‘Art’ has always been a word that is difficult to describe. We know that it is a form of expression, but when does a form of expression become art? Perhaps it is when we add a splash of colour, maybe it is intricate, or something as simple as text on a piece of paper. Over the numerous classes of Why Art Matters, I gained a better understanding of art, where it came from, what it expresses, how it expresses and the mundane aspects of art as we know it. Some of these ideas will be discussed in this paper via three works that stood out to me.
Guerrilla
Girls, Poster for Public Art Fund, NY 1989.
The
Guerrilla Girls have been the embodiment of feminist protest since their
conception. They stand up not only for women but also for people of colour. Their
work focuses on issues faced by them, largely in the professional area and
expresses them creatively. They are simple, bold, fearless and impactful. This represents
everything a woman stands for. I
selected this piece because seeing it made me proud to be a woman and of this
group of women. This poster hopes to bring to light the sorry state of women’s
representation in the art world. The Girls counted the number of male and
female nudes displayed in the coveted Metropolitan Museum of Art and the ratio
was appalling. They replaced the head of the woman in one of the most famous
nudes in the world with their signature gorilla mask. The original painting is
titled La Grande Odalisque, by Jean-August-Dominique
Ingres. With this poster,
they hoped to highlight that in this patriarchal society, the only time a woman
is in the limelight is when she is displayed as a sexual object. Women were
considered incompetent and therefore women artists were not given any
commissions and were not allowed to display their art on many platforms. This
is a problem in itself. For an industry that claims to want to express multiple
points of view, it suppresses the voices of half the population of the world.
The posters made by the Guerrilla Girls often have jarring statistics that show
how low the representation of women in the art industry is and at the bottom,
they often display text stating that the poster is a message issued in the public
interest. This is empowering because it makes people angry. The Girls are amused
and fuelled by conflict and the hate they receive. The combination of these
factors, how glaringly obvious the message they are conveying is and the mode
of creative expression is what makes this protest art.
The Arch of Titus was built to symbolise the victories of Vespian and Titus in the Jewish War (70-71 CE) in Judaea. The war occurred when Jerusalem was invaded and pillaged. The structure of the Arch paved way for subsequent Roman architecture by involving certain techniques to the carvings to make them hyper-realistic. For example, the figures in the central part of the Arch are carved deeper than the ones in the extremities to mimic the illusion of more space and a fuller body. The Arch is relatively simple and has carvings of scenes. One of the panels shows a victory march and another shows gods crowning Titus as a victor, yet another shows Titus being flown to heaven. A lot of iconographies carved on this arch such as the choice of gods, symbols such as wings, laurel wreaths, eagles, etc. show celebration, triumph, represents people of Rome and their superiority. In the iconography, certain carvings like that of the menorah (as shown in the first image) is especially significant as it is one of the oldest and most prominent symbols of Judaism. Authority is a huge component of art as it is a subtle, yet powerful display of power. It can also be linked to spreading ideas and propaganda by the party in charge. By incorporating this symbol, the Romans show their authority over the people and land they pillaged by erecting structures celebrating their triumph. In this case, they have power over the narrative, and history is told by the winners and their architecture.
Arch
of Titus, Rome, 81 CE.
The Arch of Titus was built to symbolise the victories of Vespian and Titus in the Jewish War (70-71 CE) in Judaea. The war occurred when Jerusalem was invaded and pillaged. The structure of the Arch paved way for subsequent Roman architecture by involving certain techniques to the carvings to make them hyper-realistic. For example, the figures in the central part of the Arch are carved deeper than the ones in the extremities to mimic the illusion of more space and a fuller body. The Arch is relatively simple and has carvings of scenes. One of the panels shows a victory march and another shows gods crowning Titus as a victor, yet another shows Titus being flown to heaven. A lot of iconographies carved on this arch such as the choice of gods, symbols such as wings, laurel wreaths, eagles, etc. show celebration, triumph, represents people of Rome and their superiority. In the iconography, certain carvings like that of the menorah (as shown in the first image) is especially significant as it is one of the oldest and most prominent symbols of Judaism. Authority is a huge component of art as it is a subtle, yet powerful display of power. It can also be linked to spreading ideas and propaganda by the party in charge. By incorporating this symbol, the Romans show their authority over the people and land they pillaged by erecting structures celebrating their triumph. In this case, they have power over the narrative, and history is told by the winners and their architecture.
Jean-Leon Gerome, The Slave Market, 1857
This
painting by Gerome is one of his most controversial works. Gerome travelled to Egypt
and was inspired by the Orientalist style there, which he transposed onto his
work. The dingy, dirty market depicted in the painting is imagined by the
artist, however, the scene depicted is not far from reality. Here, we see a
naked woman who is being sold off as a slave. A wealthy man, who might be a
merchant or a trader treats her like a horse by checking her teeth to decide
her worth. The man standing behind her is most likely the ‘seller of the
goods.’ This picture is horrific to me because it shows misogyny at
its peak. It lets the viewers condemn slavery while simultaneously perceiving
this painting erotically. It is male privilege and ego at its finest because it
shows the authority and power that men have always had over women and the clear
disassociation between the two sexes.
In terms of gender, we see the clear imbalance in rights, treatment and the social hierarchy. In authority and power, we see how men are always at the top, controlling the way the world works, dictating norms to satisfy their intrinsic need to be alpha. This painting is the embodiment of everything it means to exist in a society where the people in control had no sense of morality, ethics, decency or respect. The artist may not have intended for his painting to be perceived in such a harsh manner; however, due to socio-cultural factors, it is easily put under scrutiny and criticised.
While the first two pieces of art chosen clearly encompass themes such as protest and authority, the third piece shows an overlap in themes such as power, authority, gender and life. In this manner, we see that art can be used to stress on one particular concept or on multiple and be equally impactful both ways. Ultimately, art shapes our world.