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Title: The Wrong War, in the Wrong Place, at the Wrong Time?

Completed: 2007

Medium: Oil on canvas.

Price: $6000

Dimensions: 42w x 27h x 2d

Notes: Unframed

Description:

This painting has gone through a couple of transformations since I had the original idea. It has involved a great deal of research, and has consequently been in progress for longer than usual. As a result, it doesn't look much the original concept, but has led to more ideas for future paintings. I hope you're looking forward to a piece on the hanging of Saddam, because I can't wait to start it.

On first glance, everyone assumes it's an anti-war piece. That couldn't be farther from the truth. Anyone who knows me knows that I support the military and have great respect for our troops. I don't have to tell you that I don't get a positive reaction from my peers in the art world for my opinions, but that's part of the fun of what I do. I obviously supported the decision to "invade" Iraq and I have yet to see where we've gained any profit from their oil. Iraq is one of the few things that I support out of the Bush administration and the rest is fuel for future works. And, oh yeah, there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. What do you call the sarin gas, artillary and the airplanes buried in the desert? I would even argue for the bullets, since you can kill alot of civilians when they don't fight back, and the definition of mass is a whole bunch.

The painting is split into five panels, like a graphic novel, to create tension and tell a story. I also wanted the flexibility to join related panels through background imagery. In the first panel is a single man, bound, gagged and shot in the head, who has been left in the desert. Sadly, that is the fate that befell many who opposed Saddam. In the background is the bombing of Baghdad, which I tried really hard to make pretty, because I thought it was o good thing. I don't mean to seem insensitive to the loss of innocent life, but sadly, that is a consequence of war. I think the lives that were saved, and the freedoms that have been made possible, if the people are willing to fight for them will be a fitting tribute to those who were lost. Someone had to step in and help the people who couldn't help themselves and give them a chance to make better lives for themselves. Standing by while a crime is being committed is nearly as bad as being the oppressor.

The second panel is a graphic of Iraq with a cloud of chemical gas in the background that crosses over into the first and third panels. The map is marked with the locations of prison camps, mass executions, the use of chemical weapons, and the discovery of mass graves(and the location of suspected gravesites). The chemical cloud begins in the background of the first panel to symbolize the horrific past of Saddam's cruelty and bleeds into the second and third to document the discoveries of his atrocities.

In the third panel, I am addressing the practice of dumping people into mass graves that seems to have been a favorite of the Hussein regime. The bodies of those who have been recovered are laid out on the desert floor in the background. In the foreground is a general pile of bones which is meant to highlight the macabre nature of Saddam's disrespect for human life. Some of the bones are cattle, rather than human. This is in order to make an analogy between the slaughter of humans and animals as well as the disposal of those remains as if they were nothing more than animals. Throwing people into mass graves shows no respect to the victims or their families, but concern for such things didn't seem to be of much concern to Saddam. The cloud of gas in the background symbolizes the way in which many of the victims were murdered.

The fourth panel depicts the toppling of Saddam's statues, which was symbolic on many levels. The juxtaposition of one of his ornate palaces in the background with the statue symbolizes corruptness of Saddam's reign and the way that he prospered while his country and it's people suffered under him. I'm happy to say that the destruction of the statues foreshadowed the capture and subsequent trial and hanging of Saddam. On the border of the fourth and fifth panels is the rising sun, symbolic of a new day and hopefully a brighter future for the people of Iraq. At least it is an omen of better things to come, including a free election with more than one candidate on the ballot. It remains to be seen how the new government will fare, but the opportunity is there for a better future.

The last panel shows an Iraqi woman who has just voted. The sun shines upon her as she turns away from the past and looks to the future. I can only hope that it will be brighter than the past from which she and her country are emerging.

Links:

www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iraq/hilla.htm

www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/2700.htm

www.kdp.pp.se/old/chemical.html

www.gendercide.org/case_anfal.html

www.derechos.org/nizkor/iraq/doc/saddam5.html

www.mitidieri.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/editorialportfolio/massgraves13.html

www.mitidieri.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/editorialportfolio/massgraves05.html

www.mitidieri.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/editorialportfolio/massgraves04.html

www.gtj.org.uk/storage/components/105/10552_1.jpg

http://img.tfd.com/wiki/7/79/saddamstatue.jpg

www.betoniraq.com/wnd/images/baghdadmosque.jpg

http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/guardian/pix/gallery/2003/04/10/gall-3.jpg

www.maldivesculture.com/maldivessaddam01.jpg

www.maldivesculture.com/maldivessaddam.html

http://powerlineblog.com/archives/capt.dkb11801301541.iraqelectionsdkb118.jpg

CONTACT: frances@machinepolitick.com
All images and political rants on this page are the property of Machine Politick and are not to be used or reproduced in any way without permission from frances@machinepolitick.com. All images are copyrighted creations of the artist behind Machine Politick unless otherwise noted and are not to be used or reproduced in any way without permission from frances@machinepolitick.com. Copyright 2006.