Edel Rodriguez
I have been working as an illustrator for 20 years. For 13 years, from 1994 to 2007, I was an art director at TIME magazine. During that time we covered 9/11, the Iraq War and the invasion of Afghanistan. We published numerous photo essays while our photographers were embedded with American troops. TI ME magazine also covered many of the issues that veterans dealt with upon their return. Many of the photographs I looked while I was an art director showed the effect of war on both soldiers and civilians. They made a big impact on me and has influenced my paintings and illustrations since then. The subject of war and its victims is an undercurrent of much of the work that I am currently making.
This piece is a portrait of a King, the person throughout much of history who was in charge of sending men to war. Nowadays we have democratically elected presidents, but many times they behave like kings themselves. The portrait shows a king plotting or planning his next move, small portraits of victims are embedded within his coat.
Edel Rodriguez’s Website