Picture This! 2012Picture This! 2012The Olympic Games Poster 1948

Some Ideas and ResourcesMick Connell and Debbie Hepplestone

Wednesday 29 June 2011

Media used – Mass Produced Printed Poster from original drawing and painting.

What is the theme? - The clock tower of the iconic Houses of Parliament. The hands of the famous "Big Ben" are pointing to 4 o'clock, the time at which the opening of the Games was planned- accompanied by the Olympic rings. In the foreground, is a drawing of the statue of the "Discobolus" (classical icon of the discus thrower from Ancient Greece).

1948 London Olympic Games Official Poster Designer – Walter Herz

How does the designer use colour? – 1.The background is a calm [reassuring] clear blue sky.

2.The architecture has subdued, muted tones, close to the real colours of the building.

3.The discus thrower is smooth, simplified and pale coloured like a marble statue of ancient Greece.

4.The iconic bold colours of the 5 Olympic rings dominate the foreground.

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How does the designer use composition skills?The discus thrower’s arm reaching up takes our eye to the clock tower and 4pm, as we wait for him to cast his throw.

Placing the figure centrally in the ‘picture frame’ and using a light colour focuses our eyes on the discus thrower.

The angle of the road and the blurring effect – creating an illusion of speed, brings our eye down to the rings –the main focus of the Olympic imagery.

A distant lamp post on the left side of the road creates the illusion of perspective and distance.

How does the designer use pattern, texture and shape?

The architecture is highly detailed and realistic with sharp outlines, contrasting the blurred roadside and ‘impressionistic’, roughly painted trees.

The simple, flat background contrasts with the detailed foreground.

The pale figure of the discus thrower has a halo of shading around it, so that it stands out against the buildings

The ‘Discobolus’

The ‘Modern’ Games – Drawing on the Classical Games

Classical and Modern Ideals and Images 1914 -1928

Olympics – Berlin 1936A Study in Political Iconography

1940 Helsinki – The Cancelled Games

1940-45 World War 11 – Images of Britain – Frank Newbould

The Olympic Poster – 60 Years On

1970s, 80s, 90s

2012 London

The Legacy of the Olympic Poster

Top British artists to design 2012 Olympics postersHoward Hodgkin, Bridget Riley, Tracey Emin and Chris Ofili among selected 12 as countdown starts to London festival

The Power of Image – When and What Do You Think This Is?

Using the ‘Formal Elements’ of Visual language to analyse Art and DesignKey word What does it mean? Examples of descriptive terms…

Line How is line used in the piece? Wispy, broken, bold, continuous, soft, contoured, expressive…

Tone How is shading or blending used? Dramatic, subtle, varied, graduated, describing form and solidity

Form How does the artist use 3D structure in the work, or create the illusion of 3D structure in a painting / drawing?

Undulating, curving, angular, soft, rigid, smooth, organic…

Shape How are different shapes used within the piece?

Organic, angular, curving, regular, juxtaposed, overlapping, abstract…

Texture What is the surface of the work made from or made to look like?

Rough, smooth, tactile, shiny, metallic, soft, bubbly…

Pattern How has the artist used repetition and pattern in the work?

Busy, repetitive, rhythmic, bold, tessellating, decorative…

Colour What kinds of colours has the artist used and why?

Realistic, heightened, bold, warm, cool, contrasting, pastel, dark, moody, tropical, hue, range of, exaggerated…

Mood / Atmosphere

Does the piece have a particular mood?

Brooding, comical, dark, sad, pensive, foreboding, calm…

Narrative Does the piece tell a story? The title may help you with this? How can you read into the painting? What can you see unfolding? What’s happening?

Composition How do all the different parts of the piece fit together? How does the artist make the piece interesting to the eye?

Where does your eye follow? How is the composition split up? Is there a focal point? What is the main subject? If abstract – how do the shapes and colours combine?

Scale What size it the piece in relation to its surroundings?

Size, proportion, where is it located? How does the size compare to the subject matter – e.g. a giant portrait, or a very small sculpture of a building…

Medium What materials has the artist used and why?

Paint – which type and why/ Sculptural materials like wood, clay, metal, wire, drawing – pencil, pastel, crayon, charcoal. Found materials, collage, textiles…