| Place | Asia: Singapore, Changi |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | ART25105 |
| Collection type | Art |
| Measurement | Overall: 52.2 x 38.2 cm |
| Object type | Work on paper |
| Physical description | brush and brown ink heightened with white, over pencil on paper |
| Maker |
Griffin, Murray |
| Place made | Singapore: Changi |
| Date made | 1944-1945 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
The Blondinis
Description
This work refers to the famous tightrope walker, 'The Great Blondini' from the early 1900s, but with a darker twist. Griffin originally volunteered to go to the railway, thinking conditions might be better. He gave up his spot for another man and remained in Changi for his entire captivity. Here, Griffin depicts the perilous conditions on the railway, which he was told about back in Changi prison by survivors of the atrocity. The men, in their emaciated state, were forced to work in treacherous conditions to complete the railway for the Japanese. In this work, Griffin uses his composition to draw comparison to the depths of hell, a theme he expressed in many of his Burma-Thailand railway works.