Back in January this year I couldn't help but notice all the relentless media coverage of High Street profits that were made over the Christmas period. It was all over the TV news, and was even being reported in newspapers for weeks after that. In fact it was the main element of Christmas I found was being reported about; I can only remember one feature about the spirit of Christmas in which somebody had found someone else's Christmas shopping which they'd left on a train and made sure it was safely returned.
I know the concept of Christmas becoming a commercial event is nothing new, but Christmas means a lot to me and I found myself wanting to turn my thoughts about Christmas as it is in Britain, and mainly within our media nowadays into a piece of work as I was now fascinated by the elusive real spirit of Christmas.
I think it is important to know the roots of a tradition, especially if you are going to partake. But I do also think you don't have to be a follower of a religion to still celebrate. I did have it pointed out to me that my painting may offend Jewish or Muslim folk and that I should re-think...but aside from me not agreeing, this work isn’t about me trying to be politically correct, it is about Christmas which I unashamedly love and if you live in a Christian Country is rather hard to avoid!
So my thoughts then took me to Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'. As one of the most famous stories Dickens wrote and one of the most popular Christmas books of all time, importantly it is a secular story which triumphantly captures and invokes the spirit of Christmas.
As described on Wikipedia:
"The book was written and published in early Victorian era Britain when it was experiencing a nostalgic interest in its forgotten Christmas traditions, and at the time when new customs such as the Christmas tree and greeting cards were being introduced. Dickens' sources for the tale appear to be many and varied but are principally the humiliating experiences of his childhood, his sympathy for the poor, and various Christmas stories and fairy tales.
The tale has been viewed as an indictment of nineteenth century industrial capitalism and was adapted several times to the stage, and has been credited with restoring the holiday to one of merriment and festivity in Britain and America after a period of sobriety and sombreness. A Christmas Carol remains popular, and has never been out of print.
Dickens' Carol was one of the greatest influences in rejuvenating the old Christmas traditions of England, but, while it brings to the reader images of light, joy, warmth, and life it also brings strong and unforgettable images of darkness, despair, coldness, sadness and death."
I was so inspired by what I was reading as it seemed so relevant still today, something which is at the root of a lot of my work (in fact I could have copied and pasted loads of what I was finding out about Dickens and this story here but I won’t as that would be a) cheating and b) make this the longest blog ever). Dickens had written something timeless, a lesson which we still have not yet learnt but which must still be striking a chord with us all, there is such a need for something beyond just presents and shopping that the story is still is still re-adapted, re-enacted and re-told to adults and children everywhere today. I do want to add in here, I am not anti-Christmas presents, it’s a joy to give/exchange gifts but it has become the soul purpose for this time of year now and as a nation we seem to be fixated on shopping, spending what we don’t have out of obligation rather than for the real act of gift-giving.
The piece I have made is called 'Jesus Was Born So Shops Could Make a Profit...' and here is a sneak preview.
I wanted to set the scene in a place where a lot of money is spent, so Oxford Circus seemed like the perfect setting for this. I also wanted it to be on Christmas eve so decided to use Father Christmas for this reason as well as because he too originated in our culture as a religious figure, a saint who over time as become one of the western world’s biggest consumer icons.
The image that Father Christmas is sweeping over (and in some ways I hope cutting across) is a detail from a painting dated 1909 by Evelyn De Morgan titled 'The Worship of Mammon' mammon meaning wealth, greed and material possessions.
The sandwich board the Victorian man is wearing reads 'Jesus was born so shops could make more profit in December 2012 than December 2011'. Which I guess is the whole point of the painting, so I could just stop here….BUT for people who love long blogs here’s a bit more writing for you as a little treat.
The street is empty apart from a few lone characters which I decided to place there to each represent one of Dicken’s three ghosts but hopefully to also represent something more contemporary about society at the same time.
The Ghost of Christmas past arrived to show scrooge the necessity of him changing his ways and also to show him how he came to be who he was. I think Children are possibly one of the most important reasons we need to change our ways. It is increasingly obvious with each generation that our consumerist ways are being passed on, and with each generation there is a desensitisation that we need to combat with reinstalling a sense of humbleness to our wants and needs.
The Ghost of Christmas Present was a jolly giant who wore a holly wreath on his head and a scabbard with no sword. Dicken’s Christmas Present sprinkled warmth wherever he went and showed Scrooge scenes of deprivation in the city as well as people feasting and enjoying them-selves. The Ghost of Christmas present in my scenario is a charity collector from the Salvation Army.
The Scabbard represented ‘peace on earth and good will to all men’ which I actually decided to make the sandwich board man carry in the end as I wanted that to be part of his persona, so he wasn’t only carrying something which had negative associations.
And the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come was the most fearsome of the spirits. He scattered gloom and misery, yet even though he was the most scary he also prompted Scrooge to take a more caring attitude in life. Within the media today young people are all branded as Hoodies (Christmas Future always wore a black cloak with a hood) and are typecast into being something to fear, rather than an element of society we need have a more caring attitude towards in life, although understandably with events that do happen this is far from easy to do.
I feel after the UK riots that the evidence of the mindless vandalism was as much about a sense of entitlement and want of material goods as it was a subconscious cry for help. I don’t condone the riots at all, but the hooded top became an emblem of something or someone to be feared when really the terrifying looting we saw on our streets and TV screens is happening throughout all levels of society in more subtle ways, and so needs for us to not blame but change our ways too.
The reason I included all three ghosts within one scene was because all are important with regards to what they represent, but also at the end of A Christmas Carol Scrooge says "I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all year. I will live in the past, the present and the future".
Finally to the left of the painting is a drunk man dressed as Father Christmas who I placed there as a nod to the mass consumption (which I am very much part of I hasten but don’t like to admit) that happens during the Christmas period.
And I think I won’t say too much more now (getting a little bit long anyway) as I think room for personal interpretation is also very important.
Thank you for reading! x
