Art Analysis

Banksy’s art seeks to demonstrate the amount of human rights breaches in various nations and how cruelly innocent children are routinely inspected by armed forces (Pallarès Olivé, 2019). Banksy mocks the absurdity of any child who faces discrimination and distrust by switching between the roles of a girl and a soldier. There are two figures in this piece of art: a soldier in full uniform with his hands raised and against the wall. Graffiti has covered the wall against which the soldier has his hands. The most noticeable statement is “Free Palestine,” which is sprayed in crimson. The wall appears to be damaged and unclean, as does the ground in front of it, which appears to be a shorter wall of rubbish with gray orange splotches. On the other hand, there is a little girl behind the soldier wearing a simple pink dress and is frisking the soldier. A broken rifle is shown behind the girl. There are also two garbage bags with blue tape on the ground. A notice post with a dirty green road sign directing you to Jerusalem is also shown in the art (Pallarès Olivé, 2019).

Banksy produces a girl and a soldier in his artwork by using multi-layered stencils, spray paints, and combining them with other media such as a child, soldier, and a firearm. The usage of a child represents the people’s fragility and innocence. The girl’s braided hair represents young purity, and her pink clothing contrasts with the soldier’s forest green uniform. The color jungle green represents the strength that warriors wield. Furthermore, Banksy’s use of two distinct hues is meant to elicit various emotions from the spectator. The rifle next to the small child symbolizes violence and aggressiveness (Pallarès Olivé, 2019).

Banks use various visual aspects to convey meaning to the viewer, including color schemes, irony, space, and symbols. Banksy employs a distinct hue to convey a certain message to the viewer. For example, the artist employs a jungle green hue for the soldier, which represents strength, and pink for the girl, representing innocence and purity. The two colors elicit distinct sentiments in the audience since they reflect different themes in the artwork. The fading color palette represents the loss of influence and domination. Banksy’s use of visual irony is one of his most prominent aspects. The irony in this piece is that the girl is shown frisking the soldier, implying that Banksy was mocking the distrust that innocent people were subjected to. His concept may have to illustrate the type of torture the girl is subjected to and the girl’s limited freedom. The concept of the girl seeking the soldier also represents a loss of authority or influence. Moriente (2017)

Banks’ work was generally successful and effective in conveying human rights breaches in many nations. He has effectively expressed his thoughts on war, yet he intended this artwork to be self-interpreted through his use of stencils and spray paints. He emphasized the conflict’s irony by altering the character’s demeanor and demonstrating the concepts of vengeance and restricted freedom. He centered the child on symbolizing the Palestinian populace, yet her actions were those of the Israelis. The artwork depicted Palestinian living while simultaneously depicting the Israelis’ excessive security (Papa, 2018)

Works cited

Moriente, David. “De Vándalo A Artista: Banksy / From Vandal To Artist: Banksy”. Anuario Del Departamento De Historia Y Teoría Del Arte, vol 27, no. 2015, 2017. Servicio De Publicaciones De La Universidad Autonoma De Madrid, doi:10.15366/anuario2015.002.

Pallarès Olivé, J. (2019). Musealizar el Arte Urbano. Preguntas, relatos y complejos tras Street Art-Banksy&Co. Ge-Conservacion, 16, 215-225. doi: 10.37558/gec.v16i0.710

Papa, Koestler. 2018, Accessed 27 Sept 2021.