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George Gittoes

George Gittoes is an expressionist artist who has established himself as one of the foremost Australian war artist who actually travels to war ravaged parts of the globe to create his pieces. He has travelled and painted in various military zones, including Baghdad, Afghanistan, Somalia, Pakistan and China and witnessed atrocities including genocides, massacres, famine and civil unrest. It has been said by art critic Alex Sudheim “ In his work and his life, Gittoes is simultaneously a modernist, a postmodernist, a social realist, a pop artist and an expressionist…. “. This places him as a postmodern artist who paints pieces, which are both topical and relevant in an expressionistic style. Through his pieces, he has a clear intention behind these pieces- to enthral the viewer in morbid curiosity to the brutal world they are surrounded by.

George Gittoes tries to give those who, most likely will never have the misfortune to witness the horrors of war a better understanding of what a proportion of the populace have, and continue to suffer and hopefully learn form these mistakes, as well as comment on the state of society. As well as improve societies understanding the dark side of the world around them, he has tried to better himself by witnessing such appalling acts. Despite this being a distressing and disturbing process at the time, he has found painting what he witnesses therapeutic and has managed not to bring the conflict or war home with him to his family. However, to deliver the aim of his messages, he must draw influences by directly witnessing some of the most depraved and shocking sights in human history.

The main influences behind George Gittoes pieces are the human evil he witnesses on his tours across the globe. He has seen the genocide of thousands of people first hand, yet has the willpower to dwell on these sights through sketches and pictures prior to creating a piece. He undergoes...