George Butler is a reportage illustrator, who has drawn in Afghanistan and Syria, as well as around the world. His work has been featured in many places including The Times and The Guardian, on topics such as the ongoing war and it’s effects on the people who live there.
Among the street and market views, he has visited hospitals and documented the loss of families, loss of limbs, loss of belonging.
He went to the south of Turkey and traveled into the Syrian boarder with a charity, Syrian Relief after being kicked out of his flat in London to make way for the London Olympics. In this video, he talks through some of his images and the stories behind them, often involving tragic loss . He feels that we may have become immune to the terrible photos of the war crisis because of the partition of a screen between us in forms of TV and computer, and hopes that through his drawing he can continue the powerful message and broadcast the truth. He’s helped raise thousands of pounds towards Syria by auctioning off some of his paintings, as well as spreading what is happening behind the scenes.
http://edition.cnn.com/videos/world/2013/05/06/natpkg-syria-artist-george-butler.cnn
He finds that describing the people and their opinions as well, just as important.
“You’re looking to report things, like a photojournalist, things that you think are interesting, or people misunderstand or don’t know much about, and describe them as accurately, with as much feeling and experiences as you can” - 1.
He believes in reporting the world around him in drawing as he finds it so much more than a photograph - when viewing and when making it. He spends anything from 20 minutes to 2 hours, taking in and observing the scenery, marking where people move and showing the vital information. Sometimes large crowds gather around him, he believes that this is because drawing is not intrusive to an extent, and trusting.
He works in sketchbooks as well as on large paper, with bull clips and board. He draws with an ink, pen and watercolours.
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| Whilst in the middle east, he says he felt accepted by most locals, and because calligraphy is part of their culture, his ink and pen drawings weren’t too far removed. They used similar equipment. |
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| Working in Afghanistan. |
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"6th August 2012
This is Ismail, (in Azaz, Syria) a goat herder, wandering along and watering his goats at a nearby tap. In bizarre contrast to the line of shops leading the opposite direction - rearranged, permanently by the tank’s cannons, occasionally a shop keeper will begin a bit of tidying up, a daunting task when the entire row needs rebuilding. “ - http://www.georgebutler.org/explore/syria/goats
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| His work in editorial. Sketches of Morroco. |
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https://vimeo.com/65817392
In this video his states a few of his influences, people like Gerald Scarfe, Linda Kitson, Ronald Serle, Paul Hogarth. I will look into these people as well, as they use similar ink and pen with a loose style.
I admire George Butler’s passion behind what he does, and he is always moving onto the next issue that needs a voice.
