of certain raw reality that
the mere use of words is not able to express in its most intimate and some-
59
The Baroque is a period of artistic style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce
drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, architecture, literature, dance, and music. The style
began around 1600 in Rome, Italy and spread to most of Europe.
60
Nicolas Poussin (15 June 1594 – 19 November 1665) was the leading painter of the classical French Baroque style.
61
The Renaissance (from rinascere "to be reborn")was a cultural movement that spanned the period roughly from the
14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe.
21. 19
times disturbing aspects. Almost as a metaphor for the equal and opposite forc-
es that have always crossed the history of mankind, in the work of the author
the composure of classical figures merges with brutality of the war, scenes of
poverty are intertwined with elements that refer to the pomp and the wealth.
4. Entire process
4.1 Photomontage
The classic painting of Nicolas Poussin has been digitalized in the form of digital
pictures. The previous image has in turn been manipulated using the last ver-
sion of Photoshop, the most widely used software concerning digital postpro-
duction. We can then find in the manipulated version of the painting an exag-
gerated representation of the war, but perhaps just for these reason it is closest
to the reality of our world. The technique used is called photomontage; it
means that the original image has been mixed with other images. The original
subjects of the painting have been processed in contemporary subjects placed
in a war scenario. The little ”putti” of the painting tradition became child sol-
diers equipped with gas masks and arms. Exaggerations that unfortunately re-
mind us of the real children soldiers that are operative in different areas of the
world. The bucolic scenery leaves room for an atmosphere of death and des-
pair. Inspiration was the relationship between traditional art and new possibili-
ties offered from the new technologies able to create a interaction with the
opera, change it and operate on its meaning. In the last years the diffidence
about the digital art is disappearing and the work of new visionary artists is get-
ting more and more attention by the public.
22. 20
In the same way the author uses the modern technologies, mixed with the tra-
ditional painting, to counter the superficiality with which all too often we look at
the images of disgrace that the fighting causes. The manipulated images then
have been converted in four images according to the quadricomy division for
the printing.
4.2 Inspiration
Remarkable for example is the artistic work of Maurice Benayoun62
titled “World
Skin, A Photo Saphari in the land of War”, an interesting and fascinating syn-
thesis of new technologies and their effects on the modern conception of art.
The Benayoun´s installation is composed of a big space surrounded by LCD
monitors that show images of war, taken in real war scenarios. The visitor is
provided with digital cameras and stereoscopic glasses for the 3d vision, con-
nected with the monitors and, like real tourists in a war safari are encouraged
taking pictures of what they see all around. A central computer elaborates the
information and deletes the images taken from the monitor and prints them
immediately. The visitors can move in the middle of rubble, the weapons and
the violence. Objective is to encourage visitors to reflect on the cruelty of war
and the effects of modern mass media. The reality of the media disappears be-
cause of its very excessive reproduction and invasiveness.
62
Maurice Benayoun(aka MoBen) (born 29 March 1957 in Mascara, Algeria), French pioneer new-media artist and
theorist based in Paris and Hong Kong.
23. 21
Figure 1 Maurice Benayoun titled “World Skin, A Photo Saphari in the land of War”
4.3 Printing-process
The manipulated images have been converted in four images according to the
quadricomy division for the printing. It was not realized with the common ink
jet process, but instead with the old technique of screen-printing:
The first step was to print the image on tracing paper in four colour channels
(in black and white), these four prints were exposed through the photographic
process on particular screen covered with nylon tissue and coded with a photo-
emulsion. Each frame has been sprinkled with the four colours to transfer the
image onto fabric used for the collection.
24. 22
4.4 Interpretation
The fabric used is the same of the frame for oil painting, so as to accentuate
the pictorial value of the clothes. The tissue has been sowed with other frics
and modern materials to show a connection between past and present in the
endless history of the violence of the war. Almost as a metaphor for the equal
and opposite forces that have always crossed the history of mankind, in the
work of the author the composure of classical figures merges with brutality of
the war, scenes of poverty are intertwined with elements that refer to the pomp
and the wealth. The models wear literally the war on their skin as a testimony
of impossibility to limit any conflict to a single geographical area or to a single
historical period. The war is unfortunately totalizing and “as all the battles of”
man, it implies a chain of events unidentifiable in a single historical period,
which become part of the cultural heritage of man, in the same way every vic-
tim of human violence, although far thousands of kilometers touches us in first
person and makes us passive spectators or authors. Only stimulating the sensi-
tivity “of men is possible to fight this guilty emotional stasis and promote a re-
newed awareness that allows a real empathic understanding of reality“ that
flows under our eyes.
27. 25
5 Conclusion
In the previous pages the author has tried to summarize as much as possible,
given the vastness of the subject, some of the key factors that bind to and
evolve in the relationship between war and culture. Starting from an introducto-
ry definition of war has also written the depth, through comparison and analysis
of the theories and thoughts of enlightened minds, the relationship between
war and art, with particular attention to the fashion industry. The constant
presence of war in human history would seem to confirm the maxim: "homo
homini lupus"63
that does not recognize the possibility of salvation for mankind
from its own self-destruction and that does not differentiate between the primi-
tive battles with stones and made sharp modern "intelligent wars." From read-
ing the text the author, although manifest their displeasure towards violence,
does not venture into the prophetic predictions about the fate of mankind. The
aim of the study is to encourage reflection on such an important issue through
an approach apparently cross. Argue a reality as serious as that of war through
its linked with fashion, often associated with frivolity and lightness, would re-
quire partial and superficial analysis of the subject. Not infrequently, however,
we feel touched, not so much from the big issues facing the world, but rather
by what that succeeds to influence our daily lives, our lives everyday. There-
fore, the question that the author hoped to bring the reader to a deeper obser-
vation of the war, starting with small steps, discovering how even the clothes
that cover us and warm us every day that we see in the shop windows, we
bring to mind moments of our childhood and our past, to our knowledge are
influenced by totalizing events such as wars, invading every aspect of our lives.
Because of its totalizing nature is perhaps impossible to deal with every nuance
and implication of war, but as already mentioned in the introduction to this text,
63
Homo homini lupus est is a Latin phrase meaning "man is a wolf to [his fellow] man." First attested in Plautus' Asinar-
ia (195 BC, "lupus est homo homini"), the phrase is sometimes translated as "man is man's wolf", which can be inter-
preted to mean that man preys upon man. It is widely referenced when discussing the horrors of which humans are
capable.
28. 26
there is no claim in the author's intention to be exhaustive, nor the search for
definitive answers or solutions miraculous. Albert Einstein64
said: “Anyone who
acts as referee in matters of knowledge is bound to fail in the laughter of the
gods.” The author, following a warning so illustrious remains well anchored to
the prudence of the boat, leaving the reader to develop their own connections
and develop own personal criticism on the subjects. Reading these lines it is
evident that the issue of war stimulated the attention and curiosity of many ex-
ponents of art and culture, each of which has tried to make its contributions
researching and developing connections considerations related to their field of
interest. Despite the attempt to bring facts and theories in an objective manner,
however, shines a spark of hope in his thinking, which does not accept and re-
sign themselves to a vision of '"homo lupus" and looks forward to a reversal of
the cyclical recur of bloody events. The hope is that these few lines to invite
personal connections of their research and development of its considerations on
the part of the reader, revealing the influence of wars, even far away, on his
own existence. One certainty runs through his thoughts, the war is made by
men, and only men can derive the solution. In the absence of answers and
solving formulas therefore the most important weapon in our hands to affect
our future am here for the knowledge of our past and awareness of our pre-
sent.
64
Albert Einstein (14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist.
29. 27
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