The brief

Throughout history, artists have used their skills to document events and report on what happened around them.  At a time in which there is an increasing prevalence of photography and lens-based documentation, drawing can offer a unique perspective on the world we live in.

Reportage and documentary illustration make a distinct and valuable contribution to our cultural understanding, and you will find them commissioned in many contexts, such as editorially in magazines and newspapers, in publishing, advertising, infographics, and fashion.

Read these articles about the use of reportage illustration.  Reflect on what happens in visual reporting of war from both a historical and contemporary perspective.  Although drawing within war is far removed from the everyday, the three illustrators featured below bring a human perspective and sensitivity to the interpretation of the events they witnessed.

Reflecting on Ardizzone at peace and in conflict

Edward Ardizzone illustrated and designed covers for hundreds of books, including The Otterbury Incident and Stig of the Dump.  He produced posters and editions for commercial clients like Shell and Guinness.  He also created murals printed onto melamine for P&O’s SS Canberra and designed work for the New Chelsea Porcelain Co.

His work as a war artist adds depth, emotion, and a dark side to his more well-known work. A Stand-out work, A Burial Party Pausing for a Tea Break (Figure 2), is one of over 400 war works Ardizzone produced. He was a frontline artist, on invasion ships and recording London’s war.

His work is incredibly well observed. He draws simply but always captures the life and vitality of what he’s seeing. Ardizzone’s work always looks loose and sketchy, but that masks the cleverness of his technique. His careful use of shading and the occasional looseness of line add depth. He never tries to draw a face in detail, but his people are always alive. (Thompson, 2017)

I agree with Thompson’s reflection on Ardizzone’s work and would like to add my own reflection, particularly on Figure 2.

Ardizzone’s figures have a comical undertone, especially in their posture. Although this burial scene is a serious matter after the tragic death of soldiers, Ardizzone depicts the burial team taking a tea break in the background. He could’ve shown people mourning or being distressed, but this is what he chose to witness at that time, which I think is very honest. People do take tea breaks; burying soldiers has become a regular activity in soldiers’ daily lives and a regular activity of everyday war.  It is sad but true.

Olivier Kugler: bearing witness.

Fast-forward to 2016, and Olivier Kugler uses his camera, digital voice recorder, scanner, and laptop to bear witness as a reportage illustrator.

We now have this technology available, and Kugler knows that the camera will pick up details and perspectives that would take too long to capture if he sat down and drew the scene. He adds handwritten notes and an idiosyncratic detail that distinguishes Kugler’s work from that of other reportage illustrators: the inclusion of multiple marks for the subject’s movements as they shift position or gesture differently with their hands.

Oliver Kugler’s work has many layers. You get the gist of the subject matter as you see the work, and if you choose to dive deeper, you can zoom in and read the notes and observe the smaller details, which gives the viewer more information.

Kugler’s work was published in Harper’s Magazine, an online magazine. His presentation is appropriate for today’s time. You can zoom into the artwork and observe all the information that he collected, processed, and represented to the viewer using the technology available today.

The Photographer

This graphic novel book is a three-way collaboration between the late French photographer Didier Lefèvre, graphic novelist Emmanuel Guibert and graphic designer Frédèric Lemercier.

The commitment and dedication to this project are astounding, which has taken its toll on the three people involved, especially Didier Lefèvre, the photographer. 

The graphic novel is an innovative way to tell a story, although the comic part of the book seems childlike to me, similar to a Spider-Man or Batman comic, yet we are dealing with real-life scenarios.

Does a graphic novel diminish the seriousness of lives that matter during the war, even though they have been depicted respectfully and with consideration? The word novel means a fictitious prose narrative of book length, typically representing character and action with some degree of realism.  Or could it reach more people by presenting information in an innovative and digestible way?

Works Cited

Thompson, D. (2017, April 18). Edward Ardizzone. Retrieved from A.N: https://www.a-n.co.uk/reviews/edward-ardizzone/#:~:text=It’s%20easy%20to%20consider%20Ardizzone,clients%20like%20Shell%20and%20Guinness.

Walters, J. L. (2016). Oliver Kugler: Bearing witness. Retrieved from Eyemagazine.com: https://www.eyemagazine.com/feature/article/olivier-kugler-bearing-witness

Powers, A. (2016). Ardizzone at peace and in conflict. Retrieved from Eyemagazine.com: https://www.eyemagazine.com/feature/article/ardizzone-at-peace-and-in-conflict

Poynor, R. (2009). Framing the evidence of war. Retrieved from Eyemagazine.com: https://www.eyemagazine.com/opinion/article/framing-the-evidence-of-war