Mallory Lewis

Phillips/ English 101

13 March 2016

"Police Kids Jack and Jill" by Banksy

Banksy's "Police Kids Jack and Jill" was painted in 2005 to relay the message and reminder of the need to protect children in today's society (Police).The painting is a picture of a young girl and boy joyfully skipping while wearing bullet-proof police vests. Banksy uses elements such as color, contrast, body language, and omission to represent a futuristic American society where children will need to be protected at all times. 

Although this image may look bright and cheerful at first glance, there is a more serious message relayed through analysis of the image. Banksy created the visual text to represent the impact of various interpretations of the second amendment on American society. 

The Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects any individuals right and freedom to bear arms. This image is a representation of how society will become if there are no limitations put on gun control. Banksys purpose in developing this image is to say that if there are no limitations on as to who can become in possession of such weaponry, this will inevitably result in a society filled with the need to protect children. 

Banksy shows this need for protection with the police vests the children are wearing in the image. With this image, Banksy makes it seem that it is the norm for children to be running around in police vests. He uses this exaggeration to focus on the need for safety of children with the increasing presence and availability of guns within society. 

Banksy uses police vests in the image to symbolize this need for protection. He chose police vests because they are well recognized and easily associated with protection from guns. With omission of the police vests, the message conveyed by the image is not the same and there wouldn't be any association with the need for child protection. 

The visual text, "Police Kids Jack and Jill" pictures a young boy and girl who look like they are holding hands and joyfully skipping. At first glance, I viewed these characters as the Hansel and Gretel from the well-known fairytale published in many children's books. Hansel and Gretel are innocent children in the fairytale story who get hoaxed into entering the cottage of a wicked witch who lures them in with food and candy. The children in the image are parallel to these well-known characters because of their suggested innocence and defenselessness. 

 The visual text is titled "Police Kids Jack and Jill", which could also be a parallel reference to the characters from the old children's nursery rhyme, "Jack and Jill".  Using these recognizable names for the figures in the image helps guide interpretation of the image. Banksy's use of universal characters helps the audience develop identification for the characters in his painting. Association of the characters in his painting with the characters in the stories emphasizes the commonality of childhood innocence and their need for security. These parallel references symbolize childhood innocence seeing that the nursery rhyme is a story about two young children who simply fall down a hill and the fairytale is about two children who get hoaxed into a wicked witched cottage. The various texts portray the children as defenseless and incapable of being in control or defending themselves. 

Banksy most likely chose children for the characters in this visual text to help illustrate and depict the message he is trying to portray. In visual texts, children are used as a universal symbol for innocence. They also represent the future because they are the ones who shape the future of society. 

Body language of the figures in the visual text is significant to the interpretation of the image. Facial expressions help convey an overall mood or attitude that the artist is trying to portray. The facial expressions on the children are both cheerful and happy looking. The young boy and girl are both wide-eyed and smiling in the image. However, you can also notice the details in their facial expressions are very limited compared to the detail in the rest of the image. 

Banksy illustrates their faces as somewhat warped and mangled. The facial characteristics are not clear, making it difficult for the viewer to match a face from reality with these figures. This is significant because the individuals are more relatable to a wider range of viewers. 

The overall body language of the children develops a playful and innocent mood. The children look happy and cheerful as they are skipping in the image. It is ironic that the characters in the image are smiling and look cheerful because they seem to be in risk of being in danger, which is implied by their need to be wearing police vests. This is ironic because most people in danger of guns would not be frolicking and joyfully skipping around. Banksy puts a twist on this need for protection with the joyful moods expressed by the children in the image. 

Contrasting color on body parts on the individuals suggests that the message of the visual text can be applicable for all races or ethnicities. Including this contrast indicates racial equality in society. In the image, it seems as if almost half of each individual's body is colored black and the other half of their skin is white. If the individuals were entirely white or entirely colored black, this would alter Banksy's message to have a more specific audience. 

Colors and hues used in visual texts contribute to the mood relayed by the image. Brighter colors often indicate more happy, bold and noticeable things whereas lighter colors develop a calm mood and darker colors develop more angry or somber moods. Hues are used to indicate more detail in images. A lack of hues can show more bold statements that have little variation in interpretation whereas a plethora of hues can indicate intricate detail and complexity within an image. 

Hues of colors are not shown in this visual text. The absence of color hues contributes to the lack of detail and adds to the simplicity of the few details in the image. The colors included in the image are black, white, peach, light blue, and light yellow. This color scheme is very simple and is another example of Banksy's lack of detail in this visual text. Neither of the children has a hair nor eye color, adding to the relatability of the figures. The only colors shows are a peach skin color, the light yellow police badge, and the light blue background. 

The light yellow on their clothing attracts the eye of the viewer to the word police. Absence of the light yellow color would not draw the viewer's eye to this part of the image that is crucial to the message being portrayed. The light blue background is significant because it often represents the sky or the water. In this case, the light blue background most likely represents the sky, which can be associated with dreaming and feelings of stability and trust. This is ironic because these feelings associated with the color blue are contradictory to the essential message of the need for protection. 

It is also crucial to notice what the figures in the image are wearing. In the image, both figures are wearing casual play outfits with a police vest on top. The outfits underneath the vests look like they are ones that children would wear when going to play outside. The girl is wearing a collard shirt and a short polka dot skirt while her hair is in two braids, and the boy is wearing shorts and a normal t-shirt. If the figures were wearing different outfits such as business professional clothes, this would take away from the childishness of the figures, suggesting that they are representative of adults. The vests they are wearing look like the bulletproof vests that police officers wear when they are on duty. Showing children wearing these vests suggests a need for protection. 

Omissions of details in the visual text are important to notice because they contribute to the overall message. Banksy omits the feet of the individuals in the image. As a result of this, the children look like they are starting to disintegrate or disappear. This can be significant in contributing to Banksys message, implying that this need for protection of children can be destructive and harmful to future generations. 

The positioning of the children is slightly sideways. This can mean that something is off balance, or something is not completely right. When analyzing the image, you can see that it is well balanced in reference to placement of the individuals. There is nothing else included in the image, showing that the one message implied is the only thing Banksy is trying to portray. 

All together, these elements of color, contrast, body language, and omission are significant in making Banksys "Police Kids Jack and Jill" an effective visual text. These elements help depict Banksys message, warning the general public of their need to protect children at all times if regulations on gun control are not limited or carefully monitored in the future. 

Works Cited:

Banksy. Police Kids Jack and Jill. 2005. Prints and multiples, screenprint. N.p.

"Police Kids Jack and Jill by Banksy." Stencil Revolution. N.p., 14 May 2013. Web. 20

Mar. 2016.
