Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Propaganda in art history
Propaganda art during the world war
World War II propaganda art
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
The art work of Banksy is politically charged and tugs at your humanitarian side with just a look. The three images that we will look at were painted on the Apartheid Wall in Israel. This wall separates the West Bank and Israel. Banksy opposes this wall because as he states on his website, “The wall is illegal under international law and essentially turns Palestine into the world’s largest open prison”. Looking at these three images we get a sense of the bigger message behind the art. These images are surprising at first because they mix innocence and violence to prove a point of universal peace and how war affects the people.
The first image we see is that of a dove with a bullet proof vest on and a red sniper dot pointed at its chest. This image has a lot of meanings. The dove is a universal sign for peace. Banksy could be using the dove to show that activists want peace between Israel and Palestine. The red sniper dot can symbolize the Israeli government trying to “kill peace” or start an international fight by putting up this wall to surround Palestine. The bullet proof vest on...
Joseph Hirsch’s painting Daniel was painted in 1976-1977. In 1978 during the153rd Annual Exhibition of the National Academy of Design, it won the First Benjamin Altman (Figure) prize. It measures 38 inches by 45 inches (96.52 cm x 114.3 cm) with a five inch gold wood frame surrounding it. The medium is oil on canvas. Everything within the painting is centered to draw your eyes to the action of the turned head and the pointed finger. According to the placard next to the painting this is a modern day version of the biblical story of Belshazzar’s Feast following the sacking of Jesualism from the Book of Daniel. From this point on, each figure within the painting will be addressed as Hirsch intended. The painting depicts a seated king, a dozing courtesan and Daniel. The three figures are the focal point of the composition. Hirsch uses a strong color palette to give the painting a luxurious and wealthy feel. Although the detail is not miniscule, the composition as a whole is easily understood. The use of oil paint allowed Hirsch to play with the composition as it was created.
Visually, both Wassily Kandinsky’s Composition VII and Jackson Pollock’s No. 2 constitute a chaotic arrangement of colors and images with no apparent relation to one another. The randomly scattered paint, large canvas, and over-clamped figures all build a similar visual chaos in both paintings. Despite the mayhem, the two paintings differ in the inner emotions each artist wanted to express and the nature of the “chaos.” While for Kandinsky the chaos represents the smooth and melodic sentiments raised by music, for Pollock the chaos depicts the more spontaneous and impulsive emotions. The authors’ differing goals lead Kandinsky to ponder and refine his painting to capture a more universal theme and Pollock to develop his “drip” painting method
With an admiration for the unconventional, I am moved by Jackson Pollock’s Autumn Rhythm (number 30). If I could see any art piece in person, this would be my choice. I believe that Pollock’s radical painting style and the way in which he lay the canvas flat on the floor to work, gives this piece a deepened perspective. There is a visible control in the chaos to which Pollock has said "I can control the flow of paint: there is no accident." Seeing this piece in person would awaken my unconsciousness, and convey the feeling of spontaneity that I wish society will still embrace.
So in the end, everyone has to make their own interpretation of this piece of art. If the goal of art is to prompt a strong emotional response from those who view it, then ultimately, the Banksy painting “Looters” succeeded. However, the memory of the actions taken by the soldiers of the National Guard after Hurricane Katrina will live on in the hearts and minds of Katrina victims, not because of a painting by some European of them removing any valuables they could find, but by the little paintings of x’s that the soldiers left on all houses where they removed any survivors they could find.
Have you ever looked at a pond and squinted your eyes? Well if you have you would know exactly how Claude Monet felt. Around the time of this painting Monet was losing his eyesight. It seems to me that this painting was actually meant to be realistic, Monet just painted what he saw, how he saw it. It's kind of weird how he achieved this fuzzy look, he doesn't use any real hard edges on any of the forms, but they aren't really faded that much either, It could just be the use of alike colors (in this case green and blue) which make the edges of the lilies fade into the edge of the water.
Though most works of art have some underlying, deeper meaning attached to them, our first impression of their significance comes through our initial visual interpretation. When we first view a painting or a statue or other piece of art, we notice first the visual details – its size, its medium, its color, and its condition, for example – before we begin to ponder its greater significance. Indeed, these visual clues are just as important as any other interpretation or meaning of a work, for they allow us to understand just what that deeper meaning is. The expression on a statue’s face tells us the emotion and message that the artist is trying to convey. Its color, too, can provide clues: darker or lighter colors can play a role in how we judge a piece of art. The type of lines used in a piece can send different messages. A sculpture, for example, may have been carved with hard, rough lines or it may have been carved with smoother, more flowing lines that portray a kind of gentleness.
According to Erin Monroe and Realista Rodriguez, “Keith Haring was born on May 4, 1958 to Joan and Allen Haring, residents of Reading, Pennsylvania” He is a painter who according to Erin and Realista “encouraged drug awareness through his ‘Crack is Wack’ murals” in 1986. Israel described the media as a “mural” in NYC, due to its location next to passing cars on the Harlem River Drive (in Manhattan at 128th Street)
At a logical level, this image most likely will resonate with someone who is able to understand the purpose behind the message or someone who is familiar with Banksy’s work. As portrayed in the image, the elderly man, who probably not aware with Banksy’s rising popularity, seems be having more difficulty trying to find the purpose and logic behind the image rather than the two younger individuals. Nevertheless, he is still intrigued by the image, which validates the logical aspect of the image. This claim can also be tied with the emotional level of the image. The two younger men seem to be accepting of the image, while the old man seems to be struggling to find meaning. People who accept the image probably have an easier time assessing their emotions rather than someone who has never seen an image as controversial as the images that Banksy creates. The ethical level of the image is once again portrayed by the body language of the individuals. Because of the provocative style of most Banksy images, some children might get scared or confused when they those drawings, which could ultimately explain why the man seems to be holding the child close to him. The elderly individual has his hand on his chin which is another indicator of interest, and ultimately does not seem to have any view on the ethnical aspect of the
Imagine watching the camera footage that you filmed earlier hoping to see nothing, but you see a young boy and girl crawling out of a painting that you bought for your young child. This happened to families who owned “The Hands Resist Him” painting. This painting has caused many families sheer terror. This painting has received the nickname “The Ebay Haunted Painting” after being sold on Ebay in February of 2000. Many unusual reports have been made of the horrifying painting. “The Hands Resist Him” is still intriguing people to this day.
Banksy may have been exploring the idea of freeing the people who saw his piece by revealing to them the truth of what they are actually doing and how we as a nation treat consumerism higher than we treat respect for our country. Banksy has depicted this idea by having two people standing at attention in front of a flag pole while another person is hoisting a ‘flag’, this ‘flag’ that Banksy has used is actually a Tesco bag that is flying in the wind. The meaning relates to the viewer of the piece by using a plastic bag with a label on it that most people know and that most people know what the label actually is, the effect that the work might have on people would be a sense of truth and realisation. The artist’s message of the work could be interpreted in many ways and may have a different effect than what was intended on people depending on their
Jackson Pollock born on 29th January 1912 in Wyoming. Pollock studied with Thomas Hart before leaving traditional techniques to explore abstract and expressionism. Pollock’s father was an abusive alcoholic which he then left the house. Then Charles, Pollock’s brother was like a father for Jackson Pollock. Charles was an artist he was considered the best in the family. Charles greatly influenced Pollock. Pollock enrolled in a manual art school from which he was expelled twice. Pollock then abandons his creative pursuits. Pollock then studies with Charles’s art teacher. During the depression president Franklin Roosevelt created Public works of art project. Pollock and Sanford (Pollock’s other brother)
In the article “Revolution in a Can” by Blake Gopnik, he states, “The most elaborate images from Egypt, Libya, and Haiti today look very much like the 1980s paint jobs on New York subway cars and warehouse facades, and yet their point is not to function as art but to work as carriers of content and opinion” (114). In other words, graffiti is used to show how people truly feel inside. This is important because in addition to being considered art, it also serves the function of expressing oneself if that freedom does not exist. As a matter of fact pieces like this can be found all over the world. They are located on the Palestinian West Bank, on a wall on Benghazi in Libya, and in Tahrir Square in Egypt. A piece of graffiti art that epitomizes this is Begging for Change by graffiti artist Meek. The work engaged the public since it was done right near a train station. It features a homeless man holding a sign that reads, “Keep your coins, I want change”. The piece radiates a very powerful message stating how money can’t solve
Joe Sacco’s graphic novel, Palestine, deals with the repercussions of the first intifada in Israel/Palestine/the Holy Land. The story follows the author through the many refugee camps and towns around Palestine as he tries to gather information, stories, and pictures to construct his graphic novel. While the book is enjoyable at a face level, there are many underlying themes conveyed throughout its illustrated pages and written text.
Banksy’s artwork was effective in achieving it’s purpose because of it’s appeal to the heart, and in what is perceived as a dismal area where there is little hope, it most likely affected the view some may have on life, if not for just a moment.
Conservative people would call Banksy’s graffiti as being vandalism instead of recognizing the fact he brings social issues to the eyes of the people through artwork. “Son of a Syrian Migrant Worker” and “Migrant Birds” both display how ridiculous we, humans, truly appear when trying to argue over immigration worldwide. Graffiti benefits urban societies of the 2010 era because, the art form is not only used to express ones’ emotions but, express their political objectification, in this case, Banksy addressed the issue of immigration. Banksy’s graffiti functions as a social critique because he uses humor to explain the societal issue of immigration; “Migrant Birds” is more persuasive than “Son of Syrians Migrant worker” because Banksy shows