Gittoes has acquired the title “war artist or war hero” of following nearly 30 years in the field, focusing his gaze on human victims of conflict and the “desperate determination” of individuals. Gittoes has a strong ability to encapsulate the complex emotions present in the cry for mercy in the midst of tormenting circumstances. He shows the world what the media does not want us to see; the pain and agony that people suffer in third world countries, while also travelling and painting the stories of places that have been greatly affected by tragedy. His confronting images, including dead bodies, diseased children, blindness and amputation take a different perspective to the media. Regular bombardment of disturbing images in the media has caused many people to feel “desensitised” to violence. It is harder, however, to become comfortable or familiar with Gittoes’ images, as his art appeals to human emotion and ideas of justice, rather than political theories.. With every bold confronting brush stroke one can tell a story from his artworks. They detain every ounce of human emotion than the picture itself as a whole. His paintings can be defined as explicit and raw as he paints the utmost truth It has become a hobby of mine researching the meaning behind every one of his artworks.
I first came across George Gittoes, former painter, drawer, photographer and film maker when I was studying art in my last year of schooling. I was intrigued with his artworks, immediately with the first glimpse I had a hunger for knowledge; with the confronting and harrowing images he produces. He gave me a source of knowledge in a way I could not get from anybody else. His paintings have been stored in my photographic memory with apocalyptic meanings from events that happen on a daily basis. Though his paintings are cold hard raw, they unravel the blind folds each and every one of us has on our perception of life and what we take for granted.
