Object lesson: Lego man with a torch.

 As a one of my first creative projects I chose to work with a little Lego figure of a man with a torch. I chose Lego figure for a simple reason - it's legs and arms can be moved and posed in different ways. I was thinking of a ways I can use the figure to create something new. 

 

The figure reminds me of a of wizard. His face features are similar to the wizard from the children's movie, I have watched over Christmas holiday (it's a Disney movie called "Wish"). When I think of wizard it brings a Tolkien's trilogy to my mind and one of main characters - Gandalf The Grey, who after the transformation became Gandalf the White. Merlin is another wizard character, while looking for an inspirational image I have found below artwork and it drew my attention due to beautiful colours, dragons and a castle in a first plan. 

            

             Merlin - picture source                                                       Gandalf - picture source

Gandalf and Merlin are very powerful wizards. Character of wizard in a literature can be god-like as well as demonic, very powerful, strong, not possible to win with. They are all-knowing, seers, oracles, prophets, saviours and fighters.

Gandalf was described by J. R. R. Tolkien, (1937, p. 8) as 'an old man with a staff. He had a tall pointed blue hat, a long grey cloak, a silver scarf over which a white beard hung down below his waist, and immense black boots.'

As I never really got o know the story of Merlin, I have started my research and found a very interesting legends about Merlin, how he was created by demons to be an antichrist, while in the same legends he plays the positive role. I find the dual nature of Merlin very intriguing.

Conception of Merlin - image source

I wanted to try a technique I have never used before and decided to do the collage. This technique seemed to be difficult to me. My first try was very literate with no meaning behind it. Wizard looked like Gandalf the Grey or Dumbledore from Harry Potter movies. 

At that point I looked in to a book "The age of collage. Contemporary collage in modern art" for more inspiration and got drawn to Edoardo de Falchi. According to de Falchi (2013, p 125) 'Collage techniques are a shortcut to image-processing... It could be a way to restore the truth, to erase a too-simple visual appearance, to emphasize a contrast, to create a reality out of its opposite. Or, just like a readymade work, a collage can be a gesture, simple as a conceptual switch of the context.'

Having that in mind for my final work I have decided to focus on duality of Merlin's nature. I have created another collage, for which I bought fashion magazine, the sun and a tv program paper. I also used some patterned craft paper. 

My vision of Merlin is different to traditional images. His face has man's and woman's features. He has a body of a woman. Merlin is surrounded by magic and spells. Under Merlin's hands we can see elements of nature. He is in control of time and universe. In this collage I wanted to focus on a dual nature of Merlin and on his infinite power. Below you can see my final work.

References:

Conception of Merlin in Lancelot en prose (c. 1494) Available at: https://www.medievalists.net/2020/10/merlin-demons/ (accessed: 09/01/2024)

Dennis H. Busch (2013) The age of collage. Contemporary collage in modern art. 1st edition. Die Gestalten Verlag 

Tolkien, J. R. R. (2011) The Hobbit. An unexpected party. 1st edition. Harper Collins.