War Themes in "Emotional Breakdown"

"Emotional Breakdown" stands as one of Garcia's most cherished artworks. The piece captures a war-related narrative within an abstract frame. The first image shows a group of grim-faced officials grouped around a young soldier. In the next slide, the young soldier appears overwhelmed by grief and he internalizes the news he had just received. Finally, the last image shows the soldier's outpouring of emotion, leaving the viewer to assume he has received terrible news. One may infer that the news may have been about the death of a family member or loved one.  Moreover, since this image is the largest of the three, we are encouraged to focus on this area as the key part of the narrative. Here, Garcia shows us the powerful potential of story creation in art.

The style of the photos offer an outdated vintage feel. The faded monochromatic quality of the image and blurry lines gives the scene a historic integrity. The image also reveals  a high level of contrast through the stark black and whites, which reinforce the bleak condition of the scene.  The viewers ultimately sense feelings of misery and powerlessness.

The colors surrounding the images strongly evoke the solemn nature of the scene. Garcia uses muddy greens and grayish blues, which firmly convey the grime and darkness associated with war. There are also splotches of rusty reds, which add a feeling of age and dilapidation to the piece.  Furthermore, Garcia uses rigid textures through the lines that are engraved in the border's surface. This jagged grooves create a sense of roughness or feeling trapped in the trenches of sorrow. Through this seasoned use of color and texture, Garcia exhibits his mastery over the manipulation of his media.

                                                 VIEW MY GALLERY HERE

TO PURCHASE ALFREDO GARCIA'S ART WORK VISIT:  http://www.abstract.gallery/