The view of commercial artists on WT art ...

compound complex

From:

AIR STREAM GRAPHIC DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION
[pm me for phone number]

[extracts from letter of 10 July 1990, addressed "To Whom It May Concern:"]

"Because of my extensive professional experience, Darek Barefoot recently asked me to review a number of illustrations [in WT, AWAKE!, REVELATION CLIMAX and LIVE FOREVER].

"It is my professional opinion that secondary images have been deliberately incorporated into many of the illustrations I have examined. The secondary images I have seen vary from symbolic shapes and letters of the alphabet to representations of faces and skulls, and deformities of certain extremities. These appear with enough consistency that in my opinion they are deliberate, not coincidental.

"As a professional illustrator and painter, I am very aware of the amount of time and concentration that goes into a painting or an illustration. Any artist doing a piece is acutely aware of every line and brush stroke. It is therefore exremely difficult for me to believe that many of these images, objects, and shapes were not purposefully embedded into these illustrations in question."

James Waggaman

More to follow ...

summer

Amazing!

My study conductor and I watched a one-hour movie on the Watchtower a couple of weeks ago. I could hardy believe how this organisation functions. Anyway...

Most of you on this forum probably already know how they proceed to produce those illustrations. It sure came as a great surprise to me. They go at lenghts to dress people in costumes, place them is position, then the artists paint the illustrations with great details. Absolutely nothing seems to be left to hasard. Then, it is inspected and re-inspected as nauseam...

"As a professional illustrator and painter, I am very aware of the amount of time and concentration that goes into a painting or an illustration. Any artist doing a piece is acutely aware of every line and brush stroke. It is therefore exremely difficult for me to believe that many of these images, objects, and shapes were not purposefully embedded into these illustrations in question."

I believe!!!

compound complex

Thank you, *summer*, for your comments. Please see below extracts from a letter originally written for elders and WT officials. It was written by Michael Graves, who studied commercial illustration, graphic arts and photograghy at Bakersfield College. His professional work includes medical photography, photomicrography, illustration and commercial photography.

The letter is addressed "To whom it may concern," 21 February 1992:

[...]

"At first glance the illustrations [Watch Tower 'commercial art images depicting religious scenes'] I examined appeared quite normal, but after closer examination, it became apparent that there are many images and symbols integrated into the scenes. Upon further investigation of the illustrations, I noticed a consistent motif and repeatability of these same symbols in every illustration I studied. Some of the symbols and images are so obvious they interrupt the normal flow of lines, shape, and form of the artwork. It is quite apparent the illustrators would use highlights and shadows in the scenes to conceal the symbols in such a manner that they are not clearly distinguishable. However, armed with the knowledge that the symbols may be present, it becomes quite easy to distinguish and isolate these images from the given illustration.

"In conclusion, it is my professional opinion that these figures are present in the illustrations, not by coincidence, but by clear conscious efforts by the originators of the artwork."

Sincerely,

[signature]

Michael Graves

pseattle

Is there any chance we could see JPEGs of some of the artwork he examined?

compound complex

Greetings and welcome to the forum, pseattle:

Thank you for your inquiry. I will be putting up more information soon on the difficulties
Derek Barefoot encountered not having the original artwork at his disposal. He did receive
help from at least one of the aforementioned commercial artists.

CoCo

compound complex

Dear Friends,

Kindly refer to the following link regarding the work of Octavio Ocampo, whose metaphoric
style employs the use of figurative and realistic detail in combination:

www.visionsfineart.com/ocampo/aa_index.html

What do you see?

CoCo

compound complex

The view and subsequent action of the Society toward an individual who contradicts their statement
that subliminal images do NOT exist in Watch Tower publications:

"The basis of the disfellowshipping action, as explained to me, was that I had asserted both to the
brothers in the committee, to my brother and sister-in-law, and to an editor of Time magazine that
secondary or 'subliminal' images existed in several illustrations appearing in Watchtower Society
publications and upon careful examination it could be seen that these images, including various
symbols, were occultic in nature. The committee had pointed out that the Watchtower magazine
had carried an article in 1984 in which a statement was made that these images did not exist.
The committee also said they had telephoned a representative of the Society who told them that
the statement in the magazine was their latest word on the subject.

"The committee then claimed that by saying that these secondary images did indeed exist, I had
rejected the spiritual and congregational authority of the Watchtower Society and its Governing
Body. I was therefore, they claimed, guilty of apostasy in the Biblical sense of the word. My wife,
though she had no part in divulging information about the pictures and opposed my doing so, said
that she conscientiously could not state that these secondary images did not exist since she
could clearly see several of them. She also stated that, though she thought my course in attempting
to bear witness concerning these pictures was unwise, she honestly could not see that it constituted
apostasy. For this, she was also charged with rejecting congregational authority and also found
guilty of apostasy."

The above is an extract from Darek Barefoot's letter of appeal to the BOE of the Monument Valley
Congregation in Colorado. The letter is dated 19 June 1990.

purplesofa

interesting thread

seven006

This is about the tenth time this subject has come up on this board. Here is a cut and paste of something I wrote a couple of years ago on this forum regarding this issue.

The definition of "subliminal art" has several assumed definitions. The concept of subliminal stimuli also assumed to include:

-Images of carefully contrived social situations and suggestive body language
-Blatant or artistically concealed symbols suggestive of powerful instinctual drives
-Faint or briefly flashed words or images
-Acoustically masked or backward messages in music
-Metaphor and other "hypnotic" language patterns

Of these various kinds of "subliminal" influence, psychologists usually refer only to the briefly flashed words or images, and sometimes the acoustic masking, when they talk about marginal or subliminal perception. Those are the stimuli used in the subliminal priming experiments that produce temporary, weak psychological effects.

This form of so called hidden psychological influence which I commonly refer to as plain old "bullshit" was brought to light and over reaction by those who buy into one well publicized urban legion.

This was the famous "buy popcorn drink coke" experiment done by the now debunked marketing research consultant James Vicary. In the 50's Mr. Vicary claimed he slipped still images into a movie and those images persuaded people to flow to the snack bar and buy popcorn and coke during the intermission of the movie. He claimed the Coke sales went up 18% and the popcorn sales went up over 57%. It, like your hidden imaging in watchtower publications is bullshit.

Mr. Vicary's experiment was a scam developed by him in an attempt to try and sell his marketing research consulting concepts to eager and gullible advertising clients. When he was asked to prove his findings and show is actual figures obtained by his focus group he was forced to admit he made them up. The only real reactions he got from his little scam was to force countries to ban any kind of subliminal advertising in visual media. What is still being considered as a form of "subliminal stimuli" or "subliminal persuasion" now is in fact being called "Hypnotic writing" that is a complete different subject so I will leave it at that.

I have been in the advertising and illustration markets for over 25 years. I have had my illustration work published in books that also include some of the top illustrators and artist in the world. I have also been too Bethel by invitation of the Watchtower society to consult and do some training in the field of illustration as well as graphic and publishing department management.

I have seen many illustrations published by the watchtower in their original form as well as worked with some of the illustrators who’s art is in question on the subject of “spooky subliminal art in watchtower publications”.

If you think about it, what would a subliminal image of a black mans face hidden in a pooly illustrated human hand, or a dogs face or goats head hidden in a robe force a person to do? Start a bible study with a group of farm animals? Give me a break!

Some of you guys just love a good old fashioned conspiracy theory.

Dave

compound complex

Thank you, Seven, for your input. Presented with the same information, we draw different conclusions. As a professional artist myself who specializes in fantasy art, my interest presently is how the Society treats those who oppose their word. I am neither a debater nor a conspiracy theorist. Of course, you do not know me. But I do hope we can become better acquainted.

Best wishes,

Compound-Complex

The view of commercial artists on WT art ...

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