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Social Context of art
Art in its social context
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The questionable influence and dominance of western culture is at the forefront of a new form of seemingly ephemeral diplomatic history that is termed ‘new internationalism’. Internationalism itself is not really a new concept, and is basically a system based on equality for all people and cultures on a global scale. In the global art world ‘new internationalism’ is an active topic and was the focus of a 1994 INIVA Symposium entitled, A New International Symposium. The topics discussed included: Recording the International; Art, History and the Modern Museum; Beyond Diversity and Difference; Curatorship and International Exhibitions.1 During his lecture at the symposium, sculptor, essayist and poet Jimmie Durham puts forth the idea that, “…Europeans seem to think that, as art is their invention, effective art is within a developed vocabulary and accent…”2 This kind of statement emphasizes the enormous task of disuniting ‘actual’ art history from that recorded under the influence of western culture, and it demonstrates the long-standing influence of imperial thinking. In the article New Internationalism, Rasheed Araeen talks about how the West, after its separation from colonialism, continued its “hegemonic position” and global control (Araeen 3). Araeen’s main argument is that if we (all global nations) aren’t willing to acknowledge an obvious historical timeline that has been based on Eurocentricity (a focus on European history and culture), then the concept of ‘new internationalism’ will never be visualized. In other words, there must be a willingness on the part of nation states to fill in the omissions of history, especially in regard to art and culture (6). The INIVA Symposium is possibly one slice of evidence that seems t... ... middle of paper ... ...control. I believe there are really two distinct issues that have to be considered, one is that of a Eurocentric evaluation of fine art that is still widely present in major museums. The second is that the only way to overcome this stigma is through an honest recognition of the historical falsehoods created by the functions of colonization. Only through the resolution of both of these issues, in a post-colonial framework, will a true multicultural platform emerge. Works Cited 1) "A New Internationalism Symposium." INIVA. Tate Museum, London. 1994. Symposium. 2) Durham, Jimmie. "A New Internationalism Symposium." INIVA. Tate Museum, London. 25 Apr. 1994. Lecture. 3) Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnocentric 4) Bennett, Gordon. "The Non-Sovereign Self (Diaspora Identities)." Global Visions; Towards a New Internationalism in the Visual Arts (1994): 120-30. Web.
‘I want to show artists from the whole world, and to leave the ghetto of contemporary Western art where we have been shut up over these last decades’ (Buchloh & Martin, 1989, p. 27). Jean-Hubert Martin’s exhibition Les Magiciens de la Terre more than challenged, it stampeded into the contemporary Western art world demanding that it expand its vision beyond the generally agreed and understood definition of art. Martin wanted the art world to encompass the global through his sole curatorial vision. In a response to the centralised view of the art world of the time, Martin curated an exhibition to redefine this view and include his discovery of the art of the peripheries which he brought back to this local centre. Arising from this, the dominant
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, or LACMA as it is commonly known, is among the world’s largest art collections in North America, and to be specific enough the most prevalent artwork in the western United States (Compton 165). This massive art museum has a collection of over 100,000 artworks, which extends from the ancient times to present days (Gilbert and Mills 174). These collections, which are mainly from Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin-America and America itself, are grouped into several departments within the museums buildings, depending on the region, culture, media, and time period. This paper analyzes the different genres of art and explains the main features that make the Islamic artworks distinguish themselves as historic masterpieces, by using stylistic and interpretive analysis methods.
and Conflicting Feminine Ideals at European and American World Exhibition, 1873-1915." Identities, Places, Projections: World's Fairs and Architecture, July 2000: 1-35.
“To say pan-Arabism is ‘dead’ would be inaccurate- because it was never ‘alive,’ in any meaningful sense, in the first place.” Assess viewpoints for and against this argument, with special reference to at least one appropriate country.
Having understood that the world has taken the form it has through the domination or imperialism of Western countries, it is said that they are the agents that have greatly influenced the world; their ideologies in addition to their political as well as economic influences have spread across the globe through time (Headrick, 1981).
“Philosophers, writers, and artists expressed disillusionment with the rational-humanist tradition of the Enlightenment. They no longer shared the Enlightenment's confidence in either reason's capabilities or human goodness.” (Perry, pg. 457) It is interesting to follow art through history and see how the general mood of society changed with various aspects of history, and how events have a strong connection to the art of the corresponding time.
Iggers opens the book by talking about a revolutionary way that the Western world was taught about history. Throughout the book he ascertains the changes that take place throughout historiography and the nature of history itself. He also examines prior historical notions and the way that historiography was altered after World War II. History morphed from previous antiquarian teachings into a deeper, more evaluated approach. Historians gained a more intimate relationship with postmodern ideas and began looking at history in an objective manner using contemporary discipline. Iggers studies the way postmodernism was changed by new social sciences which allowed more detail into cultural influences and the problems surrounding globalization theories. He also explains the birth of microhistory which replaced macrohistory.
Unfortunately, not all of us are able to visit the world’s most amazing museums which showcase all of our favorite artist. Luckily, museums now have the ability to showcase their current masterpieces in stock online. In this essay, we will describe, analyze, and interpret three of my favorite masterpieces currently being showcased in three different museums.
Jacob, M. J. 2006. Making Space for Art. In P. Marincola. What Makes a Great Exhibition? Philadelphia: Philidelpia Centre for Arts and Heritage, pp:134-141.
He stated, "Orientalism is more particularly valuable as a sign of European Atlantic power over the Orient than it is a veridic (truthful) discourse about the Orient.” The nexus of authority with knowledge empowered the West to generalise and misrepresent the orient, consequently subjugating and controlling it. By exaggerating and distorting the difference between the familiar occident (West) and the alien orient (East), they are constructing the East as the extremely inferior, backward and foreign counterpart of the West, in need of Western ‘rescue’. It is therefore this colonialist podium, which the Orientalist artist stands on that, in part, generates Roger Benjamin’s notion of the ‘Oriental mirage’. The concept that a “travelling artists always has an unstable view of its subjects” is concrete, imitative painting of any kind is an estimation. However the Imperialist and Colonialist credentials of the orientalist artists inevitably skews this image further. The mirage becomes additionally distorted as they are faced with the obstacles of cultural misunderstanding and ethnocentrism. Jean-Léon Gérôme and Henri Matisse alike both ‘suffered’ from this colonialist cultural curtain, which was drawn across and
With the international immigration and wide variety of art forms, it is truly a wonder how we came to intertwine international practices and call them our own. Beginning with the 20th century, artists and their creations generated thoughts and feelings that contributed to shaping and developing what we know today as “American culture,” consisting of a combination of various ethnical cultures and art pieces made from artists around the world. Historical events, along with the feelings and expressions of regular humans sculpted the “American culture
‘Savage Beauty’ was an exhibition that pushed the boundaries of museology, in its artistic, social and critical undertakings. The questions brought to bear by the exhibition of contemporary art and culture in various situations is something I am interested in researching further with a degree in curating.
Frascina & Harris (eds), Art in Modern Culture: An anthology of critical texts, Phaidon, 1992
In the 1960s, E.H. Gombrich stated that, as humans, we have an epistemological need to classify things, particularly in the realm of art. However, the Western-Centric master-narrative of Art History has been exposed as flawed in its exclusion of many regions of the world, as well as its dependence on periodization. Adding to the problematic nature of this approach to the history of visual works, this linear framework of the evolution of art has hit a snag at the end of post-modernism, resulting in the scholarly debate over what comes next. In our globalized society, it has become increasingly difficult to make a distinction between art movements even in terms of location. This has resulted in an essential, yet deceptively complicated question:
To support using art for social justice and human rights there are influential techniques that get involved in the movement. The International Museum of Folk Art’s Gallery of Consciences’ goal is to “be an agent of positive social change by engaging history, dialogue and personal reflection”. The statement is an example of how art is seen to have a significant part to play against racism and intolerance. The power of the art is a reminder that good still exists in a time where it is often forgotten, this type of work can have huge social impacts and improve human