The lilac prints

I collaged the young boy from a painting I found in the 'The Young Boy' with the budding lilac in an attempt to symbolise the forced early sexual development some children must experience when faced with abuse or forced into child prostitution.

I wanted to keep the image for the print quiet simple, not too much detail and concentrate on quality of colour. My favourite are the ghost prints (the last two prints, green and pink) , I reprinted the plate without inking it up a second time. The image is fainter and slightly ghostly I think.  

Although the message behind the print is one that often makes people uncomfortable, something no one would wish upon anyone; I wanted the message to contrast with the image, I wanted the viewer to look at the print and see it as art before the understood the message, so I tried not to be too literal. I wanted the image to resemble the nude figures portrayed in Renaissance art, idyllic, tasteful and simple. I picked a painting where the boy's face was covered to keep it objective. The faceless nude boy represents children all over the world who have been hurt and exploited, children who have been forgotten about and neglected. His naked body dramatises the vulnerability of all of these children.

This is the sketch from the collage in preparation for the print. 

I inked the plate up in intaglio ink, and then did a light roll up with a lot of extender ink to make the base colour quite transparent. The roller was a bit dirty and the edges ended up grey, but I really liked how it turned out, i didn't want it to be too vibrant or solid in colour.