Ian McKellen

This illustration is based on an editorial piece in The Guardian newspaper in which a Scottish Catholic Bishop criticises homosexuals, one of which happens to be Ian McKellen. A kind of war of words ensues between the two, in which some very close-minded views are revealed. The idea of Ian McKellen represented as a kind of St. George figure slaying the oppressive nature of the Bishop, who is depicted as a dragon, is a meaningful image and an idea in which I like. I wanted it to be clear in the illustration that Ian McKellen is 'fighting' for gay rights, that is why I included the details of the rainbow coloured cloak and the symbol of Stonewall (Stonewall is a high profile gay rights organisation in the UK. It was formed in 1989 by activists, one of which was Ian McKellen) on his shoulder armour. The composition is constructed in a classical pyramid shape to reflect the antiquity of a struggle involving religious ideals and modern reason.