How is art used to question and resist institutions of power and politics?
Artists are often enmeshed in politics. Some artists have chosen to abide by, promote, or associate with those in power. Others have distanced themselves from, and at times used their art to explicitly undermine, political leaders and government policies with which they disagree.
What makes art an effective form of social commentary or political criticism?
Political art can be presented and interpreted in a variety of ways. Artists have been commenting on the state of politics and society for a long time through mediums such as photography, performance, symbolism and semiotics, painting, sculpture and even activism. These explorations can appear to be explicit or subversive and has challenged corruption, greed and the bourgeoisie. The advent of the printing press and the Industrial Revolution in the mid 20th Century heralded a time where messages could be reproduced and circulated. This has increased at an accelerated rate with the advent of globalisation and the increased distribution of images across the globe. The digital age has extended people’s ability to communicate and share information and of course, art.
Questions to Consider:
Some works are clearly intended as a satiric look at the government, others are ambiguous. How do we know when we are looking at art that is satirical or otherwise critical of the status quo?
Each of the artworks above was created under very specific and highly-charged political circumstances. How did each artist’s relationship to or feelings about the reigning government at the time impact his career?
How does the style of each piece speak to the position and intentions of the artist? How does each piece relate stylistically to other works being produced in the same period?
Political art comes in many guises as we will see by a clear cross section of artists who present the issue of politics in a variety of ways. First we must ask ourselves, what is the definition of politics?
Politics:
1. The practice or study of the art and science of forming, directing, and administrating states and other political units; the art and science of government; political science
2. The complex or aggregate of relationships of people in society, especially those relationships involving authority or power
Source: http://dictionary.reference.com
Artists respond to events, politics and social issues in different ways and some artist works can be forces of political or social change. Often they are subversive works commenting on inconsistencies in government or need for social change. Messages can also be put in focus through public sculpture, monuments and architecture. Political artists have been rustling the feathers of governments for centuries. From Goya, Picasso and Kollwitz to contemporary artists such as Holzer, Sierra and Cerny. Artists have been involved in revolutions or question social politics by subverting the idea of the gallery space. It is always important to research the context and background of an artist to determine where they are coming from when criticising their work.
"Artists, curators and critics argue that all art is political - the status quo is either reinforced, rejected or rendered invisible. But should public money be used to support artists with a manifestly political message, especially one that offends and alienates a large sector of the community?" (Coslovich 2004)
TATE MODERN | This panel discussion gathers thinkers, artists and curators to discuss the role played by art in revolutionary processes around the world | http://www.tate.org.uk/context-comment/audio/revolution-we-love-you
Aesthetic Criticism
In order for students to engage with the artwork at a higher level, problem solving needs to be approached creatively. Bloom’s Taxonomy for the arts suggests that students should; challenge the values of the work through questioning, contribute and share comments, defend, judge and dispute and appreciate and/or support artworks.
The Conceptual Framework encompasses the artist, artworld, artwork and audience as engaging each other whilst existing as separate entities. Meaning can be gained from an artwork using this framework as a structure within which the relationship of elements creates meaning. This can inform artistic practice. In art criticism, "Structuralism is an influential movement that conceives of all cultural phenomena, including artworks, as sign systems that operate on a basis of a deep and hidden structure." (Barrett 2007 p.7) Structuralist theory perceives all cultural phenomena as sign systems that are based on a deep and hidden structure. The partner and opposite to structuralism is Poststructuralism and the relationship between the two can be likened to the relationship between Modernism and Postmodernism; Modernism affirming the 'absolute', while Postmodernism preferring 'process'; Modernism depicting duality, whilst Postmodernism describes plurals and flux.
The medium of artwork provides context, meaning and continuity. Political art can be loud due to the arena in which the work is presented. Also because it embodies the fundamentals of postmodernity which is itself an arrangement of entities or meanings presented beside one another to create different meanings. When students are looking for merit, value and meaning in a work of art, they must engage in critical inquiry. Students can begin by asking contextual questions and moving onto aesthetic judgment questions.
"Teachers must find ways to create the problematic situations that will promote genuine reflection about works of art, they must provide opportunities to acquire
the background knowledge needed to recognize problems and formulate hypotheses about meaning and value, and they must provide opportunities for students to test and revise their hypotheses through interacting with works of art in the presence of other interested viewers" (Geaghan 1998 p.302)
This level of critical inquiry can be presented very effectively through an art issues resource pack.
The Conceptual Framework encompasses the artist, artworld, artwork and audience as engaging each other whilst existing as separate entities. Meaning can be gained from an artwork using this framework as a structure within which the relationship of elements creates meaning. This can inform artistic practice. In art criticism, "Structuralism is an influential movement that conceives of all cultural phenomena, including artworks, as sign systems that operate on a basis of a deep and hidden structure." (Barrett 2007 p.7) Structuralist theory perceives all cultural phenomena as sign systems that are based on a deep and hidden structure. The partner and opposite to structuralism is Poststructuralism and the relationship between the two can be likened to the relationship between Modernism and Postmodernism; Modernism affirming the 'absolute', while Postmodernism preferring 'process'; Modernism depicting duality, whilst Postmodernism describes plurals and flux.
The medium of artwork provides context, meaning and continuity. Political art can be loud due to the arena in which the work is presented. Also because it embodies the fundamentals of postmodernity which is itself an arrangement of entities or meanings presented beside one another to create different meanings. When students are looking for merit, value and meaning in a work of art, they must engage in critical inquiry. Students can begin by asking contextual questions and moving onto aesthetic judgment questions.
"Teachers must find ways to create the problematic situations that will promote genuine reflection about works of art, they must provide opportunities to acquire
the background knowledge needed to recognize problems and formulate hypotheses about meaning and value, and they must provide opportunities for students to test and revise their hypotheses through interacting with works of art in the presence of other interested viewers" (Geaghan 1998 p.302)
This level of critical inquiry can be presented very effectively through an art issues resource pack.