Aboriginal Motifs

Functions and Philosophies

Communication, Consultation and Consent
To design a logo and miscellaneous for an aboriginal community-based footy team presents a number of challenges.

Using images created by indigenous communities or ritual imagery without any sensitivity can be disrespectful. Traditional artists need to be sought out, or a representative from the traditional land owners. A translator may be needed and the discussions may take time, especially if the work includes a secret or sensitive parts. One big issue is photography of indigenous people. Photographs (especially of the deceased) can cause distress to relatives, especially if these images are published.

Secrecy & Confidentiality
Awareness of secrecy and confidentiality needs to be maintained. This is especially a problem if the artwork contains initiation or religious practices. Some work is considered sacred, this should be respected. Secrecy and confidentiality of individual people needs to be honoured, especially of the deceased.

Moral Rights and Issues
Moral rights for Indigenous art is covered by the same copyright as elsewhere in Australia. This includes "the right to be attributed as an artist", "the right not to have work falsely attributed to another artist," and "The right of integrity" (doing things that damage or mutilate the work, even as minor as photocopying it at poor quality!)
Protocols for producing Indigenous Australian visual arts

But there is more. Indigenous Australians are so community based that even their artwork can be seen as community owned. A draft amendment to the Copyright Act was proposed in 2003 to recognize this fact.


Bibliography

http://keystone.collectionsaustralia.net/publisher/Outreach/?p=4248www.copyright.org.au
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/en/declaration.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_Australians
http://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/research/aboriginal_and_torres_strait_islander_arts/reports_and_publications/indigenous_arts_resource_list
Protocols for producing Indigenous Australian visual arts: by the Australian Council for the Arts

Native American Motifs

Syracuse Chiefs

Current Logo:

Cap Logo:

Alternative Logo:

 Logo 1997-2006:

Logo 1987-1996:

Logo 1961-1979:

The current logo contains the text 'chiefs', and incorporates train symbology in a very stylised manner. Colours silver, blue, white and black merge to give a metallic stylized look.

The logo is trying to play on the theme of the railway chiefs such as the Super Chief from Chicago to Los Angeles, and Amtrak's Southwest Chief. This is despite the fact that neither went anywhere near New York's city of Syracuse. The baseball club is trying to tap into that tradition of railway chiefs, despite having not exactly earned it.

The Syracuse Chiefs didn't have the train theme in its initial years. Initially the Montreal Royals, they moved to Syracuse in 1961 and had the rename. Their logo became an illustrated representation of a native American's head, complete with feathered headdress. It became very stylized in 1987. Ten years later they were re-branded as the Syracuse SkyChiefs in an attempt to respect native Americans. However they have reverted back the the 'Chiefs' and now have the new train logo.

While changing the 'chiefs' meaning to 'railway chiefs' tries to respect native Americans, even the 'railway chiefs' themselves had their name and theme derived from Indians. Also of note on the Syracuse Chief's website was the 50th season anniversary logo: it has a traditional native feather headdress draped over it. If this is a show of respect, it seems to be a very shallow one.

Sources:
http://www.csrmf.org/
http://www.atsfrr.com/resources/Haben/Life/4-18-38.htm
http://www.sportslogos.net/team.php?id=936
http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=t552

Melbourne Sports Museum Critiques

Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) Logo

Current

Critical Description

This design is very symbolic. For a very well known sports venue famous around Australia, there is a lot of pressure on the logo. It is imperative it uses all the art elements and principles well, as well as other art styles.

The logo is fairly straightforward, in a proportional way. The colours range from yellow, green to blue in varying shades of analogous hues. Combined with white, it produces a rather pleasing visual effect.

Elements and Principles

Linework is used in the form of 'fingernail' shaped blue lines around the circle in the centre of the logo representing the grand stand. While there isn't exactly a texture to the logo, the gradient in the centre circle certainly makes up for it. Shape is used well: the central circle not only represents the playing field, but I think it also gives a nod to the shape of an aussie rules football in the fact that it is not a straight circle but more of an oval shape.

Going on to the principles: the logo is very centrally and equally balanced. There is nothing dynamic about it at all - apart from perhaps the grand stand blue lines. However these are more rhythmic than anything else, and seem to shimmer around the central circle playing field.

Art style

The art style is a lot more contemporary and doesn't really have much of a 'professional business' feel to it that many big company logos have. The typeface choice is very square and contemporary, however it is centered in the middle of the logo and seems diminished by the surrounding 'fun-style' iconography.

Concept/Theme

The concept behind the logo is very clearly the MCG itself. The playing field is represented a green circle with hints of blue and yellow at each corner, anchoring it into what is kind of recognized as the Australian theme colours. The blue curved lines around the circle are reminiscent of the grand stands of the MCG. What is interesting is the several variations of the logo around the place (which I am unable to include here). Some have the text built out of circles, and others have the large playing field fluorescent lights swirling around the MCG.

Personal

I believe the logo itself is very effective. It is both fun and has the flicker of an air of professionalism to it. What I find disappointing is the usage of the logo... it seems to conflict a lot with the other logo variations - I believe this confuses people in regard to the logo (it confuses me at least...!) I think a stronger use of a simple logo would promote unity and make things a lot easier.

http://www.mcg.org.au/

http://www.austadiums.com/stadiums/stadiums.php?id=71

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne_Cricket_Ground

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne_Cricket_Ground

Sydney Swans Uniform

Current

 Courtesy of http://www.abc.net.au/

Critical Description

This is the Guernsey of the iconic Sydney Swans AFL team. It uses a variety of different artistic styles to assist in its portrayal. Negative space is used on the front, with the Sydney opera house silhouetted out of the bottom of the red 'V'.

Elements and Principles
While there isn't a lot of linework (bar the Guernsey material texture) or and no texture at all, the shape of the items on the uniform really pop out and cement the elements of design. Colour is used in an attempt to assist with this, the hue is very garish.

The logo is centered on the vertical axis, but spins dynamically on the horizontal. The red 'V' intersects the asymmetrical opera house on this axis. No rhythm or sense of scale is really used.

Art style
There isn't an art style as such to the uniform, it is kind of line a national flag in that regard. There is no doubt as to the symbolic value of flags and uniforms, both aim to evoke a sense of pride rather than wow with visuals.

Concept/Theme
To be honest there isn't much of a concept behind the uniform. Sydney was the South Melbourne Football Club until 1982, and the colours of red and white date back to the 1890s. The red V was introduced in 1932, and it seems that in the 1982 move to Sydney a silhouette of the Sydney opera house was tacked to the bottom of the red 'V'.

Personal
I feel that this uniform is a bit of a failure. The 'V' could be done in a bold aggressive way, but not only is it a basic, stock standard 'V', but a failed portrait of the Sydney opera house is intersecting its otherwise sharp point. The opera house is done so small that it is unrecognizable us such unless you get close and stare hard for a a good 10 seconds. At a glance, a rookie to the game may in fact think it represents a little patch of footy turf.

http://home.vicnet.net.au/~nickname/afl.html#swans
http://www.sydneyswans.com.au/Swans/TheClub/History/tabid/7210/Default.aspx
http://www.smh.com.au/news/afl/day-the-bloodstained-angels-were-born/2006/09/01/1156817102957.html

Critiquing Tools

ART VOCABULARY LIST
Negative space is the space between objects or the parts of an object, for example the area between a cup and its handle. Also the space between an object and the edges of the canvas, i.e. the space around an object.
http://painting.about.com/cs/paintingknowhow/g/negativespace.htm 

Smudge (or scumble)— There are two senses for this term. Its earlier meaning: a broken passage of opaque or translucent color (often paint) skimmed or dragged across the surface in such a way that each color is visible, each modifying the other, or, to apply a color in this way. This technique was developed by the Venetian school of painters (chief among whom was Titian, c. 1488 - 1576), who passed dry, opaque coats of oil paint over a tinted background to create subtle tones and shadows. Although this painting technique dates to the 16th century, use of the word "scumble" in order to refer to it is unknown before the late 18th century. The origins of the word "scumble" are blurry [!], but the word is thought to be related to the verb "scum," an obsolete form of "skim" (meaning "to pass lightly over"). A later sense for scumble: to smudge or smear the lines, edges, or colors in an image by rubbing lightly. This use appeared in the mid-1800s.
http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/Sc.html

Proportion is a principle of art that describes the size, location or amount of one element to another (or to the whole) in a work. It has a great deal to do with the overall hamrony of an individual piece.

http://arthistory.about.com/cs/glossaries/g/p_proportion.htm

Rhythm is a principle of art that's difficult to summarize in words. Assuming that you've picked up on a rhythm in music before, take what you heard with your ears and try to translate that to something you'd see with your eyes. Rhythm, in art, is a visual beat.
http://arthistory.about.com/cs/glossaries/g/r_rhythm.htm


Middle ground
A point of view midway between extremes: "the middle ground between news and amusement" (Roderick Anscombe).
http://www.answers.com/topic/middle-ground

courtesy of http://www.greatimpressions.co.uk/personal1.htm

ADJECTIVE LIST

Concerning Colour:

Shade - A color to which black or another dark hue has been added to make it darker, tending to make them neutral in color. For example, black added to green makes it a darker shade of green. Value changes from pure hues are called shades and tints. You can see this in the color wheel below. On the right, pure hues are marked by dots. The shades made from those hues are under them.
http://www.artlex.com/



Warm
warm colors - Colors are often described as having temperature — as warm (reds, oranges, and yellows), or cool (greens, blues, and violets). Warm colors are often associated with fire and the sun. They appear on one side of the color wheel, and opposite the cool colors. Psychologically, warm colors are said to be stimulating and passionate. Optically, warm colors generally appear to advance, coming toward the viewer.
http://www.artlex.com/


Garish
1.
a. Marked by strident color or excessive ornamentation; gaudy.
b. Loud and flashy: garish makeup. See Synonyms at gaudy1.
2. Glaring; dazzling: "Hide me from Day's garish eye" (John Milton).
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/garish

Polychrome
• adj. painted, printed, or decorated in several colors.
• n. varied coloring.
∎ a work of art in several colors, esp. a statue.
• v. [tr.] [usu. as adj.] (polychromed) execute or decorate (a work of art) in several colors.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-polychrome.html

Analogous colors are colors that are adjacent or next to one another on a color wheel. An analogous color scheme is one in which only three adjacent colors are used. The theory is that colors work well or harmonize together. Usually one of these colors is dominant, or used more than the other two, in the painting.

http://painting.about.com/od/artglossarya/g/defanalogous.htm

courtesy of http://www.roguescene.com

PRINCIPLES and ELEMENTS of DESIGN LIST

Basic ELEMENTS of Design

Line

Line can be considered in two ways. The linear marks made with a pen or brush or the edge created when two shapes meet.

Colour

Also called Hue

Texture

Texture is the surface quality of a shape - rough, smooth, soft hard glossy etc. Texture can be physical (tactile) or visual.

Shape

A shape is a self contained defined area of geometric or organic form. A positive shape in a painting automatically creates a negative shape.

Form (aka shade/value)

Value is the lightness or darkness of a colour. Value is also called Tone

http://www.johnlovett.com/test.htm

Basic PRINCIPLES of Design

Stability (better known as Balance)

Balance is one of the principles of art which describes how artists to create visual weight.
http://www.alifetimeofcolor.com/study/g_balance.html

Dynamics

a) characterized by action or forcefulness or force of personality; "a dynamic market"; "a dynamic speaker"; "the dynamic president of the firm"
b) of or relating to dynamics
c) moral force: an efficient incentive; "they hoped it would act as a spiritual dynamic on all churches"
d) active: (used of verbs (e.g. `to run') and participial adjectives (e.g. `running' in `running water')) expressing action rather than a state of being
wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

Rhythm

Rhythm is one of the principles of art. Visual rhythm makes you think of the rhythms you hear in music or dance. Artists create visual rhythm by repeating art elements and creating patterns.
http://www.alifetimeofcolor.com/study/g_rhythm.html

Scale (also known as Proportion)

Proportion is one of the principles of art which describes the size, location or amount of one thing compared to another.

http://www.alifetimeofcolor.com/study/g_proportion.html

Style Time Line

Ancient Art
4210 BC - 287 AD
Egyptians, Minoans, Mesopotamia








 
Gothic Art
12th Century AD - 15th Century AD
Giotto, Fabriano

Impressionism
19th Century AD
Monet, Renoir, Rousseau

Art Nouveau
1890 AD -1905 AD
Gustav Moreau, Max Fabiani, Alphonse

Post-Impressionism
Circa 1910 AD
Henri Rousseau, Gauguin, Seurat

Cubism
1907 AD - 1911 AD
Pablo Picasso, George Braque

Bauhaus
1919 AD - 1930 AD
Kandinsky, Albers

Surrealism
Began 1920 AD
Salvador Dali, Maxim Gorky

Minimalism
Began 1960s and 1970s
Piet Mondrian, Eva Hesse

Postmodern Art
1960s+
Cindy Sherman, David Wojnarowicz

Achilles: Greek Hero

Achilles was the greatest warrior in history. He was invincible, and quite a bit temperamental. He is the central character of Homer’s epic poem, the Illiad.

Adventures

Achilles was born as the son of Thetis (a Nymph) and Peleus (a Greek King).

There is a lot of debate over how Achilles got his immortality. Statius wrote in his Achilleid that he had his mother dunk him into the black river Styx. While her devotion was commendable, she missed a spot on his heel and for some reason didn't think to double dip. Other myths state he was coated with a fine paste of ambrosia (the god's food) and his mother began slow roasting him over a house fire. However, Achilles’ dad rocked for what he thought was a ripper barbie and took serious offence when he found what was cooking. A domestic brawl ensued (which he won), with Achilles’ mum walked out on them leaving son with an uncooked heel.

The years went past. One day a rather pretentious little Trojan called Paris went and kidnapped the hottest chick on earth, Helen (the Helen of Troy). She just happened to be the wife of King of Sparta. Bad move. King Menelaus knocked on Paris’s door asking for his wife back. With a snippy little smile, Paris slammed the door in the face of the King of Sparta. He was feeling all smug with himself until 50 Greek and Trojan ships turned up the next day with a declaration of war. But I digress… as this blog entry is not about the Trojan War but about Achilles…

A crabby old seer predicted Menelaus King of Sparta and his Greek allies would fail in their attack… unless of course the invincible Achilles went with them. Achilles’ mum had got over her pyromania and was now scared Achilles would die. So she disguised him as a girl and posted him to a court at the other end of the world. However, a legendary adventurer named Odysseus was in the court at the time, and Achilles got so distracted by the weapons Odysseus left lying about that he was discovered. Score for the Greeks… and for Achilles: no way was he staying in a boring old Greek court. Achilles joined the Greek fleet with his friend Patroclus and sailed in to Troy. What better thrill then sailing invincible into battle with your best mate?

Achilles began battle by capturing twenty three Trojan towers. All was going so well until he had a squabble over girls with Agamemnon, brother of the King of Sparta. Achilles chucked a hissy fit, stuck out his lower lip and refused to fight. The battles went downhill and the Greeks were losing. Still Achilles refused to budge… but he let his friend Patroclus borrow his armour.

Patroclus had an idea. He tricked the Trojans into thinking Achilles had returned to fight, demoralizing them. The plot went well, seeing was believing for the Trojans… until their sceptic hero Hector came up and punched ‘Achilles’ to see if the invincibility was working. Patroclus kind of died, and Hector gloatingly took the armour as a trophy.

Achilles was infuriated about losing his epic armour… oh and also about losing his friend Patroclus. He grabbed some new armour, ran out, and killed Hector. Achilles then paraded around Troy in his chariot dragging a dead Hector behind. Then one day Paris (who started all the mess in the first place) shot Achilles in the heel with an arrow. Achilles died. The Trojan War continued… and it was only through devious equine means that Troy fell…

Image courtesy of www.runningshoesguru.com

 Appearance of Hero

Achilles was still very young when he entered the Trojan war, and was apparently quite a stunner according to Greek Philosopher Plato "…indeed he was the most good-looking of all the heroes… and was still beardless, as well...” What Plato had against beards confuses me, but whatever.

Achilles wore a full set of Greek armour. It was forged in the heavens by Hephaestus the god of blacksmiths, volcanoes, and technology. The armour was gold and shone like the sun. After Achilles died the ownership of his armour came into dispute. It came down to Odysseus the legendary adventurer versus Achilles’ cousin Ajax. Odysseus won the ensuing verbal brawl by distracting Ajax with randomly placed weapons. Ajax got sulky over losing the fight and went on a butchering rampage through a field of cows, and then killed himself.

My biggest question concerning Achilles: what use is armour... if you’re invincible?



Relationships

He got on well with his father but was raised by Chiron the Centaur on top of a mountain. He didn’t remain forever estranged from his mother and still had a bit of a friendship.

While in the court his mother had sent him to he had a relationship with that king’s daughter, Deidameia. He had a son: Phyrrhus.
Patrocles was Achilles best friend. While Achilles was callous and arrogant to everyone, except to Patrocles. Patroclus’ death at the hands Hector was enough to motivate Achilles out of sulkiness and into his rampage of fury and revenge. 

“From then on the son of Thetis
urged that never in the moil of Ares
should Patroclus be stationed apart
from his own man-slaughtering spear.”
Homer – The Iliad

History

“If Achilles was anything, he was a man who believed his own press releases”
-Roger Ebert

Achilles is the central character of Homer’s epic poem, the Iliad. While it is the most famous work about Achilles, in no part of it does it mention invincibility: in fact it mentions him bleeding several times! He also doesn’t die at the end of the work; all this was attributed by later authors…

The whole notion of Achille’s heel, his seeming invincibility and then his death are recounted in the poem ‘Achilleid’. It was written by a Roman called Statius in the 1st Century AD. Today these changes to the original Illiad are accepted as part of the whole story.



Evolution of Achilles through History

The story of Achilles evolved from Homer’s Iliad, through Statius’s Achilleid and various other poems and Greek & Roman plays. While its story remains ancient at its core, Achilles has made his presence felt since.

William Shakespeare included him in his play ‘Troilus and Cressida’, here he was represented as a caricature of himself and had become completely enamoured of Patroclus. He appears in Dante Alighieri’s 14th century poem ‘Inferno’. At least nine different ships in the British Navy have borne his name. Several modern day comics and graphic novels feature him, for example ‘Captain Marvel’ has Achille’s courage and fortitude. His most recent and well known manifestation is of course in the film Troy (2004) – as portrayed by Brad Pitt in a rather irritating manner.


Symbols associated
Achilles’ most famous symbol would of course be his heel. While his invincibility was not mentioned in Homer’s original Iliad, he was given this by later Greek and roman poets as I’ve explained above. Achilles’ heel as a concept has entered culture and is now a household phrase. A company with a weakness could be said to have an ‘Achilles’ Heel.’ Other symbols would be his armour, its value and the fights over it.

However: while Achilles has evolved over history, for me the original Greek Iliad had the best view of Achilles: You don’t have to be invincible to be a hero.

-Simon Gray

Bibliography

http://www.bc-enschede.nl/wenglish/grassroots/clashofthetitans/3g/slingerland_tirion_vandenbos/thehistoryofachilles.htm

http://ancienthistory.about.com/cs/achilles/g/Achilles.htm

http://www.stanford.edu/~plomio/history.html

http://homepage.mac.com/cparada/GML/Calchas.html

http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/TheIliad.html#Iliad

http://www.pantheon.org/articles/a/agamemnon.html

http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/troilus/

http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/16305

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040514/REVIEWS/405140304/1023
Homer’s Illiad

ACHILLES

Achilles, the Greek hero:

Image taken from www.fantasygallery.net