The war photos as reality field of Leon Golub paintings

ABSTRACT THE WAR PHOTOS AS REALITY FIELD OF LEON GOLUB PAINTINGS İbrahim YILDIZ Master Thesis, Department of Fine Arts Adviser: Prof. Suat KARAASLAN June 2013, 100 pages In this study, the American artist Leon Golub?s art life, the wars during the artist?s lifetime, the art in that period, the relationship between the artist's paintings and the photographs that he used while painting are analyzed. Since The Crimean War, ?visual war documentation? has been imprinted on the memory of humanity. The American Civil War which followed The Crimean War, The First and Second World War, the destruction that France did in Algeria and also that America did in Vietnam have reached today through the lens of the cameras. Certainly, as all of these documents were viewed, they have not only been a retroactive source, but also they have formed a kind of memory in society. Although, from time to time, this type of memory has been exposed to break downs caused by manipulations, it has played a significant role in defining ?war phenomenon? in social perception. It has been easier to reach the visual documentation of wars due to the proliferation of visual media and communication instruments. Along with The Vietnam War, the publication of images and photographs of war on televisions, in magazines and newspapers has resulted in reactions in the society and has increased the number of people who are against war. In some historical periods, these reactions have been often uttered by people on streets and artists in their anti-militarist manifestos of their works. When an artist refers to a photograph for his or her painting, in fact, he or she refers to a source or documentation. Indeed, like many artists who have benefited from photographs while painting, Leon Golub is a painter who has also benefited from photographs in his paintings as a source. Visual documents about the war have interested Golub in his artistic production process. Keywords: War, Art, Photograph, Painting