Saturday, April 11, 2009
Blog 6 Art1B
CON-TEXT: the parts of a discourse that surround a word or passage and help to explain its meaning; also: the circumstances surrounding and act or event. The circumstances surrounding and act or event. Well, I guess it finally dawned on me that the religious, political, and economic environment of any given age directly influence artistic expression. The influence may be direct and positive. Abundant wealth may allow for artists to create and thrive, an open free atmosphere might encourage new avenues of expression. A relaxed stable government could tolerate a variety of creative opinion. Religion might exercise positive moral influence for the good of the human family and this could be reflected in the art of the day. On the other hand, tight economic control or limited resources might dictate who or what is allowed to create and what is created. Strict government control might use art for their own self interest or the advancement of their "agenda". Religion could use art as a tool for deep influence or even control. The historical reality seems to be that so far, events, priorities, circumstances and probably pure chance have conspired to give us a huge treasure trove of established art to appreciate and enjoy, but to begin to understand it we have to view it in its context.
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I agree with you Ted and I have to say that I never really thought about art the way you have explained it here. I do think it is important to look at the context of the art and what time period it is from and who created it and whatever else. This can definitely help us to understand what the artist is trying to convey in their art.
ReplyDeleteVery intersesting insight into how and why art is created. What you wrote still applies to the art of today. Just open the newspaper and take a look at the cartoons illustrating different people like Obama, George W. Bush, and the Octo-Mom. Everything in a culture influences art from nature to the economy. For an artist self expression and a chance to illustrate for people how they view the world and all the objects in it is probably the best way they have of relating to the world around them. Art is the same from era to era and century to century. Your words captured this pattern perfectly. I enjoyed reading your posting and find your views refreshing and honest. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Ted,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up on the blog today! I did not realize we had one this week, as it was not on this weeks assignment. I agree with you on the Context realization! I spent years looking at art and did not know the context that inspired/shaped/influenced/drove it into being. It has been really eye opening to see the political and religious influences that helped to create that rich body of work we have been studying. Im afraid that our present economic situation will not be as kind to the artists of today and future generations may find a bit of a drought in the early 21st century.