Animal Cruelty Concentration 2020

This concentration focuses on animal abuse, showcasing children as subjects for role reversal in common abusive situations to evoke connection and empathy in the viewer.

Process Images

Artist Statement

My concentration focuses on various examples of animal abuse, using children as subjects for role reversal. My work depicts children placed in common abusive situations to evoke connection and empathy in the viewer. I worked mainly digitally, with some sketching and planning in a sketchbook.

When planning this concentration, I researched the different ways that animals are abused and neglected commonly. I was surprised at how few regulations and initiatives existed to help with the issue, and wondered why these gruesome situations are so often overlooked. I believe that animal abuse is a topic that isn't often addressed because it can be difficult to form connections with beings that aren't human. This thought inspired me to depict children in these same situations, to appeal to the empathetic side of the viewer and reap strong feelings that may be otherwise absent.

To represent the scenarios I chose, I used digital brushes to create an impressionistic portrayal of the abusive situations. I intentionally used rougher lines to create a more anxious atmosphere, and add movement to the relatively stagnant positions of the children. I used tighter line work to attract attention to the faces, as the expressions are the most striking piece of the picture and evoke the most emotion in the viewer.

Finally, I used specific colors and color placement to add more meaning and compositional queues to the pieces. I used warmer colors when drawing the child, and placed them against neutral and cooler tones in the setting. When depicting death, as seen in the piece Hunted, I created a strong contrast between the cool tones of the woman's body and the warm tones of the boy who was still alive.

In this concentration, I aim to create awareness, and force the viewer to think about situations that are normalized and overlooked. Through using disturbing and uncomfortable imagery of children, I hope to create empathy and connection between the viewer and the artwork.


All Artwork Owned and Created by Olivia Price.
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