Art As A Political Statement

Throughout the ages art has been a way for people to express many things, including documenting a place or certain era, allowing individuals to express their feelings, beliefs, theories and dreams. One huge factor that influenced the way that artists expressed themselves was the society they live in. Politics, race, economics, and war are all major influences in the famous artwork we see in museums today. Two artists in particular that drew deep inspiration from politics are Max Beckmann and Ben Shaun. Though both artists are from completely different art movements, they share several close similarities in their passion for art.

Max Beckmann, a German artist, was a part of an art group within the Expressionist movement called Die Neue Sachlichkeit (The New Objectivity). Beckmann began studying art in 1900 at Grossherzogliche Kunstschule, an art academy in Weimar. After completing his studies he made several trips to Paris to paint and endeavor in the art scene. After moving to Berlin he became a very accomplished painter in Impressionism styles by painting landscapes, self portraits, scenes of mythology and religious subjects. When World War 1 broke out in 1914 Beckmann was a supporter of the war and joined German forces in medical corps. After a year of duty, Beckmann suffered a mental break down and was medically discharged. (Max). After the war there was a huge change in Beckmann’s painting. The colors in his painting became more vivid, the subjects that he was painting were malicious, depicting scenes of death and torture. After seeing combat, Beckmann realized the tragedies and inhumanity of war. He often used allegorical figures in his paintings and kept this signature for the rest of his life (Beginning). One of the most famous of Beckmann’s painting was Night.

This painting depicts three intruders in a small room that are injuring what is said to be a husband and wife. The husband is being hanged and appears to be screaming in, while the wife who has eligibly been raped and is bound by her hands. There is also another woman that is cowering in the corner on the painting (Gardner’s). The crowded composition of the painting gives off the idea of utter confusion and chaos that is taking place within the scene. Red is the dominant color within the painting and I wonder to myself if it’s just a coincidence or irony that red is the color of blood and that within this scene much blood was shed. You could also relate the color red to the war in which Beckmann served in. The dominant color of red that is also seen in many of his other painting could be a symbolism of the high amount of bloodshed he saw during action. This painting in particular has a lot to say about Beckmann’s new view on the world. The war really did change his mind into believing that humans are cold and heartless creatures.

Unlike Max Beckmann, Ben Shaun was a Jewish immigrant that came with his mother to Brooklyn in 1906 to meet up his father who a socialist. While living in America Shaun became an apprentice to a lithographer which paved the way for his art career (Common). In later years Shaun studied at New York University and the National Academy of Design. At college he met Walker Evans a photographer who he shared a studio space with and whom influenced him on starting his own photography. From there Shaun worked on morals and other commissioned work. However, his first major paintings that got him into the art scene and the most famous pieces were created in his earlier years when he began painting in the Social Realism movement.

The Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti was a serious of twenty three painting that were inspired from the murder of two anarchists (Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti) who were blackmailed and executed (Ben). Shaun also created ink drawings, three serigraphs, and a mosaic mural on the trial. Ben Shaun identified with these two men because he believed they fell victim to the Red Scare, a period of intense anti-foreigner sentiment suffered by Jews, Italians and other immigrants (The Passion). Shaun profoundly stood up for these men when justice could not be found and they were wrongfully trialed and hanged. The most famous of this collection being the painting of Sacco and Vanzetti outside of the courthouse in their coffins with two attorneys holding lilies and the judge standing over them. In my opinion one of the most interesting things about this painting is the solemn look about the three men’s faces. There they stand before two dead men who were wrongfully convicted without any representation of feelings on their face. It makes the mood of the painting feel very eerie and you get that idea that something isn’t right. Which is most likely what Shaun wanted viewers to experience when they looked at the painting. Going back to Shaun’s background I believe that his dad was possibly quite a big influence on his politically beliefs. Whatever the reason may be Ben Shaun used art to express his feeling on politics and the injustices in American Society.

Both artists, Max Beckmann and Ben Shaun are extremely influential artists in history. Though both artists were from different backgrounds and art movement there is two things they both greatly have in common. One being the passion to put worth their own ideas on society and politics in a visual way to share with others. These two artists weren’t afraid to express their thoughts and theories on a subject that most people tend to keep quiet. By breaking boundaries they made world history and are globally known for making a difference. Another great similarity is the effect that politics have on their art, beliefs, and lifestyles.

We all have free will to choose our own fate but sometimes due to uncontrollable events we are left with no choices. I believe that personality is affected in many ways including both nature and nurture. Personality forms over times from the very beginning of our lives. Throughout our lifetime that personality can mold and expand. Our personality can in some cases have the potential to be altered and influenced by external events as they occur in our life. Most humans act upon certain events due to memories in the past. Our past can affect how we live and act in the present and future. Everyone is different in the sense of physical looks, opinions, and beliefs but we also share some of those beliefs and opinions with others but not everyone. At the same time, we are all a carbon copy of something else. From what we wear to what we eat to how we talk. We picked it up from someone or something else such as our culture, friends, parents, influence, etc. Physically we are all unique. No physical human body is the same. However, we allow external stimuli to influence everything else. Early civilizations main purpose in life was to survive and they did whatever they can to do that. It was an endless cycle of obtaining the basic needs of survival (food, shelter, water, clothing) and then reproducing to create the cycle all over again. Weve come a long way since then and now we live above our means and strive for more than just basic needs in our lives such as Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs suggests. If we look at it that way are we just trying to seek pleasure in our lives? In a way, yes we are. As animals our only purpose in life is to survive and reproduce to keep the cycle going. But now as people who are up at the top of the food chain and the most superior beings on Earth we see life for more than just that. We see our life needs as growing, learning, following goals and dreams, and climbing to our fullest potential if we so choose. Human beings aren’t born from their mother’s womb into society as being good or evil, we are born into the world with a neutral, clean slate and our own free will decides which way we go. Everyone has all capabilities of good and everyone has all capabilities of doing evil, but we decide what capabilities we choose. Everyone has done something in our life at least once that our society, religion, morals, friends, family, constitution, government and/or laws claims is wrong. But who sets the boundaries to what is good and what is bad? What gives anyone the right to judge those? The simple answer is no one because we all have free will to do, think, speak and act in whatever way we want to.

A fresh start? July 09

So over the past few months I’ve gone through a lot of changes. I graduated from high school and soon going to be starting a new chapter in my life. I’ve made new friends and have lost some that were close to me. After years of a shitty relationship with my parents I’m trying to make it better. And I’m finally trying to get myself back together and be over all happy and healthy. Lately I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about my relationships I have with people now and ones that have ended and what I need to do to make myself happy. Today it dawned on me that everyone goes through something shitty in their lives and everyone deals with pain. I recently ended a relationship with someone that I was really close to and I’ve been pretty upset about it. But even though we’ll probably never be as close as we were or at worst never talk to each other again something good had to come out of it. I learned a lot from that relationship and have realized its not the end of the world, even though I feel like shit about it right now, in the long run it may never matter. And the beautiful thing about it is that something that was once so great could make me sad, which makes me feel that I’m alive and just maybe for every bad thing that happens something good can come out of it. I’m always going to get hurt in life but I’m still living and I should make the best out of every situation. Relationships end whether its a romance or a friendship but you still have to move on because there’s so many people out in this world who are great people I’m sure. And if the people you think are you friends don’t follow after you or stick beside you no matter what…are they really true friends in the first place?

Also, I’ve come to the conclusion that MiffCo holds nothing for me. I went to high school and did what I had to do but now its time for me to move on. The county line feels like a prison to me and I’m dying to get out. I cannot wait till I move out to Pittsburgh. A new beginning with new people and a new environment. No one has ever believed in me when I told them about my dreams and my goals for my future but I assure you that I will do whatever I can to make them a reality. I know life can be hard but I’m willing to make sacrifices to achieve my dreams. No one ever said life is easy and I know I have to work hard to get what I want out of life.

So from here on out I’m going to do what I want to make myself happy and to achieve my goals and dreams. I wasn’t placed on this earth to satisfy others and if other people can’t respect that then they aren’t worth my time.

truth and beauty are wonderful words

but shrapnel is shrapnel

and at the end of the day

i am alone with the things i have done

-anonymous

Personal Preferance 1/31/10

After listening to several opinions I wonder if I should even listen to them at all. It’s my life. Everyone’s different. Different views, opinions, etc. Is it worth risking the chance to take a friends opinion when you know deep down that’s not what your heart wants? No one can really grasp a situation unless they’re in it and know all the inner workings. If we are all different and all individuals shouldn’t we be able to make choices in life without the opinion of others. Then again, one could say everyone needs some sort of guidance in their life. This very well could be the reasons why some people see nothing wrong while others see things to be very wrong. Is it a matter of personal preference or what society expects of us? How do you fix your wrongs? Can two simple words make everything better? Is it a matter of time to let things heal or is it some sort of affirmative action? Or does it all depend on the persons involved or a certain situation? I don’t know the answers to these questions. I don’t know if anyone does know. Or is it just a matter of personal preference?

Guy Ritchies Sherlock Holmes Review

When did Sherlock Holmes join Fight Club and when did Watson become James Bond? Guy Ritchies modern twist on the classical Sherlock Holmes is sadly a disappointment. The creators of this film used too many action sequences to make up for a boring storyline. While the whole look of the movie was draped in a dull, lifeless color scheme of grays.

In original Sherlock Holmes novels and short stories, Holmes and Watson rarely used weapons or hand to hand fighting skills. It was only on occasion that the characters used either of these methods when solving a case. However, i give them props for displaying that Holmes was an unorganized drug addict; something we haven't seen in past films.

The sweet and innocent Rachel McAdams makes a poor Irene Alder, who in this adaptation is a divorced criminal. McAdams seems out of place for being a criminal mastermind and it is hard to believe that she had the strength to carry Holmes to a bed and tie him up. While Robert Downy Jr. (Holmes) and Jude Law (Watson) individually portrayed their characters well, there was little chemistry between Holmes and Watson. Throughout most of the movie it seemed that Watson was almost superior to Holmes and somewhat of a babysitter, while in past films Holmes was very critical of Watson’s case solving techniques.

For long going fans of previous Sherlock Holmes books and films, the movie is quite a disappointment and nothing what one would expect. The ending of the movie was probably the biggest disappointment of all. The writers seemed to be more focused on visually displaying that they were making a sequel to the movie then actually creating a well thought out ending. The sequel to Guy Ritchies Sherlock Holmes will for then likely reflect the first movie out of the duo. I wouldn’t recommend watching either movies unless you’re interested in a good laugh and to grimace at a horrible movie.

The Beauty Myth

The year was 1848 at a convention in Seneca Falls, New York where hundreds of female delegates gathered to issue a declaration of independence for women. The document demanded full legal equality, educational and commercial opportunity, equal compensation, the right to collect wages and to vote. The movement infused the country and soon extended to Europe. However, it wasn’t until seventy-two years later until women’s suffrage was won, thus creating what we call today first-wave feminism.

Although women won the right to vote, some were still unsatisfied. Second-wave feminist reform occurred from the 1960’s through the 1970’s. The wave was concerned with issues of equality, sexuality, family, the workplace, and reproductive rights. In the 1980s it was largely perceived that women had met their goals and succeeded in changing social attitudes towards gender roles, repealing laws that were based on sex, illegalizing gender discrimination, marital rape, and the legalization of no-fault divorce. Many women felt that they had won the war against gender discrimination; however, there are still thousands of women who think otherwise.

Writer and neo-feminist, Naomi Wolf, explains in her article, “The Beauty Myth” that women of the 21st century are pressured by society to look a certain way. Wolf also explains that there is still a fight for feminism so women can escape what she calls, “The Beauty Myth.” Women have won their rights to vote, own property, and equality in the workforce, therefore, feminism is no longer needed in the 21st century.

Female beauty dates far back to ancient times in Greece and Rome and even farther. Every century and time period has had its own idealistic women. However, 21st Century beauty seems to be more extreme than other time periods:
Reproductive rights gave Western women control over our own bodies; the weight of fashion models plummeted to 23 percent below that of ordinary women, eating disorders rose exponentially, and a mass neurosis was promoted that used food and weight to strip women of that sense of control. Women insisted on politicizing health; new technologies of invasive, potentially deadly ‘cosmetic’ surgeries developed apace to re-exert old forms of medical control of women. (Wolf 371)
Women of this century are taking drastic measures to become the idealistic woman. Due to media technology break throughs and media increases in our everyday lives, we are almost always consuming media and consequently almost every female we see is that “ideal woman”. Women are led to believe that this is how the average woman looks because that is all that we are seeing. On top of that, these women are successful and have good looking men chasing after them. It’s no wonder that a majority of women want to embody this idealistic look. However, if you think back to the 60’s and 70’s when the first waves of feminism were taking place, there was even a beauty myth then. Women are brainwashed with this idealistic beauty, they always have been, and always will be. If female ideal beauty is something that will always be around, then why do women need to spend time trying to fight it?

I do not understand the reasoning behind why women feel that they need to fix their hair and apply makeup no matter where they go or who they are around. A female friend of mine is always running late due to applying makeup and fixing her hair. She is willing to be thirty to forty-five minutes late for the only four hour class she has that day just so she can ‘look good’. Even going somewhere as simple as a two block walk to a Smithfield News Mart cannot be taken without the application of makeup and a quick fix of the hair. She recently began a weight loss routine. When she first mentioned this to me I assumed she would eat a balanced diet with five to six small meals a day. “She never eats Joan and Marjorie said of Louise. They ate lunch with her at school, watched her refusing potatoes, ravioli, and fried fish. Sometimes she got through the cafeteria line with only a salad.” (Dubus 209). Similar to the story of a woman who struggled with eating, appearance and how her friends viewed her, I rarely see my friend eating anything at all and not having the correct intake of foods or calories. I cannot completely grasp why women do these things themselves, maybe it’s because they are not comfortable with whom they are physically or because they feel that because society tells them to they need to look a certain way. Whatever the reason may be it is no concern to me. There is a fine line in dressing appropriately and just not caring at all about your hygiene or self image. Of course, they are things I do not like about myself physically but nobody is perfect and I have come to peace with who I am. I dress appropriate for certain situations, but I don’t mind throwing on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt for a four hour class. I dress to please myself, it’s as simple as that. If I kindly approached my friend and told her she didn’t need to wear makeup or fix her hair, she wouldn’t listen; she would go on as if the conversation had never happened. If a friend cannot reach out to a friend to explain the beauty myth what female can?

I do find it unfortunate that many women are brainwashed with this idealistic beauty idea, but it is not a fight that can be won through women coming together for a cause, it is a personal battle between a women and herself. It is only until a woman can come to terms with herself and her body that a women can overcome the beauty myth. No matter how many other women try to infuse the beauty myth unto 21st century female youth, it will make little affect. The beauty myth is just social problem that feminists grabbed onto because there is no longer anything else to fight for. The 21st century is a post-feminism world. Feminists need to throw in the towel on a myth that has been surviving for centuries and will continue to be for centuries more.