Life Imitating Art: The Post Apocalypse

As millions dig out from the destruction of Hurricane Sandy, and begin to piece their world’s back together again, I am poignantly reminded of so many images that I’ve seen before.  Gas lines, food hoarding, a breakdown of the social order as the infrastructure of society goes out overnight.  As many heroic stories of first responders and life saving deeds are heralded, and the dark and awful stories of crime make it into the headlines, there are a million other stories, the stories of the day to day life that becomes the new Normal after a disaster.

I realized that these stories are the subject of an endless number of tales both contemporary and ancient that have been depicted in art for centuries, from Noah’s Arc, to the Decameron, to Road Warrior.  The stories of how fragile our social network is, and that we all live only one catastrophe away from loosing the fragile web of society that has been woven for millennia.  For most of these stories they were foretelling of some fictional future calamity such as the Second Coming or Nuclear Holocaust.

In the post 9/11 culture the concept of the Post Apocalypse Story was reinvented because we had all just lived through a horrible disaster.  Although 9/11 itself is rarely depicted metaphors for the sudden and horrific attack by an alien or outside force was dealt with in detail as the War on Terror was waged.  2005’s War of the Worlds starring Tom Cruise depicted in stark reality the impact of the destruction of our society would have raising issues of survival and responsibility to one’s morality over one’s family.  The award winning and critically acclaimed Battlestar Galactica which ran from 2004 until 2008 was another metaphor of all out war and destruction that placed the very fabric of society and morality into the crucible of the post apocalyptic world.

Today another type of post apocalyptic story runs through our culture as our disasters evolve.  Now it is not war or man-made (or alien-made) destruction that is wrought upon society but rather environmental disasters beyond our understanding or our control.  With Katrina in 2005 and the beginning of the Great Recession in 2008 our culture became threatened by mindless forces without reason or agenda.  The fear became not how to fight back, or to win, there was no way to win, the asteroid would not be diverted, the army wasn’t going to save the day, the bomb had already gone off.  Instead the story became how do we survive after?  How do we hold onto what is most important to us individually in a world where the future is unknowable and in the end, there is no safety net.

The popularity of shows like The Walking Dead premiering in 2010 and McCarthy’s 2006 novel The Road, are poignant commentaries of how we all try to survive in a world where randomness seems to be the only reliable constant in a culture where jobs, homes and whole seaboards can be wiped out without warning.  In the new post apocalyptic drama its not nuclear war or aliens or even zombies that threaten our survival, but  the creeping entropy of chaos that lurches ever closer to those we love.  In these stories we are able to explore what kind of people we want to be, and what kind of people we may become when the veneer of society is stripped away and we are left with the abyss of the unknown looming ahead of us, left to decide what is important.

Thank you

WOC

Artist of the Month- H. H. Richardson

The Norman William Public Library

Woodstock, VT.

1884

When I was a young boy I became fascinated with all things medieval.  Knights, heraldry, castles, Renaissance faires, you name it! As a young artist the aesthetic of the middle ages was extremely formative in my stylistic development.   

As an American student however my exposure to medieval art was limited to photographs in books, and relics behind glass in museums, with one very dramatic exception: Romanesque Revival Architecture. 

Steinheim Castle
(abandoned 1953.  restored 1996)

Alfred University. Alfred, NY

1886

I remember discovering the Woodstock Vermont Library (above) as a young man where my family often vacationed.  The distinctively Romanesque Revival stylistic hallmarks of the low round arches with stout pillars,  rustic stone work and high gabled roof immediately put me in a mind that this was medieval.  Rainy afternoons in the library reading Tolkien, I could imagine being in the library at Minas Tirith or Rivendell.  Later, when I went to college at Alfred University I was inspired by the ever present Victorian stone tower of Steinheim Castle that loomed like a Romantic ruin over the campus. (above)

Romanesque Revival was a brief and often overlooked nineteenth century architectural movement that took place between 1870 and 1890 which replicated the European medieval architectural styles of the Romanesque period (1000- 1350).  The heavy, austere and imposing silhouettes of the style did not lend itself to many applications, and this aesthetic was usually limited to armories, libraries and churches while the more popular and decorative Neo-Classical style was used for landmarks like the US Capitol and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.  After WWII many Romanesque buildings were torn down for being out-dated, dark and ugly, to make way for new, modern, light, climate-controlled office buildings. Romanesque Revival and other Beaux-Arts Revival styles were disparaged as fancies, appropriate only for theme parks,  their forms having completely trumped their functions. (Does any building in Manhattan need arrow loops and a portcullis?) Ironically, what has saved many of these buildings over the past fifty years has been urban decay.   In cities where development and economic growth was not robust many of these old edifices were left derelict, with no budget for demolition, restoration or replacement.  Subsequently there are few examples of this style to find in their original condition, but when you do it is a real treat.

New York Asylum for the Insane

(National Register of Historic Places 1973. abandoned 1994)
Buffalo, NY

H.H. Richardson

1870

Although Romanesque Revival was adopted in Europe, Americans took a particular liking to the style, and the most influential champion of this movement was the architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838-1886).   In 1870 Richardson completed the New York State Asylum for the Insane in Buffalo.  This towering medieval citadel exuded strength, power, austerity and security.  The Insane Asylum would launch Richardson's career, and make him synonymous with American Romanesque Revival Architecture, creating "The Richardsonian Romanesque Style". 

 

 

Trinity Church

Boston, MA

H.H. Richarson 

1877

Woburn Public library
Woburn, MA
H.H. Richardson
1879

Thomas Crane Public Library

Quincy, MA

H.H. Richardson

1881

While Richardson would go on to design many more Romanesque buildings, The Richardsonian Style would inspire hundreds of Victorian architects all over the United States.  The Medieval Revival Movement championed by such artists as Sir Walter Scott, William Morris, Burne-Jones and the Pre-Raphaelites who sought to return art and architecture to a more genuine time of art-making, using rustic techniques and styles, and combining exterior design with interior applied arts like ceramics, furniture and textile design.  This Arts-and-Crafts movement was influential up until the turn of the century, and even inspire 20th century architects like Frank Lloyd Wright.  It is ironic that this movement which tried to re-examine genuine artistic themes was later disregarded as inauthentic. Next time you're walking through the city or you pass an old church or university, take a closer look, and you'll probably find the influence of Richardson in the buildings that brought a touch of Medieval Europe to America.

Alexander Hall

Princeton University. Princeton, NJ

W.A. Potter

1894

Union Station Hotel
(restored 1985)

St. Louis, MO

T. Link

1892

 Lovely Lane Methodist Church
(National Register of Historic Places)
Baltimore, MD
S. White
1884














First Presbyterian Church
(partially demolished 1936;  NRHP 1979)
Detroit, MI
G.D. Mason
1889











Old City Hall

Toronto, Canada

E.J. Lennox

1899

Kingbridge Armory
Bronx, NY
1917

Varus-Where are my Legions?

 "Varus"
Anselm Kiefer
1976


As any who have been following my blog know I am a complete history wonk, especially when the history of the world and the history of art collide.  I am always trying to teach students that to understand art you must understand the history behind it.  This September I am reminded of possibly one of the most important events in history and the art inspired by it.

In September 9 ad. the entire three legions of Caeser Augustus' expeditionary force was wiped out by German Tribal Forces in what has come to be known as The Battle of Teutoburg Forest.    Led by general Varus, 20,000 Roman legionnaires were slaughtered and never found.  It is recorded that til the end of his life Augustus would wander the imperial palace muttering "Varus, where are my legions!"


Varus Massacre Scene from "I Claudius" 

 But the history of this battle doesn't end there.  This region would become one of the most fought-over and contested parcels of land in history.  For the next 2000 years hundreds of battles and over a 15 million lives would be lost on this ground only about the size of the State of Massachusetts.

 In 1815 the battle of Waterloo would take place less than 200 miles away between Napoleon's army and Wellington's German allies killing a total of over 30,000 soldiers.

In 1900 a newly unified Greater German Empire under its Kaiser erected a monument on the site of the Teutoburg battle heralding new age of German Nationalism and Teutonic manifest destiny.


By the height of WWI at the Battle of the Argonne Forest and the war of the Western Front would again tear this region apart claiming in some estimates 10 million lives!

 

Battle of the Ardennes Forest from "Band of Brothers"

Only thirty years later this battered ground would be the site of some of the most bitterly fought over land of WWII, as Hitler's counter offensive in the winter of 1944 at the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes forest killing another 50,000 soldiers on both sides.  Some historians have suggested that it was Hitler's strategy to recreate the Battle of Teutoburg Forest and the German victory over a superior invading army that led him to conceive the offensive.


In 1976 when the German artist Alselm Kiefer paints his image "Varus" he is not merely painting a landscape.  He is painting the layers of blood and lives and souls that had died in that forest.  He is painting the hallowed ground where Varus and thousands of ghosts still walk, there names carved into the very forest itself.


When we begin to understand history, we can begin to understand art.


Thank you


WOC

Astolpho and the Hippogriff

Ever since childhood I have been fascinated and enchanted by the heraldry and pageantry of medieval costumes.  Studying medieval and gothic romance literature in college only deepened my love for the aesthetic of knighthood.  The epic poem of Orlando Furioso by Ariostos has been a favorite story of mine for over a decade and from time to time I re-engage with the fable for inspiration.  This image illustrates the paladin Astolpho and the magical hippogriff he rides on his various adventures in that story.

Enjoy.

WOC


Below are a detail and wip image, plus some historical images of the same subject....enjoy.

Wargriffin

Wargriffin is the story of a young girl who disguises herself as a boy in order to join in WWI wit her griffin.  A young adult fantasy-adventure novel.  This was a fun story to illustrate trying to capture the bleakness of the western front with the fantasy of dragons and mythical beasts.  I'm attaching my sketch and mock-up cover for the book.

Enjoy.

WOC

©William O'Connor Studios

Dracopedia Student Art Contest

With the release of Dracopedia:The Great Dragons coming out this month I thought I would celebrate by having an art contest for students. A great opportunity for young artists to get their work seen and win some cool prizes.

Guest Judges are: Lars Grant-West, Dan Dos Santos and Todd Lockwood.

Go to: The Dracopedia Project to join and learn all the details.

WOC

War of the Dragonborn

On May 21st the publisher of the videogame Skyrim filed a trademark request for the word "Dragonborn".

In 2007 I was called out to the Wizards of the Coast D&D offices in Renton Washington to help concept this race and so I feel a particular fondness for the scaly brutes, kind of like a godfather. I remember struggling with the design because it could not have any draconic features (horns, wings, tails, long necks, etc.) and it was looking too much like reptile men.  I finally pulled from more of a cultural context than a visual one.  I thought of a cross between Klingons and the Gorillas from Planet of the Apes, but Dragon-Men!, and the rest drew itself.  I've always liked them, (except for the Boobs.  You try having heated debate  in an office board room on why Dragons don't have breasts, and you realize how surreal this job is.)Also, I conceived that this race would be steeped in ancient tradition and tribal custom.  For that I drew upon an Asian aesthetic to their costuming.  Overlapping scales and plates, with no use of buckles would make them look different and older than the other races.

Both companies have a rightful claim to trademark anything they want.  WotC was there first, but it doesn't possess a trademark, and its likely that Skyrim's trademark will not effect D&D.  If Skyrim's trademark effects D&D then this race will go extinct in 5th Edition. To whoever wins the War of the Dragonborn I wanted to share a few images from their inception during the early development of 4th Edition.  My little dragon babies, they grow up so fast!

Enjoy. (click on images for larger view)

If you have any questions about the concepting of this race, please leave a comment.

WOC