The tenets of antifa, or antifascism are that of taking the public to task to silence nazis and ostracized them from society by any means necessary. This approach is an abrasive, and at times aggressive, stance against the rising tide of modern fascism and white supremacy. My pieces were an attempt to make art pieces in a graphic protest-poster-esque style. I wanted in each of these pieces to utilize a consistent color scheme, simple and easily recognizable shapes, and distinct images to evict either motivation, assurance, or solemn recognition.
The first piece I completed was about the Proud Boys, a notorious group of white-supremacists who are established in america. They use the ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ flag, and have shifted the meaning from a symbol of american revolution to the ideals of ‘leave the aryans alone’. The group historically has caused many hate crimes and violent acts against people of color. This was the first of my ‘poster pieces’. I used the snake symbol, with white fangs and an empty white eye, it is being grasped by two arms as if it’s just been caught, and the snake is lashing out. Atop the poster I had the strong words ‘Cut the head off the snake’. Putting the public to task with directly combating the violent ideals of the Proud boys. In this piece I used more soft shading to look like brushstrokes, utilizing my newly made ‘oil brush’ in my drawing program. This piece was meant to be very graphical, striking, and aggressive.
The next piece I made in a very protest-poster style I titled ‘Tot’ the german word for death. In this piece I wanted to recognize classic nazism, and how it is not buried yet. This is another call to action piece, as it tasks the viewer with putting the final nail in the coffin. This piece is the most simplistic, and I wanted to keep it that way. It’s not too bright or too outlandish to drive home the obvious swastika insigna. This piece I’m not very happy with. I feel like it’s too simplistic and not very graphically interesting. I tried to create a diagonal line across the page, but I feel like the piece failed on a few levels. It’s not interesting, it’s not detailed, and it just feels too simple to me.
The next piece I did I titled ‘Justice’. In this image I featured the blind eye of justice standing confidently, with a dead eagle (a nazi germany symbol) resting at her feet. This piece I would say is my most graphical. I like the color scheme that I used, I like the subtle gradient of shading that shows a harsh light without utilizing any pre rendered gradients or multiply layers. I like the look of this piece. It feels very graphic, and the message is very clear. The eagle was the most difficult thing to draw here. Animals have always been difficult for me to render properly. This piece I feel like was the strongest from a craftsmanship standpoint as I experimented with color to create depth, and used a palette I wasn’t used to.
My final piece, and the one I consider the strongest overall is one I titled Charlottesville. In america, in 2017 there was a neo-nazi protest held in charlottesville. An event that showed just how common the ideals of fascism are becoming in america. This in of itself is scary. Because the distant past is not so distant. In this piece I wanted to call to attention the very real and very living ramifications of fascism. For this piece I have a man painted blue, sitting in front of a TV. At first it just looks like an old man watching television late at night, but as you get closer you begin to see other details. Firstly behind the old man I gave some context to the image. He’s got a few pictures and things hanging up on his wall, now most of them aren’t very important until you look to see a family in hanukkah sweaters, or a news article that says ‘Liberation for Jews in Europe’. But the biggest and most gut wrenching detail I included was the identification number tattooed on his arm. This was a method used by nazis to keep track of the jewish prisoners and to dehumanize them in concentration camps. That detail alone adds the context for this image. This man survived WWII. And the violence, genocide, and darkness he saw in europe is now gaining popularity in america. Charlottesville is a piece to remind the viewer about the context for everything we do. That there is someone real who has suffered, and that if we let fascism thrive, more will suffer.
Fascism asks the question ‘Is X group really human?’. And by legitimizing and listening to this, we place the burden of proof on X group to prove to an audience who’s already made up their minds. Fascism is dangerous because it’s foundation is that of violence. And in these artworks I wanted to display the core message of Antifa, taking the public to task with street-level antifascism. Silencing nazis at all costs. Ostracizing and exposing those who hold these beliefs. That is the goal of antifa.