It is an understatement to say that over the course of human history, an unprecedented amount of art pieces have been fabricated along with the incline of human society. Yet many belittle the impact art has to society as well as the intentional creative liberty taken by artists to convey a message capable of changing society.
For many artists around the world, a main component for an artist’s drive to even start a piece, is for the sole reason of trying to express an opinion or message to the world. This has been done through various methods and techniques of art, although painting has been the main approach for artists throughout human history. During the 1930’s, Pablo Picasso decided to paint a piece, utilizing oil based paint, depicting an abstract portrayal of suffering among animals as well as people.The main message behind this piece that Picasso was trying to convey, was to shine the limelight to the public about the horrors done to innocent bystanders within a conflict of war. Eventually the piece was able to reach the eyes of people worldwide, therefore completing what it was originally meant for, and in response the public’s perspective of war had begun to shift to that of human cost. Keep in mind that this piece was created during a time when increasing tensions of another possible world war within Europe was rising as well as a response to the air bombings done to Spain during the Spanish Civil War. In the current age, this piece is now an icon of anti-war concepts for movements around the globe.
In recent years one of my favorite forms of consuming art is through the medium of comic books and manga. Over the last two decades, the anime genre has been gaining traction within the western hemisphere of the globe. Series such as Dragon Ball, Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, or any single film from Studio Ghibli have made their mark in society as well as pop culture, though one series that has stood out in recent years is One Piece. Since its publication in 1997, One Piece’s artistic style has definitely been more distinct compared to other manga series of the time, with dynamic and expressive illustrations, as well as the author’s choice of creating over the top character designs. These character designs are intentionally made to look unappealing, so that readers could focus on the emphasis of their personality, morals, in addition to their convictions, therefore resulting in these characters appearing more realistic and relatable.
To some it may serve as childish or immature, but in reality the author’s choice in art style is overall vital to the narrative’s message of freedom, individuality, not to mention the idea of challenging against an oppressive system. The intentional surrealism rooted inside of One Piece’s art, creates a flexible method for the author to illustrate freedom like no other. The art and message of One Piece has had a major impact in societies around different countries, to the point that people in Indonesia began hosting the Jolly Roger of the protagonist’s crew as a symbol of liberation against the oppressive ruling of the Indonesian government in recent times.
