You will notice that I've posted more study slides on the bnlog which include Impressionist Works and architectural pieces from the 19th to 20th centuries. Be sure to look into these works using your text and other resources to be familiar with them in their respective contexts.
I'm also assigning another in the fabulous series of Art Through Time videos. This episode deals with how artists (and viewers) deal with issues of violence and conflict in art. The episode begins with Manet and Goya - a perfect spot as that happens to be right where we are in are class discussions. It will also cover some non-western approaches including early 20th century Chinese and also Islamic work as well as the Taliban's iconoclastic destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan. The video also touches on such contemporary artists as Kara Walker and Shirin Neshat.
Responses to the following questions will be due in class by Thursday April 11th.
1. What makes art an effective form of social or political protest?
2. What are the similarities and differences between a glorified battle scene and one that shows the horrors of war?
3. Invading armies have destroyed the art of the people they vanquished, or new regimes have destroyed art associated with their predecessors. What makes art images so powerful? Who ascribes the power to them?
4. How do such images of conflict and resistance speak to a universal audience?
5. At different points in history,and in different cultures or societies,governments have banned certain works of art because they were deemed unpatriotic or subversive. What role, if any, should the government play in defining what art is, how art can be made, who can make it, or the places and manner in which it is displayed?
