Capitalism is good to you !

[MacDuff]

And what do youthink of this one ? (photo reference used, traditionnal medias)

http://img20.photobucket.com/albums/v61/MacDuff/matdalao4web.jpg

[DanSTC]

Hey dude, I don't meant o be rude, but you might want to read the rules for this forum that are in this thread: http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12808

As for your image, I like it. Horrifying and political, sort of in the spirit of European political "shock" cartoonists like Gerald Scarffe, or amateur political cartoonist-collages by punks during the 1970's. (Also, whose baby's head did you use as reference?)

Anyway, my first crit would be that it looks a bit *too* much like a copy of photographs with fragments of other copies jammed together. There's no real sense of underlying structure...basically, it feels like we're looking at a drawing of pair of photographs, rather than a drawing of infant whose brain resembles meat from the deli section. (Although the one of the infant has been "retouched" in an interesting manner.)

There's also a lot of empty space to the left side, with the baby kinda crammed to the right. Negative space can be good, but this just is a bit too empty.
I feel like a bit more could've been done with this, like maybe placing the baby in front of a rack of other human produce or something else horrifyingly creative that you can come up with. Try doing that, and then adding some negative space at the top to contrast with the pricetag and then draw the viewer's eye down to the scene below.


As for my stance on capitalism, since this IS obviously a political piece: When people aren't fucking one another blind by abusing it, it actually works pretty well. :)

[MacDuff]

Thanks for the crits. I know the rules, but I am actually on a free servor and it does not allow me to make link of picture. If I would do that, you would have seen a great but classical red X. So, when I'll have some time to do that, I will try to find another servor for it. I apologise for the rules ...

My advice on capitalism is that it must kill to survive (it works for now more or less in the northern countrie ... because it's killing people from the south !). I think that capitalism is not bad because bad people lead it (read Marx, it's great for that), but because it's the way this system works ...

Latest thing : the white area is great, yes, but it's because it's a poster for a band, so it has to have place for the show's date ... :D Forgot to explain that. In fact, the brain is just stuck, it's a bit of meat I found in a supermarket advert. I would make a difference between the head and the brain this way ... But now I'm asking myself if it works or not :( Well, I heard the crits and will think about it !

EDIT : Why the Hell is the picture so small and so dirty ? It's bigger than that normally ...

[DanSTC]

Ah good. It's just cheesy/campy/shocking enough to be a good band flier or poster image. :)

I kinda like it, myself. I always did enjoy "shock" political art. Ralph Steadman and Gerald Scarffe are still big heroes of mine.

Originally posted by MacDuff

My advice on capitalism is that it must kill to survive (it works for now more or less in the northern countrie ... because it's killing people from the south !). I think that capitalism is not bad because bad people lead it (read Marx, it's great for that), but because it's the way this system works ...


I would disagree there. Human nature is always a major factor to play in any system of economy or government. Even something like a dictatorship can be a "good" system if it's run by people who actually attempt to do a good job and not screw people over. (Which given human nature with regards to absolute power, is pretty rare.) At the same time, even the greatest concept of utopia on paper can easily be ruined in practice by human nature.

Also, capitalism thrives more on healthy competition than it does with flat-out screwing over others...in fact, people getting screwed usually winds up hurting just about everyone in the long run! (Though the shortsighted or greedy don't always see that.) Rather, businesses that cooperatively adapt to survive, or who manage to find a "niche" of their own are allowed to operate quite succesffully alongside larger business that set a decent standard for the others...hard work, initiative and innovation are generally prized and rewarded in the ideal capitalist economy. But when massive bloated conglomerates are allowed to run free and basically have a stranglehold on almost everything, often abusing or exploiting those beneath them, then it becomes problematic...people, aside from those at the top, are considered individuals no longer, and are instead considered mere tools for the system. Thus it can repeat the same problem that always occurs with any system that becomes problematic, when the individual counts for nothing, unless he is considered "exceptional" or "at the top."
This pattern happens in capitalism, communism, dictatorships, mercantilism, feudalism, etc. etc. etc. Every time those at the top are allowed to exercise greater control, even if they start out with good intentions, inevitably they wind up making decisions hurting or abusing those beneath them. Thus there is no real "perfect system"---there are only better ways of running or refining an existing system. (That's not to say that new systems cannot be devised, of course. Just that they too once put to practice will also have to be refined.) In other words, the best thing we can to aspeople within the system is to try to regulate it as best we can, to hold those at the "top" responsible for their decisions that harm or shove aside individuals lower down the ladder. Ideally, the government and economy should serve the people within it, not the other way 'round.

[MacDuff]

I just add this one, which is completely different. Just a work on computer, for fun ...

http://img20.photobucket.com/albums/v61/MacDuff/tpeweb.jpg

[dfacto]

Well, I'll keep my opinion on capitalism off this forum section since we shouldn't talk about politics here, but I do like the picture. The second one is very interesting too, makes me want to know what it is supposed to be exactly. Is it a building, a starship, a...?

[MacDuff]

A building in a starship ! :D It's true !