Lead Adventure Forum

Miniatures Adventure => Future Wars => Topic started by: Inso on 25 March 2012, 10:15:10 PM

Title: Modern Art as Camouflage?
Post by: Inso on 25 March 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:

(http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d161/Inso/Grymn/Mond1.jpg)

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?
Title: Re: Modern Art as Camouflage?
Post by: Cherno on 25 March 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 :)
Title: Re: Modern Art as Camouflage?
Post by: Sangennaru on 25 March 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!
Title: Re: Modern Art as Camouflage?
Post by: dijit on 25 March 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
Title: Re: Modern Art as Camouflage?
Post by: CptJake on 25 March 2012, 10:54:38 PM
Well executed, but not at all to my taste.

Jake

Title: Re: Modern Art as Camouflage?
Post by: Digitarii on 25 March 2012, 11:45:55 PM
My God...In the darkness of the far future there will only be...The Partridge Family.  lol
Title: Re: Modern Art as Camouflage?
Post by: oxiana on 26 March 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

 :)
Title: Re: Modern Art as Camouflage?
Post by: Cherno on 26 March 2012, 12:21:10 AM
I'd like to see a burberry-camouflaged "Chav-Tank" next.

Edit: Crap, too late.

(http://blog.scotweb.co.uk/storage/chav.jpg)

(https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRYdKbmEaF8--ZE33ggQFqF7MxXY_lYBBJpFxhmx7saqKY2ZjFl)
Title: Re: Modern Art as Camouflage?
Post by: Jase on 26 March 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 :)
Title: Re: Modern Art as Camouflage?
Post by: carlos marighela on 26 March 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.
Title: Re: Modern Art as Camouflage?
Post by: Steve F on 26 March 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".
Title: Re: Modern Art as Camouflage?
Post by: Centaur_Seducer on 26 March 2012, 10:16:32 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 :)
Title: Re: Modern Art as Camouflage?
Post by: Inso on 26 March 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:

(http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lhkyl14Vcc1qelw25o1_400.jpg)

Arctic woodland camouflage?

(http://ardor.net/artlia/content/m/mondrian/mondrian_ocean5.jpg)

Something for Afghanistan?

Title: Re: Modern Art as Camouflage?
Post by: Barks on 26 March 2012, 07:45:13 PM
Reminds me of the Berlin urban Chieftains:

(http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=69255&stc=1&d=1235833348)

I like a bit of dazzle camo, I'd like to see where you go with this.
Title: Re: Modern Art as Camouflage?
Post by: Zaheer on 26 March 2012, 09:51:42 PM
Ceci n'est pas une tank?
Title: Re: Modern Art as Camouflage?
Post by: YIU on 27 March 2012, 12:12:48 AM
...and it works with cows too

(http://cdn-ellepassions.ladmedia.fr/var/plain_site/storage/images/boutique/catalogue/deco/objets-deco/vache-mondrian-recrea/16926390-4-fre-FR/Vache-MONDRIAN_ezshop_fiche_produit.jpg)
Title: Re: Modern Art as Camouflage?
Post by: CptJake on 27 March 2012, 02:10:20 AM
Actually that is not a cow.  It is a main battle tank.

I guess the camoooflage works after all. 

 lol
Title: Re: Modern Art as Camouflage?
Post by: carlos marighela on 27 March 2012, 09:59:59 AM
Actually that is not a cow.  It is a main battle tank.

I guess the camoooflage works after all.  

 lol

I love the smoke dischargers, although I question whether their positioning is optimal.
Title: Re: Modern Art as Camouflage?
Post by: Drachenklinge on 27 March 2012, 10:46:05 AM
there are some tests with infantry camouflage, too!  lol

best wishes
Drachenklinge



Title: Re: Modern Art as Camouflage?
Post by: rob_the_robgoblin on 27 March 2012, 04:59:21 PM
I wonder what a Kurt Scwitters tank would look like...

Interesting idea though.
Title: Re: Modern Art as Camouflage?
Post by: Inso on 27 March 2012, 07:49:31 PM
I wonder what a Kurt Scwitters tank would look like...

I knew this would happen... :D
Title: Re: Modern Art as Camouflage?
Post by: Parriah on 27 March 2012, 09:07:58 PM
My God...In the darkness of the far future there will only be...The Partridge Family.  lol

"...Come on get HAP-PY!"
Title: Re: Modern Art as Camouflage?
Post by: pierrebi on 28 March 2012, 09:45:40 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UVNT4wvIGY (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UVNT4wvIGY)