Similarities Between Artifice And Art In Alison Bechdel's Fun Home

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Throughout chapter one of Fun Home, Alison Bechdel portrays artifice and art as two very similar but distinct things; both overlapping and making it hard to differentiate between what is what. Art, in her view, is the truth, and a skill that has to be mastered. On the other hand, artifice contains partial, or full, amounts of falsehood; it covers up the truth in some way but contains art in itself. Artifice can be, like art, something mastered, but can also be a coping mechanism to cover up something good or bad. Bechdel turns both art and artifice into a very interlinked, combined, version of the two forms. When truth and falsehood are combined, after awhile, it becomes a challenge to distinguish between the two; evidently true to herself. …show more content…

He led people to believe what has was not, but this shows the truth, his real job.
Chapter 1, Page 7, Third Frame
He has all of the heads of the people looking down, and Bruce occupied with a book called “Architectural Digest.” This shows the reader that he never gets away from what he does to cover up the truth in his life, restorator of old houses. The students look bored, focused and tired through their facial expressions and hand gestures. This shows how he never leaves the false impression he leads people to believe, the art or artifice he expresses to people.

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In her graphic novel, she explores the art and artifice in her life. Alison decides that art is the truth and must be mastered, something beautiful. On the other hand, she comes to the fact the artifice is the falsehood she has encountered in life. Artifice can be an artform, but also a way of covering up the truth and taking on a fake personality and life. Even the chapter one beginning photo says, “Old father, Old Artificer.” This shows the differences between the two, and that art allows you to be free and artifice keeps people enclosed, not telling is still

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