Author Topic: Modern Art as Camouflage? (Read 6460 times)

Inso · « **on:** March 25, 2012, 10:15:10 PM »

After a conversation over at a different forum (the FoD), it was suggested that a camouflage scheme I had painted was similar to something the modern artist Mondrian might paint (if he was going to paint urban camouflage on a war-walker

). This got me thinking about whether a Mondrian design could act as a form of dazzle camouflage...and I started painting. Here is the WIP base-coat:

Here is a link to Mondrian:

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

Obviously, I have taken it to the extreme BUT there would appear to be merits in the design, with a change of colours...

...it is just food for thought...

...Dazzle Camo or with different colours or smaller/larger geometric shapes maybe desert/canyon?

Cherno · « **Reply #1 on:** March 25, 2012, 10:21:16 PM »

I guess it would have the advantage if the enxt big war is fought in the youth furniture department of the local IKEA store

Or if IKEA had a corporate army

Sangennaru · « **Reply #2 on:** March 25, 2012, 10:23:24 PM »

ahha, the idea is nice, but you need to add some weathering and shadows! after that, it would be great to have a Mondrian army!

dijit · « **Reply #3 on:** March 25, 2012, 10:34:27 PM »

Well, err, thats different. As you said it could have the potential to be an interesting paint scheme though.
Duncan

CptJake · « **Reply #4 on:** March 25, 2012, 10:54:38 PM »

Well executed, but not at all to my taste.

Jake

Digitarii · « **Reply #5 on:** March 25, 2012, 11:45:55 PM »

My God...In the darkness of the far future there will only be...The Partridge Family.

oxiana · « **Reply #6 on:** March 26, 2012, 12:06:45 AM »

Try this recent exhibition on camouflage at the Imperial War Museum...

http://archive.iwm.org.uk/upload/package/78/site/exhibition.htm

Cherno · « **Reply #7 on:** March 26, 2012, 12:21:10 AM »

I'd like to see a burberry-camouflaged "Chav-Tank" next.

Edit: Crap, too late.

Jase · « **Reply #8 on:** March 26, 2012, 07:09:10 AM »

Neat! I live a few blocks away from the national Mondriaan museum, so compared to the original Mondriaan paintings you've done an excellent reproduction

carlos marighela · « **Reply #9 on:** March 26, 2012, 08:15:37 AM »

I'm looking forward to military encampments camouflaged as Tracy Emin's unmade bed or soldiers disguised as half a shark in formeldehyde, a la Damien Hirst.

Very nice work with the Mondrian scheme. Sorry to say you aren't quite the first. Early war Polish armour camo suggests the influence of Mark Rothko and there's more than one set of camouflage uniforms that looks like Jackson Pollock vomited on them.

Steve F · « **Reply #10 on:** March 26, 2012, 09:22:47 AM »

I do recall reading of a French officer referring to the camouflage patterns he painted on canvas for WW1 gun emplacements as "his Kandinskys".

Centaur_Seducer · « **Reply #11 on:** March 26, 2012, 10:16:32 AM »

Quote from: Steve F on March 26, 2012, 09:22:47 AM

I do recall reading of a French officer referring to the camouflage patterns he painted on canvas for WW1 gun emplacements as "his Kandinskys".

Actually, he isn't far off. I need to find the book that states it, but apperently the french use of camouflage came from an post-modernist enlisted artillery officer (who got promoted and became head of concelement). Same thing with the German troopers and the British Dazzle.
So your not far off, Inso

Inso · « **Reply #12 on:** March 26, 2012, 12:33:01 PM »

Cheers for all the replies

.

One of the reasons I painted this was as an expression of "ART".

I believe that no one can really say that they know what an artistic piece is really "saying"... not even the artist usually. So art is there for people to have opinions about...and to share their opinions.

In the right setting (a LEGO world, for instance), this tank could be perfectly camouflaged. In a standard desert environment, it could be so monumentally out of place, that people may not choose to believe it is there. Others may be distracted by the array of colours or be drawn in by its design...ie. could be affected by the dazzle pattern.

People have made reference to various artists in this thread and that will have made people Google them to find out why they have been referred to. It happened to me when the name of Mondrian was name-dropped and I didn't know who he was. When I saw his work, I immediately understood the reference and thought that the only thing separating his work from ACTUAL urban camouflage was the bold, primary colours. However, if you look at some of his other work: