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Rajasthan/India
Kaavad
Wood
Kaavads are portable wooden shrines created by the Rajasthani people of India. They have the ability to be controlled by the storytellers who created them, describing tales of hardship and bonding. With each singular image representing An entire story, voice and speech was ideal in bringing it all to life. This continues the traditional of oral knowledge when writing fell more in favor. Through storytelling and artistic style, kaavads act as a part of regional identity as well.

The kaavads preserve traditional fables and stories, while also allowing room for artistic, cultural expression. Through this, the Rajasthan people of India are provided a sense of identity, making kaavads an example of illustration contributing to cultural identity.

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Artist Unknown
Chinese
Diamond Sutra
868 CE
Woodblock print on paper
17 feet long
The Diamond Sutra was the world’s first securely dated printed books and consists of several stickies together sheets of paper-the first presenting a print of the Buddha preaching sermon. Figures crowd the composition, with Buddha being surrounded and centered by them. The prevalence of Buddhist content in these woodblock prints signified the importance it had to mass production. Buddhist images were duplicated and copied to achieve a merit of sorts.

This is an example of illustration helping spiritual beliefs, evidenced by the marriage between this piece and mass production. These prints allowed for easier accessibility of information and the spreading of ideas and beliefs. Could this also count as art/culture being used for social prestige? I believe so, basing off the idea of the images being duplicated and given for the purpose of merit, but is it more a spiritual personal merit or at least partially grounded in social prestige, based on how much merit you have.

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Artist Unknown
England
Bayeux Tapestry
1077-1082 CE
Woolen yarn
Embroidered textile
230 feet of linen, 20 inches high
This “tapestry” depicts almost and entire chain of events that eventually lead to the Battle of Hastings of 1066 CE. It was created within 15 years of the historical conflict, and is also an example of political propaganda, evidenced by its imagery of military might and the combination of both truth and manipulation of fact.  The production of the piece may have also took into consideration the portability in order to more easily spread its message and promote alliances.

This "tapestry" is an example of illustrations role in conquest and domination due to its depiction/treatment of the winning side in preserving their success. Alongside this, the piece's portability allows for the exchange of ideas and alliances, strengthening the victor's prospects of conquest through cooperation/allyship with local armies.

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Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute: The Story of Lady Wenji
Chinese
Fifteenth century
Handscroll
Ink, color, and gold on silk
11 1/4” x 39 3”
These hands roll illustrations depict a captured Chinese noblewoman who bears and nurtured to children to the chieftain of the nomadic Xiongnu tribe. Upon receiving an envoy for her ransom, she returns to her former life and leaves her new children. This emphasized cultural values and the outlook on choosing homeland over one’s own children. It is believed the scroll was the result of commissioned propaganda, motivated by the capture of the emperor’s mother.

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View of Venice from Nuremberg Chronicle
Nurember: Anton Koberger, 1493
woodcut and letterpress with watercolor
7 5/8 x 21 1/16

The Nuremberg Chronicle aimed to marry the interest of classical/humanist texts alongside the development of vernacular language. Above is a piece from the book, detailing one of the many subjects of the book: geographical subjects including panoramic takes of cities.

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Hans Holbein
Martin Luther depicted as Hercules
1552
Woodcut
This piece depicts a propagandized view of Martin Luther, who wields a spiked club while also wearing a lion skin symbolizing the mythological Hercules.

This is an example of illustration falsifying for the sake of propaganda, where factual contemporary news is married and manipulated with the purposeful symbolism to convey this idea of Martin Luther to the public.

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A Spanish Ecomendero Demands Many Native Servants
Peru
1615
Ink on paper
8 x 5 1/2”

An encomendero, or Spanish land grantee, is portrayed lavishly dressed and ordering the handing over of two servants to his possession. The children themselves are depicted in noble dress, highlighting the unfair reality of colonial rule.

With Guaman Poma using this piece and various others to attempt to expose the injustices of colonial rule, this acts as an example of illustration revealing and clarifying truths. Poma desired to reveal the atrocities of colonialism, and attempted with this drawing and others to convey the injustice.

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The Gravid Uterus

1626

Copperplate engraving

16 1/2'”

Due to the delicacy permitted by copperplate engravings, drawings were able to be much more detailed and felt more alive. The woman’s hairstyle within the piece above is evidence of so, defined by its rich detail. Held behind the woman’s back is an apple, signifying her connection with Eve through the story of Genesis.

I believe the fact that this piece alludes to Eve is an example of reinforced hierarchy and social class. My memory is a little foggy so I tried to do some more research on this, but a lot of the time I've seen and heard the idea of original sin being entirely pinned on Eve or Eve being the one to open the door and convince Adam to sin and eat the fruit. I think this is a very patriarchal idea, entirely pinning the blame on Eve herself and not her and Adam together. I see this as reinforcing demeaning and misogynistic ideas of women, linking to them directly to original sin in illustrated work.

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Flea, Micrographia
Copperplate Engraving
1665
7 3/8” x 11 1/4”

One of the foldable, copperplate illustrations in Hooke’s Micrographia that was finely detailed thanks to his use of intaglio engraving instead of woodcut.

Intaglio engraving being put to use in this piece is an example of engraving changing the way the piece is perceived or comes out. Intaglio allowed for greater details.

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Utamakura(Poem of the Pillow)

1788

Color woodblock-printed album leaf

10 x 14 ½

This piece is a form of a shunga, or spring picture, love making scene, where the protagonists are partially clothed and strategically placed openings in the robes create focus towards whatever activity is going on.

With these types of artwork being mostly forbidden in Japan shows the extent of idea over whether or not these images would be considered high forms of art and what would determine their "harmfulness", due to its usual erotic subject matter. Perhaps I'm looking at this in a very Westernized view since I'm thinking about erotic art here and how its viewed as forms of art.

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France
Louis-Philippe as Gargantua Devouring France
1832
Lithograph
8 1/2 x 12
Honore Daumier created this print as a reaction to the excessive taxation that more or less went towards the King’s pockets. The king here is depicted as taking money from the poor while he sits on his throne (toilet) pampered. Upon trying to publish this work, it was seized and disposed of by French authorities by order of the King.

Daumier's piece acts as a form of resistance to domination, specifically the domination and corruption of the king. His work aims to challenge authority and criticize the unfairness of the king’s policies. This also acts as a critique of hegemony, and how the status quo of the king's taxation plan is destructive and harmful.

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Wentworth St, Whitechapel
London, a Pilgrimage by Blanchard Jerrold,
1872
The dramatic value shift in this piece is extremely effective in capturing the mood of the residents and gloomy atmosphere of the above poor neighborhood.

I feel as if this piece is an example of illustration curtailing someone's agency, specifically the group of people living in this poor neighborhood. This piece seems exploitative, as in if it were to attempt to give agency to the subjects, it would fail to do so as there seems to be no avenue for the poorer people to escape poverty through the piece, they are rather just subjects for the artist and their benefit. Maybe I'm being way too harsh, or just writing down my random thoughts when I look at this piece.

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Kelmscott Chaucer

1896

Published by Kelmscott Press

16 ¾ x 11 ½

Wood engraving

This piece is pronounced by its combination of lavish borders and simple wood-engraved illustrations. Of all Kelmscott books(books published by Kelmscott Press), this one was the most magnificent evidenced by its intricate decor and balanced typography.

I think this piece balances the weight of tradition and innovation well.  At the time Kelmscott books brought attention to the idea of a unified book design statement, while the book derives much traditional, ornamental style.

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Calvera of a Soldier from Oaxaca

Mexico

1903

Relief etching, ink on paper

Corrido

13 1/3 x 8 1/3

This piece is considered a corrido, which is an illustrated song in the form of a broadsheet and celebrates the Mexican resistance to the French invasion in 1864. The hat the skeleton wears is derived from Oaxaca as well.

This image also serves as example of illustration's contribution to cultural identity through the incorporation of Oaxaca culture alongside being example of resistance to dominance/opression as well, evidenced by its celebration of the resistance to French invasion.

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The Gardener Lad Takes Off His Cap
May 1903
Ink on illustration board.
11 3/4 x 8 1/4
Value and the balance between positive and negative space is very important in this piece. Pyle's work derives from Gothic manuscripts and woodcuts, featuring elaborately decorated capitals and letters.

I believe this piece actually goes against social class. The moral of the illustrated story is that chivalry goes beyond the royal class, and is rather instead based off character. This goes against ideas of the royal class being best suited for potential roles.

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Cover of Opportunity
African American
February 1926
Aaron Douglas aimed to give African American publications a sense of identity And agency through the combined imagery of African and modern art. Radiating auras stand behind the pronounced figures, coupled alongside an assortment of interlocking, geometric forms. These heavily stylized forms, deriving from the close study of Egyptian and African art, contrasted the exaggerations shown in anti-black, racially stereotypical work.

Douglas reclamation and re-purposing of racist imagery is example of illustration generating agency for one’s self and community when marginalized/oppressed. Through his art, Douglas aimed to give an identity to substantial publishing work by African Americans. Douglas challenges aesthetic boundaries in his art, rejects racial stereotyping traits, and instead derives his work from African art history.

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‘In dress it’s distinction...in a cigarette it's taste,”
1930
Oil on canvas
21 x 21
With smoking largely associated with the lower classes among females, this advertisement attempted to dismiss this notion and convince women to pick up the act of smoking. In order to do this, this piece uses imagery of an  aristocratic model whose finger positions closely resemble one's if they were to be holding a cigarette.

I believe this piece is complicit in consumerism in the fact that its directly marketing a product to women, while also being complicit in a maintaining of social class through the use of aristocratic imagery. This image insinuates the upper aristocracy as the determiners in beauty and fashion, thus painting the act of smoking in a powerful, elegant light. I think this piece could also act as either the exploitation or empowerment of women, depending on how you look at it. I could see it being exploitation due to the act of an advertisement using ideas of womanhood and elegance to sell to other women their version of these ideas, this could also fall under a set norm of bodies, imposing that the slim elegant female aristocrat is what is desired. I could also see this piece as empowerment only through the fact that its creation led or contributed to the normalization of women smoking cigarettes, thus allowing women more agency/choices in society. There's a lot to unpack I feel.

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The Two Thousand Yard State

1944

Oil on cavas

36 ½ x 28 ½

Shown in this piece is the terror of war and the affect it has on those in combat. Realistically painted, the stare depicted is a representation post-traumatic stress induced by the exhaustion and fear of battle.

I think this piece serves a good example of illustration revealing or clarifying a truth. Not many people in America at the time knew about the horrors of war and being on the front lines, and this piece by Lea attempts to capture that intensity and explain where PTSD develops, at the time not known as PTSD.

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Arise Suffering Slaves

Woodcut,

oil based ink on paper

7 ¾ x 10 ¾

1947

This piece features dynamic contrasts of value and accentuated direction of action. Hua aimed to inspire an uprising against Chang Kai-shek’s nationalist government.

I believe this piece is another example of illustration's ability to help resistance movements, as its original purpose was to inspire an oppressed group against a nationalist government.

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American

New Kids in the Neighborhood

Oil on canvas

1967

In order to achieve nearly accurate realism in this piece, Norman Rockwell went through great lengths for proper photo references and scenery. These photographs were then transferred and projected, a practice that is considered controversial by fine artists and some illustrators for its apparent artificial support.

I think this piece acts as a reinforcement of social class, evidenced by the white children's reluctant attitude towards the black children, portraying the black children as "other."

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Red Legs
Harpers Bazaar Red Story
1967
Pastel
Felt tip
charcoal on paper
24 x 18

Lopez's piece derives from the expressive sexuality of the 1970s and 80s, and was heavily influenced by art movements such as Pop Art and mostly postwar.

I feel as if this piece is a good example of gendering and sexual expression as empowering, as the purpose and inspiration of the piece stems from a celebration of open sexuality in the 70s and 80s.

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Warning to America

The Black Panther

June 27, 1970

This piece by Emory Douglas highlights the contributions of women community leaders who fought for justice. Emphasized is the dynamically posed rifle, symbolizing the strength of the woman and her ability to challenge oppression.

This piece acts as an example of resistance against domination, shown through the strength of the woman holding her weapon, a rather intense and intimidating image, while also powerful and admiring. I believe this acts something disruptive in the public sphere, through encouraging awareness and challenging of the status quo.

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Come Out Comix

1973

Come out comix was an exclusively lesbian comic book, and the first to be so. These comics by Wings provided stories that were not only exclusive experiences, but universal as well.

I think this piece increases agency for lesbian women , specifically the Come Out Comix series. The focus and centering of usually left out voices allows for these stories to be heard and for proper outlets to be created for marginalized without worry of bias from others.

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Puerto Rico
Tomas and the Library Lady
1997
Colored Pencil , etching
This piece is based off real life events-the story of migrant worker Tomas Rivera and his success in life. The texture and use of soft rendering is reminiscent of Mexican muralist artists such as Diego Rivera and Alfred Ramos Martinez.

Colon's pieces, and specifically this one, are defined by the unique texture caused by his use of engraving over his colored pencil work. The engravings gives the objects in the environment more ground and makes them appear more touchable.