Submission to the Cabinet Office's Art Competition The civil service values: Honesty, Integrity, Impartiality and Objectivity Title The four Civil Servant values: Honesty, Integrity, Impartiality and Objectivity in Colour and Braille Media Acrylic on canvas, 32x32inches (92x92cm), London, 2010, February. Author J.F.Reis (jfR), 59, male, aka 'Filipe The Messenger', working at the Crown Prosecution Service, Ealing Borough Unit, Acton Police Station. He started painting four years ago with no formal training. Explanation Expressing the 4 points that characterise being a civil servant can be reflected in the way we see the personal pronouns, the building blocks and the colourful forms giving movement and balance to the composition. The composition aims at maximum information with the minimum complexity. The four values can not be dissociated of the dangers of its contraries. The personal pronouns The pronoun 'I' is the employee. The employee is paid to serve 'You', both singular and plural forms of the pronoun. 'I' is at the bottom left, surrounded by darker grey, symbolising the dangers of the 'I' becoming immersed in personal aims, not always with the objective of serving better the 'You'. A clear grey and lighter blue surround the 'You', in bigger typos, on the top of the larger building block. It represents everybody to whom the civil servant dedicates one's activity. 'We' has a central place. It has a greater value than 'I' and s/he or they. It is in the block that has the access for less mobile people and a link with the diversity in the world. 'We' is about harmony inside the organisation to serve 'You'. 'S/he'and 'They' are in the only non-square block in the middle zone. It represents the danger of not following the four values. These are the words frequently used with derogative feelings or as opposed to the 'I' or the 'centre'. The only odd block in the middle of the canvas is therefore emphasising the danger to avoid. The building blocks, shapes, colours, location The building blocks have many shapes, colours, and locations. All give balance to the several meanings within the four values. The whole has a shape like )(( before rotating 90 degrees to the right. It reflects decisions and objectivity. The peaks of the curves are not in the last blocks. They have more clarity but they are smaller. It suggests that, even if the aim is to progress through the four values, it is wise not to overdue, but use common sense. Avoiding the extremes, the darkest and the clearest blocks, values the behaviour that puts people first, not the four values in the abstract form. Most blocks are away of the 'I', meaning objectivity. The further they are from the bottom left, the clearer they are. The canvas is a square, no sides are more relevant than other sides. The middle area is full of squares representing impartiality, honesty, but mainly 'Integrity'. Squares are solid forms expressing balance. The colourful squares edging some blocks force the viewer's eyes to focus on the top right side of the canvas. However, the moment the eyes are focused in that area, they immediately shift between 'You' and below the rainbow and the ramp. The red and the green square are a base of an arrow that finishes with the yellow square. They point to the future lived today. The ramp links two squares, the 'We' and the square of diversity. The rainbow is about plurality and it points again to the clear side of the canvas. It also shows a commitment towards the outside. Braille There are many worlds. Writing the four values in Braille is one way of keeping the records forever (within the canvas). The objective is to include people who can read Braille in the world of the sensorial art (not visual). There is a spinning touch in the writing. One of the sides is written upside down. It will force the person to 'see' beyond. |