In this study I have decided to undertake an investigation of the artwork of Stanley Donwood, a contemporary British artist and designer.  I intend to combine critical analyses of both his work as an integral member of the ‘Nodata 2000’ collective and his recent cover artwork for the alternative band Radiohead, the artwork by Donwood for “The Bends” and "Ok Computer” albums being what originally attracted me to his distinctive artistic style.  Donwood’s involvement with the band led to his creation of images for all the musical release packaging, being credited as "Stanley Donwood and The White Chocolate Farm", the White Chocolate Farm being the name given to his collaborations with the band members of Radiohead, in particular Thom Yorke, the band's lead vocalist.  However, Donwood and his ideas are the driving force behind the artwork, his intelligent perception of today’s modern developed society emerging in his compelling style and emotive illustrations. 

A central issue within Stanley Donwood’s art is his views of the power and control of the media and the continually progressing technology of a capitalist, western society.  A society that, if we are to believe Nodata 2000, is becoming increasingly fascinated and obsessed by the materialistic, empty values of consumerism.  Elements of his work, both as an individual artist and his art stemming from his involvement in the artistic mini-movement Nodata 2000, emerge “from an obsession with information culture and the increasingly personal way in which the public are targeted with information”.  This also includes the effects of this information, rarely composed of the whole truth but more often appearing to be aimed in increasingly diverse and direct ways at making money.

The subversive nature of the way today’s technology is used to present narrow, potentially damaging views and information is an aspect of society that both fascinates, and on a deeper level, concerns me.  Everything that is seen by the public in the forms of media, advertising and especially television is intended to attract and hold attention.  Regarding the world of television advertising, Donwood himself has remarked, "Loads of TV adverts… are very clever, subtle and brilliant until they end with 'so buy these tyres', or 'use this painkiller'. Its high art, but used for completely the wrong reasons."  It is evident that the constant battle for interest between thousands of conflicting companies may be of benefit to the public, at least where the introduction of increasingly diverse products, choice and the competitive prices arising from this situation are concerned.  However, as more and more companies vie for the attention of potential customers, advertising and media become aimed increasingly directly at the heart and wallet of the consumer in an exceptionally personal way.  As Nodata’s most recent exhibition ironically claims, “Your secrets are our secrets”: private information is circulated often perfectly legitimately between companies, who then send more advertising to the consumer.

Donwood addresses his scepticism of the control of media over humanity in his artwork for both Nodata and the deeply reflective, distinctive music of Radiohead, the unique collections of images complementing perfectly the lyrical and musical content of the two albums in which he has been involved.  Colin Greenwood, a guitarist of the band, said after their recording of album “The Bends” that the music “was very disparate, the styles were very different… we realised that is one of our strengths, we shouldn’t concentrate on everything sounding the same, although Thom’s vocals are always going to be connecting the thing”. This could be seen not only to apply to the music but also to the contrasting qualities of Donwood’s artwork. The hundreds of various collated and scanned images are bound together, “connected”, by the bleaching of colour and constant process of “stuff being painted out… layers and layers… pasted on and on, then rubbed away”.

The ideas and often apparently self-mocking cynicism with which Donwood is concerned is perhaps not an entirely new concept: however, his unique method of combining traditional collage and painting techniques with graphics and text manipulation using computer software distinguishes him from other young British contemporary artists.  The individual style of his work is both subtle and fascinating, and it is for this reason that I have chosen Stanley Donwood as a subject for my personal study.