Artists have always been at the forefront of addressing social issues, by depicting them in their works, they attempt to draw the attention of the public to the topics which are often avoided by politicians. The problem of poverty affects many societies worldwide, and to this date has not been eliminated. This theme has been covered by many artists who lived in different periods, one of them is Banksy, who is famous for his murals. In his work Slave Labour, he depicted an impoverished boy with a sewing machine making British flags. The same problem was raised by Thomas Kennington in his painting The Pinch of Poverty, which shows a young girl and her family selling flowers. Despite living in different epochs and using different techniques, both of them were similarly motivated to highlight the problem of the poor in society by employing the same image of child labor.
Banksy is one of the most renowned artists of the 21st century whose works always reflect the plights of society and manage to produce an impact on the viewers. As it was mentioned earlier, the work illustrates a child in shabby clothes who is concentrated on his task of sewing Union Jack banners. The significance of this mural can be explained by two factors, the first one is the artist himself, who earned the status of a respected social commentator who openly discusses taboo topics. The second factor is the particular situation this work was created to address, namely, the production of London Olympics memorabilia in sweatshops (Jones). Thus, Banksy’s goal behind the mural was to show to those people who live in Western countries that the comfortable environment they live in is largely dependent on the poor of the developing world. According to the statistics, seven of every ten people on the planet live on ten dollars or less a day (Kochhar). This situation directly influenced the work of Banksy, who was motivated to demonstrate to his fellow Britons the social conditions endured by poverty-stricken people.
Similarly, the theme of poverty was also explored by Kennington, who, nevertheless, lived more than one century before Banksy and had a slightly different perspective on the topic. In his painting, he depicted a woman with three of her children sitting in the street and trying to sell flowers. This was a common situation for the late Victorian Era, which was characterized by a significant gap between the wealthy and the poor who lived in slums (Darby). This inspired Kennington to create a series of paintings dedicated to this problem, and The Pinch of Poverty was one of them (The Foundling Museum). The goal of the artist was to show the public that there was a significant issue with the people who did not have much and had to make their children work. The art pieces of Kennington and Banksy share the same theme and goal, yet their perspectives are strongly influenced by their particular historical periods. The Victorian artist shows the poor in his own country while the modern one depicts those from foreign nations, which is explained by the developments that took place over the century.
Another similarity between the two works is the use of the symbol of a working child, which is employed to have a greater effect on the viewer’s emotions. Children are usually associated with purity and virtue, the qualities which come into conflict with the circumstances depicted in the pictures. It allows the artists to impact the feelings of their audience and make them think about the problem of poverty. There are other important symbols that the authors use to convey additional meanings and highlight certain ideas that they would like the viewers to think about. In the mural, the boy is sewing small replicas of the Union Jack, which can be interpreted as a critique of Britain as a country that takes advantage of the vulnerable. While another crucial symbol in the painting by Kennington is the flowers, which reflect the girl’s innocence and add brightness to the otherwise grim scene. It is worth noting that the artists used different techniques, which also can be explained by the historical periods they lived during, to modern viewers, murals seem more thought-provoking and exciting than oil paintings.
Thomas Kennington and Banksy lived in different epochs, but they both were keen on demonstrating social plights through art, and the problem of poverty was one of them. In their works, both artists wanted to recognize the issue of poor people, but they did it using different perspectives, which were shaped by their historical periods. Banksy aimed at making people realize that their lifestyles largely depend on the cheap labor from the developing countries, while Kennington attempted to draw the public attention to their fellow citizens’ troubles. The artists used the symbol of a child at work and in difficult life circumstances to further highlight the theme they chose to address. Thus, the theme of poverty in art, as evidenced by the works of Kennington and Banksy, has remained topical for a long time.
Works Cited
Banksy. Slave Labour. 2012. Flickr, Web.
Darby, Nell. “Desolation Row: Victorian Britain’s Sensational Slums.” History Today, 2017, Web.
Jones, Damian. “Banksy’s ‘Slave Labour’ Mural Sells for £561,000 to Artist Who Plans to Paint Over It.” NME, 2018, Web.
Kennington, Thomas. The Pinch of Poverty. 1891. The Foundling Museum, London. Look at Paintings, Web.
Kochhar, Rakesh. “Seven-in-Ten People Globally Live on $10 or Less Per Day.” Pew Research Center, 2015, Web.
The Foundling Museum. “The Pinch of Poverty Returns.” The Foundling Museum, 2015. Web.