Anatomy of an Oil Painting: Iraqi Child

Iraqi Child - Painting by Mark Vallen

I created this small oil painting of a war wounded child in observance of the March 19th, 2005, second anniversary of the US invasion and occupation of Iraq. People all over the world have shown their opposition to the war in that country, and my painting is just one small contribution to that powerful international voice demanding peace.

Children in Iraq are like those found everywhere in the world, wide-eyed and full of wonder. They are innocent beings to be cherished, loved, and protected. But in today’s Iraq there is no childhood… only the fruits of war. I want people to view my artwork and ask themselves, ‘What if our children looked like the one in the painting?’ Perhaps then we’d work harder to put an end to war. Hopefully by March 19th, 2006, I will not be at my easel painting a work that marks the third anniversary of war and occupation in Iraq. 

Similar Posts

  • |

    “Malcolm X Speaks for Us”

    If he had not been struck down by assassins on Friday, May 19th, 1965 – Malcolm X would be celebrating his 81st birthday with us today. [ Malcolm X Speaks for Us – Linoleum cut by Elizabeth Catlett, 1969. ] In 1969 African-American painter, printmaker and sculptor, Elizabeth Catlett, paid tribute to the slain freedom fighter with her linoleum cut,…

  • A Studio is Born

    Admirers and detractors of this blog may of late be wondering about the dearth of newly posted visuals and essays from me. Fear not intrepid readers, I suffer no lack of enthusiasm for writing about the political follies and foibles of the art world. So why the lack of posts? Has the muse left Vallen? Is he stuck in the…

  • Beirut is Burning!

    On Monday July 17, 2006, Agence France Presse reported: “US Ambassador John Bolton said there was no moral equivalence between the civilian casualties from the Israeli raids in Lebanon and those killed in Israel from ‘malicious terrorist acts.’” A poem written in 1982 by Israeli playwright and poet, Chanoch Levin. ______________________________________________________ Beirut is in flames. Beirut is burning And this…

  • Goya and the Sleep of Reason

    In the late 1700s the Spanish artist Francisco de Goya y Lucientes (1746-1828) created a series of eighty etchings he titled Los Caprichos (The Caprices). An irrational thought or action can be a “caprice,” and Spanish society at the time provided Goya with myriad examples of ferocious caprices. For instance, Goya created paintings and prints that wryly scrutinized the Spanish…

  • The 4th of July cancelled in 2022?

    This essay will focus on a current poster design for a July 4, 2022 event. But first, a few words about America’s Independence Day. American revolutionaries announced the separation of the Thirteen Colonies from Great Britain when a resolution of independence was approved by the Second Continental Congress on July 2, 1776. John Adams, Founding Father and the second president…

  • Design for the Other 90 %

    There’s an old adage that goes, “First they break your legs, and then they want thanks for giving you crutches.” New York City’s, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum has mounted an exhibit that adheres to that truism. Dedicated exclusively to historic and contemporary design, Cooper-Hewitt’s exhibition, Design for the Other 90 %, is the museum’s presentation of innovative tools allegedly created…