Lakshmi Manasa Maddi: Week 11 - Power Within Art
Lakshmi Manasa Maddi - Week 11: Power Within Art
Rooting from the time of the Ancient Greeks, art has always and is still associated with its ability to hold special powers for conceptualizing and bringing ideas to life (Sachant). From simple images or sketches of things such as stone, ashes, and dirt, the realistic take many professional artists take when creating their art leads into transforming these particular pieces of art by giving them life. Although this might sound magical, art has continued to exert a really effective influence over the actions of human beings as it essentially functioned as a means of communication (Sachant).
When referring to communication, this directly relates to how these representational pieces work to convey the overall picture of their thoughts, wishes, and anything of which they wish to tell the audience to prove the worthiness of rule (Sachant). Despite it being uncommon for members to be able to develop a literary skill for properly reading texts and writings, religious figures and members of the temples encouraged devotees to accustom themselves to being able to comprehend the meaning behind certain images, thus developing a “visual literacy” (Sachant). This methodology worked to foster a togetherness within communities as it created a “common language” that all the subjects were able to comprehend without difficulty (Sachant). By referring to this particular instance as using a traditional set of “vocabulary,” they were also able to protest against powers that they did not necessarily agree with at the same time (Sachant). Illustrating such characteristics was especially useful during times of war since it marked the period of recording things that became a historical record as well as functioned as an instrument for proposing an alternative vision to concurrent issues that were to be addressed at the moment (Sachant).
Many of these traits rooted from the Ancient Greeks as was described earlier since many of them originated the idea of “personifying knowledge” to be able to create creative pieces in multiple forms such as sculptures, writings, and compositions (Sachant). A quote that still stands out to me from the ancestors of the Greek descent is, “art’s power resides in its ability to represent nature; the closer, the more real, and more natural the representation, the closer the art work is to the truth, beauty- and power” (Sachant). The out of the ordinary and supernatural outlook of different types of art combine to bring about the resulting outcome of the hard work and power within an artist’s hands.
Image Source: https://goodtimes.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/GOOD1.jpg
Hello Lakshmi, artwork has consistently been used to describe the society they live in. During the point of Renaissance, the entire point of the artwork was realism. During the Great Depression, literature started to highlight the socioeconomic divisions in America. Very early artwork is used to express religion. However, at the same time, the definition of good artwork changes over time. Although there used to be a time when artists in Europe strove to create artwork that is as real as possible, the introduction of the camera led to a change in art as a subject of realism to simply an expressive piece. There was no longer the use of precise geometry. Instead, anything was created to give a different mood. The same thing is relevant today. Art about a decade ago was meant to reflect the condition of the world. Today, it is about creating a vibe.
ReplyDeleteHi Manasa, I definitely agree that art plays a big role in the representation of a certain period of time or society. When I think of this phenomenon, I usually think of cave art and how it told historians and archaeologists about civilization then and the different activities and culture of cavemen. The quote you included definitely describes this approach to looking at art. It's cool to think how the art that's made now might say different things about society at this time. Thank you for this interesting blog post, and I look forward to your next one!
ReplyDeleteHi Manasa! I really liked your point about how art has always been representative of the societal expectations or norms of certain time periods throughout history. However, it feels like art rarely has any influence in modern times. I remember hearing about how expensive art these days were largely just influenced by its buyers and auctioneers, and that apparently the extremely rich used it as a way to avoid taxes. I certainly have no knowledge of any famous artists working today or about any art movements and trends that are related to modern society. Although I do agree with your point about the importance of the representation that art has and its emotional influences, and I do wish that I knew more about how art is influencing people today.
ReplyDeleteHi Manasa! I have too little motivation to produce my own art, but I spend a lot of time looking at other people's art and it never ceases to amaze me. I find it really cool that artists can express their thoughts on paper and bring to life a product of their imagination. Around holidays or for birthdays, I often have a lot of ideas to make art for my friends or family, to express things like gratitude during Thanksgiving or something along those lines. I have this one drawing that I started for Thanksgiving in 9th grade and I still haven't finished it yet. Every year I try to work on it, my art style changes and I have the urge to restart so I'll probably never finish that drawing. I also disagree with the quote, because I think that things don't have to look real to be a better representation. Personally, I think abstract art is really impressive because its contents are up for interpretation and something can be represented by something that looks totally different, but a connection can still be made.
ReplyDeleteHi Manasa, I learned a lot from your blog. I always believed that art was powerful because of its profound ability to connect with viewers and make viewers feel a certain way. I think that in many ways are is a universal language that everyone can understand and relate to in some way. It does not require understanding of semantics or grammar rules to be able to comprehend the main message of a piece of artwork, and I think that this ability for everyone to understand art is what makes it so powerful. I agree that art can inspire people to rebel against governments or even fight against other countries during war times. I believe that art is still powerful in today’s digital world, because visual media surrounds us, and in many ways, memes, Instagram posts and political cartoons are all art forms. I really enjoyed learning more about the history of art through your blog and am excited to hear more from you.
ReplyDeleteArtwork is what many people consider to be the oldest and most important method of communication, for when languages and words had not been invented, there was already cave art. The ability for art to connect with those that see it, as well as the ability of art to hold a certain time period's beliefs and just represent this time period are so important. There is, as Shreeya commented, no prerequisite knowledge required for the viewing of said art pieces: all you need is a brain and your imagination. The best, and some say worst, part of art is its many possible meanings and lack of clarity. While we can understand both the denotations and connotations of certain English works, as well as the historical and rhetorical situation, art just simply is not the same, and while you can often do both, the true meaning of the art usually dies with the artist. Art is just so interesting and vital to modern society: there is a reason why it fetches millions at auction.
ReplyDeleteHi Manasa, I find art to be a very interesting and faceted medium of communication, as unlike spoken prose and written rhetoric, art is mostly visual in nature. This visual aspect makes art without boundaries like language or borders, instead offering to its audience direct images and visuals. Art pieces from different eras and places can reflect on the circumstances of the society and the messages of the artist. While the quote you feature in your blog seems to reflect on the idea of art and realism, I think art can reflect different aspects of life by being farther away from the direct representations of life and realism that we see today.
ReplyDeleteHi Manasa! Art is an amazing form of self-expression that has existed in humankind since the very beginning. Just like language it’s something that has universally aided in human communication and expression in every culture. Art has been a bit of a channel for me to express myself usually in drawing little characters in disorganized comic situations. I also write songs and (try to) perform them, which are two other art forms. Music just like the fine arts has been consistent throughout human history. Art is super diverse and almost any opinions, feelings, thoughts, and events can be depicted through it. It’s very profound and part of the reason I love it is how different all art is. When I draw, I take inspiration from other artists. It is said good artists copy and that great artists steal. What the person who said that meant was that artists draw inspiration by “stealing” little aspects of other artists’ methods and styles to add to their own style. You end up with a blend of ideas that end up being uniquely your own. It’s very cool.
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