15 Aug Social Protest/Affirmation
Instructions: Please respond to the following four prompts after reading Chapter 10 in the textbook. You should base your responses on information found in the chapter and your own observations (you are also welcome to look at museum websites and khanacademy.org). There is also an artwork linked in the final prompt that you should watch. You must work independently and phrase your responses in your own words. If you cite from the textbook, or another source, keep it to a minimum, and include proper citations where necessary; for the textbook include (Lazzari and Schlesier, page # or section title) at the end of the sentence/paragraph. Each response should be roughly a paragraph or two. You can single or double-space your responses.
1. David Alfaro Siqueiros painting Echo of a Scream (Figure 10.7) and Pablo Picassos painting Guernica (Figure 9.28) were both done in 1937 in response to the atrocities in the Spanish Civil War. Compare and contrast the two works; consider emotional response from both artists, keeping in mind that Siqueiros fought in the War and Picasso did not. Then compare them to Robert Motherwells painting Elegy to the Spanish Republic (Figure 10.8), which was also a response to the Spanish Civil War. (An elegy is a poem or reflection of mourning.) How does Motherwell express his feelings? What effect does abstraction have in setting the mood of war and despair? How does that compare to the other, more representational (yet still abstract) works?
2. Some artists and art critics have been critical of social protest work such as the photographs by Lewis Hine of child labor (such as Figure 10.12 Leo, 48 Inches High, 8 Years Old…). This is because his work did not change the existing power structures, even if it did change public opinion about child labor and lead to reforms. The wealthy remained insulated, powerful, and privileged, able to gaze upon people like the textile mill workers. What do you think of criticisms such as this?
3. In addition to protesting social inequities, art can be an effective tool for affirming the lifestyles and values of the oppressed as seen in the following artworks: The Aboriginal Memorial (Figure 10.23); The Scene of the Crime (Whose Crime)? (Figure 10.24); and Light Sentence (Figure 10.25). Please select one of these artworks to describe and analyze.
4. A number of the artworks we have studied thus far are related to one another (as artists take inspiration from other artists and artworks). Address how the following three works correlate to one another: Crowned Head of an Oni (Figure 9.5), MetroMobiltan (Figure 10.15), and Drawing from Mine (Figure 10.31). How do MetroMobiltan and Mine serve to fight for the oppressed and/or question the status quo? [Please click play below to view Mine in its entirety. It is a remarkable work of art!]
Video for last promt (https://nv.instructuremedia.com/fetch/QkFoYkIxc0hhUVJOVGFNQ01Hd3JCeVR6RW1FPS0tMjk0YWViNjRjMDYwMzdlMTU5YzU5NWY5MTMwZTJkYjc4YTgyNmM4YQ.mp4)
Please cite from the book and the book instructions are in the file
