Introduction a Visual Art essay
By definition a graphic novel consists of a type of text that combines words, images and artistic elements in a comic-like format, and is published as a book. These artistic novels have the potential to express stories with great vibrancy and excitement through the use of visual imagery, making them enjoyable to a wide audience of children as well as adults. Through composition, artistic techniques and expert storytelling, graphic novels have come to play a massive role in pop culture and the portrayal of visual storytelling; especially personal stories and autobiographies.
This topic truly fascinates me because I find it very interesting and inspiring to see how art and narrative flows together in storytelling through such a fluid and dynamic method of expression, as I’d like to apply this information for a possible future career in animation (another form of visual storytelling). In order to help people navigate and understand such powerful stories, several authors have written and illustrated literary works that depict characters and events based on their lives. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi and Maus by Art Spiegelman both explore themes of national conflict (the Shah in Iran and Hitler in Germany), oppression and how it changes their everyday lives. However their unique art styles and use of comics bring forth a whole new layer of elements to the theme of conflict, horror of war, Nazism/Islamic propaganda and religious themes. And this use of art remains essential as a method of communication within graphic novels.
My main focus will be to explore what visual factors that contribute towards effectively communicating a story/narrative. Thus an analysis of these two works helps answer the research question: ‘To what extent do the key artistic and narrative elements effectively express the contextual background of graphic novels: a comparative study of Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi, 2003) and Maus (Art Spiegelman, 1991)?’As this study of the novels will show, how its artistic elements can represent a story through a mutual combination of media, style, composition and theme that are heavily influenced by their Historic backgrounds, and artistic backgrounds. If the graphic novels Maus and Persepolis are compared to these elements it also justifies and provides artistic merit and integrity to their books. However artist merit and integrity can be further justified through an in depth comparison and analysis of the two works and their respective artistic elements.
Background on Art Spiegelman & Marjane Satrapi
Marjane Satrapi is a novelist, artist and writer who was born in in Rasht, Iran on Nov 22nd 1969, and is of Gilakand Turkic origin. Marjane grew in in a middle class Iranian family in Tehran, where both of her parents, who were politically active, supported Marxist causes against the monarchy of the last Shah (Reza Shah Pahlavi). This monarch aimed to modernize Iran through continuous military, economic, social and administrative reforms (called ‘the White Revolution’) inspired by Western-oriented modernization. This organisation completely disregarded the poor and alienated lower class citizens and Islamic clergy/believers. When the Iranian Revolution took place in 1979, Marjane’s family was dismayed and intimidated by the Muslim fundamentalists who took power. Marjane, being very much inspired by her culture, experiences and surroundings, is also known for two other works “Embroideries and “La Bande Des Jotas” and she has won several awards since 2001(for her: Angoulême Coup de Coeur Award for Persepolis) up to 2013 (and :Noor Iranian Film Festival award for Best Animation Director, for Chicken with Plums).
Art Spiegelman, born on February 15th 1948, is an American cartoonist, writer and editor whose best known for his graphic novel about his jewish father’s experiences during the holocaust, Maus(1991). Being an advocate for comics and graphic novels Art Spiegelman has participated in several events to express their importance and expand onto the benefits they possess. He has also inspired several other cartoonists/illustrators to take up the graphic novel as a means of expression, including Marjane Satrapi.“Underground Comix” and “New Yorker” are two other good examples of Art Spiegelman’s work to promote the relationship between readers and comics/graphic novels: “I wanted to create comics as soon as a I learned humans were behind them, that they were not natural phenomena like trees and boulders.”-Art Spiegelman. Due to his high impact in the comic/art-writing industry he too has been awarded several prizes as early as 1982 (Playboy Editorial Award, Best Comic Strip)up to 2015 (American Academy of Arts and Letters membership)
Historical context
The Islamic Revolution also known as Enqelāb-e Iran; or the 1979 Revolution, refers to a populist, nationalist and Shi'a Islamic revolution that led to the overthrowing of Iran’s monarch: Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. The removal of the Pahlavi dynasty and of 2,500 years of continuous Persian monarchy prompted its eventual replacement with an Islamic Republic. Around the past 100 years Iran was burdened with social and political instability and increasing discontent and significant isolation within the people of Iran, which was the first signal to an impending shift within the country. Changes in the government through continuous military, economic, social and administrative reforms, further alienated more traditionally religious citizens and the majority of the less liberal population.
Maus’s historical context is a dominant trait of the book, where Spiegelman discusses how the prisoners were moved from Dachau by train and left out in the open by the German troops in anticipation of the arrival of the Americans. It demonstrates that even efforts to free the victims of this genocide resulted in danger and destruction. It also makes the stories of survivors all the more harrowing and remarkable. The story takes place during the Second World War where global military conflict occurred from 1939 to 1945, which was fought between the Allied powers of the United States, United Kingdom, and Soviet Union against the Axis powers of Germany, Italy, and Japan, with their respective allies. Nazi Germany was responsible in this event for the deaths and imprisonment of around 1.3 million Jews.
Background on comics and graphic novels
Graphic illustration and text has always been a great channel to express information fictional or non fictional, this visual and textual partnership can be seen in children's books, advertisements, modern art and even old religious scriptures like the Bible.
Because graphic novels embody two main elements, art and literature, they have the ability to be multi interpretable and express different perspectives of visual storytelling freely. Although the exact definition of the graphic novel is debated upon in the simplest terms it can be described as "cartoon drawings that tell a story and are published as a book”. Similarly the origins of the form are open to interpretation, but it can be debated that graphic novels are the direct descendant of comics due to their similar manifestation and relationship between illustration and writing. Comics and graphic novels also share three similar purposes; to form a connection with the reader, express the story and even affect the audience (for example to spread propaganda). Comics such as those of Captain America are examples of propaganda for WW2, however they can also be examples of the expression of historical contextual background from a certain perspectives. Maus and Persepolis share this purpose and each express their own perspectives of conflict (WW2 in Nazi Germany & the Iranian Revolution in Iran) through artistic representation.
Propaganda use can also been seen in several other examples of art, such as controversial graffiti, propaganda posters with illustrations, statues and more. The "We Can Do It!" poster, by J. Howard Miller, is a 1943 American wartime propaganda poster as an inspirational image to boost worker morale. Although Maus and Persepolis aren't examples of propaganda they do have inspiring elements to their story, which could motivate readers. Similar to other more extreme posters they tend to antagonise members of the conflict and story (eg: Hitler and the Shah).
Comics and graphic novels also share several characteristics such as the use of panels, speech bubbles, and a simplified art style. However, in artistic terms, they are very different. Comics in their simplest form and origin have been used to make readers joyful; even the word in itself, ‘comic’ is derived from the word ‘comical’, an adjective to describe humor. From the simplified art style and bright colors, to the exaggerated movements and magnified characters, comics are trying to appeal to the reader’s sense of humor. Graphic novels on the other hand are usually made up of several types of unique styled inspired by the author or story and usually try to avoid exaggerated and comic-stylized illustrations. Instead its panels express the story through more detailed and dramatic panels, such as those of Persepolis and Maus.
Artistic elements with relation to Artistic context
Maus and Persepolis embody two styles that vary greatly but are unified in one element, the use of color and line. Both novels contain illustrations which rely on thick bold lines in black or white, however they each contain other elements that effectively express their contextual backgrounds.
Art Spiegelman's illustrations within Maus (1991) are more detailed and based off the striking style of German expressionism a creative movement which surged in Germany before the first world war and reached its peak in the 1920’s. This is a conscious decision to show the lingering influences of germanic culture after the first and second world war. One of Spiegelman’s main influences is Frans Marsell, another artist also inspired by german expressionism, who created the wordless novel in 1919 called ‘Passionate Journey’ (also known as ‘My Book of Hours’). Similarly Otto Dix, another artist whose work is a source of influence for Spiegelman, also exercises elements of the German expressionist movement. A great example would be his piece “Shock Troops Advance under Gas” displayed in the MoMA which makes use of etching, aquatint, and drypoint; a similar style to that of Maus. The context of this piece represents the horrors of the first world war and therefore also provides a perspective onto the horrible realities experienced by someone who was there, just like the narrative of Maus. Spiegelman also suffers from a lazy eye, and thus lacks depth perception, as a result of this his art style is affected. However he makes up for this through labored detailed simplicity, with dense visual motifs which often go unnoticed upon first viewing.
Marjane’s most famous book, Persepolis (2003) spoke of her and her family’s struggles in Iran, with conflict, racism, oppression, war and westernisation. These themes are explored through a series of illustrations which embody a unique and expressive style. Marjane’s relates to these issues through the portrayal of simple black and white illustrations resembling those of Iranian fabric prints and paper cut art and woodcut techniques. One of the most important underlying themes of Satrapi’s graphic novel is the censorship of artistic expression in Iran under the fundamentalist Islamic regime that took over power of the country after the Revolution of 1979 (The White revolution). Due to censorship in Iran, Marjane’s art school forbade the viewing of the human body and of western influences, therefore are no clear influences for this book in general, however Satrapi’s novel is itself a product of, and reaction to, this censorship. As a graphic novel, it purposefully rejects the Islamic tenet that there should be no iconic representations of the faith (there are depictions of god, prophets, heaven and religious items). Consequently it boldly denounces the brutality of the regime and calls into question the legitimacy of its rule. Although illustration and visual expression is closely monitored in Iran, Art, is not absent in Iran. Contrarian theory states that art actually flourishes under censorship and that when faced with threat of persecution, artists actually become more bold in their expression and point of view. On the other hand Marjane also used western influences in her work due to her childhood of reading traditional comics (Bruce Timm’s Batman was an example of an influence of Marjane’s) which inspired her, and european woodcut techniques influenced her illustrations.
Art analysis Maus and Persepolis
Further evidence of the link in style between the two graphic novels can be found within their illustrative panels. These examples all make use of several other features, which are standard in graphic novels, these also play to the style and tone of an illustration.
Maus:
In the first chapter of Maus, we are introduced to Art, Vladek (Art’s Father), and Vladek’s second wife Mala. Immediately one notices the fact that all the characters have animal heads; the Nazis are portrayed as cats, the Jews as mice, the Poles as pigs, the Americans as dogs and the French as frogs. This symbolism allows for the reader to understand the backgrounds of all the characters at a glance, and further pushes the style of the novel to extremes. This element of maus is what made the book iconic, powerful and unique, because it was the first book of its kind to group types of people with animalistic symbolism. Artistically its purpose was to train the reader to look for certain shapes and form. Main characters would be silhouetted, therefore making sure the reader understood which shape (animal head) it had, was crucial to maintaining the story’s structure.
Another crucial element of Maus is the use of mixed media: Art Spiegelman makes use of brush strokes throughout most of his panels, but occasionally we are shown real photographs of the characters which is greatly juxtaposed with the cartoonified animal-human characters. However, it also added a third dimension of context in terms of narrative, and in terms of art it provided a second element of composition, space and dimension.
Similarly, halfway through Maus on page 102-105 there was a complete change in style, tone and narrative. Here Art Spiegelman clearly illustrates through thirtyfive panels on these pages, the feelings that he felt towards the knowledge of his mother’s suicide. These sets of panels have an even deeper meaning aside from his emotions, they also portray what Art’s perspective of life was at that point in time and how it changed from then on. This dramatic scene was only further exaggerated by the expressive, bold and impressive use of the German expressionist woodcut print style. These few pages were not a stylized version of German expressionism as it was seen throughout the majority of Maus’s pages, but it was a very traditional example of the power of work similar to other German Woodcut artist.
For example Käthe Kollwitz, who is known for her melancholy and morbid woodcut prints that depict the effects of poverty, hunger, and war on the working class. According to Kollwitz's description in the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) her name evokes images of bereaved mothers, ailing, fatherless children, anguished parents, and, more generally, suffering and death. Kathe Kollwitz uses her woodcuts to provide the same tone and depressive atmosphere as this moment in Art Spiegelman's life. The use of black and dense shadow creates an intense depth and dark psychological power, which is reflected in these panels of Maus. This scene really pushes the boundaries when using texture and line. It’s bold, thick and directional lines really help contrast the light and dark tones of the image and provides silhouettes for characters. These silhouettes are generally dark with a few splashes of highlighted prominent parts to outline characters.
Spigelman also uses other techniques to outline panels or characters; rather than complying to the traditional rules of comics and having plain rectangular-outlined panels he sometimes creates abnormally shaped, round or even no outlines to his panels. This challenges the way the viewer is aware of the space/depth of the panels and brings attention to the drawing. For example, on page 14 of Maus, most of the panels are rectangular except for a rounded panel that frames the illustration as if it were a work of art on a mural. Another example could be page 19 where the story mentions a photograph of Art’s mother, Anja. This page has a panel that isn’t even lined in with the other panels and overlaps them instead, giving the page an abstract schematic representation of depth. Some more can be seen on page 142, (top left corner), 146 (top left corner), 171 (top half), the entirety of pages 274 & 275 and many more. One last example is the more symbolic framing of a panel on page 82. Art spiegelman created a frame which surrounds Vladek’s character in a jewish star of david, almost as if creating a spotlight for the character and what they represent.
Other examples of German expressionism can be seen on pages 83, 86, 97 , 158, 248, 255 and the covers for most of the chapters. Cross hatching techniques, woodcut prints, ink brush bleeds, use of negative space and monochrome color scheme are all prominent features seen in the Illustrations where each new chapter is introduced. For example chapter six’s cover ‘Mouse Trap’ which makes heavy use of symbolism and cross hatching techniques. This specific illustration uses linear perspective to create depth and space within the drawing, and manipulates negative space to, once again, highlight or outline important characters/features. This image is a great example of how cross hatching is used to provide light(tone) which casts shadows and then provides from. The different styles of cross hatching is also used to express the textures of different objects, such as the rough lines for the abrasive wood floor of the mouse trap.
Persepolis:
Although Maus’s most iconic feature is the use of animal based symbolism Marjane’s Persepolis uses the veil to represent several elements within the narrative.
The veil is used to represent the rules of the Fundamentalist Iranian, and those who oppose the veil and the rules of Iran were seen as traitors, or the ‘modern woman & progressive man’ as Marjane called it. The veil is used throughout the book as a uniform, and it makes it difficult for the readers to distinguish characters, however on the first page of Persepolis Marjane attempts to avoid this by showing an illustration of herself accompanied by the words ‘this is me’. This instantly trains the reader to recognise the protagonist of the book and reaffirm who is at the centre of the story. Further attempts to help the reader recognise characters can also be seen on page 296 ( where Marjane displays herself and 2 other women with and without the veil) and page 307 (where Marjane is with a group of women with more distinguishable features.
Perhaps the most subtle but persistent element in Persepolis is Marjane’s use of patterns. Almost all of the backgrounds in Marjane’s illustrations make use of simple patterns, similar to those seen in quilts, and to decorate religious books. Narrative wise one of the biggest themes Marjane likes to express is her feelings when she's torn between home(Iran) and the outside world(western influence). This can be seen in the first chapters of her early life, for example page 6’s first panel says: “I really didn't know what to think about the veil. Deep down I was very religious but as a family we were very modern and avant-garde” These words are reflected by two contrasting background patterns: one more mechanical based and the other more traditional and organic. The avant garde’s side mood is intentionally cold and heavy to show the ‘modern minded’ expectations her family has, whereas the religious side patterns are similar to those of traditional Iranian religious art. An example of art with similar designs can be seen in Persian-Iranian carpet designs; their dramatic and complex arrangement of angular shapes and floral-like designs are made for a wide variety of utilitarian and symbolic purposes. For instance, ‘The Mantes Carpet’ seen in the louvre is a great representation of a traditional 16th century, Northern Iranian decorative carpet, due to its organic illustrations and angular geometric patterns.
When it comes to religious imagery a good example can be seen on page 28, where marjane makes use of both patterns and illustrations similar to persian art. The bold repetitive depictions of authoritarian looking soldiers represented the second panel follow a similar art style to traditional Persian Miniatures (Paintings). These Miniatures contain ornamental decoration which are found in borders and panels, and people/figures depicted are usually seen in a side view profile in a schematic representation of depth. In Islamic art this is referred to as "illumination", because it spotlights the figures in the centre with a decorative frame. The designs reflected are especially close to Islamic book-covers and Persian carpets.
Further evidence of the Persian Miniature-style can be seen in pages 40, 54, 95, 258 and finally (and perhaps the most influential) on page 331.