WELL, WITH HARDLY A WORD:
Artists have had strong political opinions throughout history. They voiced them in monologues and songs and paintings. Any one who says they are not political usually means they are not political over any particular issue at the moment. Let an issue hit close to home, however, people will stand up for what they believe. At this moment, I believe I want Ellis to have what he wants: to be employed all day, not just part of it. I believe I hate the color of my front door and wish I had had a vote in the situation; I have voiced that opinion to the proper authorities. I have written letters to editors my whole life mostly regarding education. I've worked on committees and raised monies for the support of vocational education. (What artist would be against that)?I've marched for a cause dear to my gender. I've voted regularly. I believe in all of the issues touched upon by the following paintings--war, women's rights, environmental responsibilities, equal educational opportunities. Yes, I am political, but mostly with words.
I am an artist also, but the politics in my paintings support my strong opinions on the importance of family, not a big issue on the broad scale of things.Indeed a primal unit that has suffered as the new global economic system has developed. I paint my family to express my love and bring them closer. The following political paintings are about bigger issues; they are my favorites-- lined up as I thought of them.
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Diago Rivera, Fresco panel, Detroit Industry, DIA Rivera Court. American industry celebrated at a time
when the american auto industry was booming and Detroit was the fifth largest city in the US. Things
have changed since then, but Ford and GM are doing great things to turn the economy around. |
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| Norman Rockwell, The-Problem-We-All-Live-With. Or did. A lot of blood and public pressure put an end to segregation in the schools in the South. Brave innocents walking heavily protected to what she was entitled to as an American . |
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| The most famous political painting. Who doesn't know Guernica, Picasso's giant mural in protest of the Nazi's bombing the town of Guernica? The actual painting is done in gray blues. It's awesome. |
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Judy Chicago's The Dinner Party, Brooklyn Museum.
Woman power, Vagina power asserted over and over again, place setting after place setting in ceramic three dimension.
Women's rights was something I marched down Pennsylvania Avenue to show my support. |
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Edvard Munch, The Scream. A painting against war that is so powerful, it has become a cliche for
all situations that cause angst. I adore it. |
Ik vind het allemaal hel heftig ook om te zien maar kunst is het in ieder geval lieve groetjes Danielle
ReplyDeleteIt would be lovely if everybody could just paint flowers and pastoral landscapes. That would mean everything's coming up roses. Unfortunately, it isn't. Many artists are passionate people--the ones I showed you being just a few.
DeleteThe world is a sad mixed up place - it probably always has been. But we are all individuals, and if we 'do the right thing' in our own little area, then that's probably all we can do. But... if all individuals did their right thing, then who knows? Trouble is 'my right thing' will probably be different to ... the enemy's?
ReplyDeletePowerful images ... and I've caught your head cold ... damp blogs?
Yes and no. That's the problem. Yes and no. Everybody hates lobbyists, and yet everybody is one.
DeleteI was visiting your blog this morning. You and Pat are in the business that we used to be, but wiser. Where we failed is that we sold, via a sales force, originals done by many artists. During the seventies art was hot; the economy was not. We made our money through our representatives. Then the economy improved, and our 1000 art representatives left the art world and took "real" jobs. It was an interesting business. You do look cute in that picture.
Difficult genre... politics that is. There are at everyone lips on these strange era we live in. There are every conversation's theme in Greece right now. Are politics an invention of ours, or are a need?
ReplyDeleteGreat selection of art you have on this post, Linda. I adore Goya's Saturn.
Hugs and smiles.
PS. Hope you're feeling better today :)
Me too. I also enjoy Bacon's images which this one remind me of. Government is a need when there are more than two people in the room :-)
DeleteFabulous post with wonderful reference images. How it is possible to deconstruct these images and not have the basis of a sound personal philosophy to inform one's politics is beyond me.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mick. I just added the Diago Rivera painting (fresco) that didn't publish for one blogger reason or another. With the glorious addition of industry and people working, I think I covered what concerns of most people. I do admire artists like these who serve society on a grand level with their skills. I do believe that the broader the scope of the painting,i.e. the more people a painting touches, the greater the painting. I do not make great paintings.
DeleteNice post, full of honesty! Painters write with paint and writers paint with words.
DeleteThanks Gus. I try. Art is a language. Artists either have something to say or would rather not. But the ones who did, I think did paint the paintings we remember most.
DeleteLinda, I am very happy to have "met" you here. And I applaud both your position and your writing.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to have "met" you too Kathryn. I don't have a position. I am an observer. I am a lover of films and art. I just showed a video from a movie that took a political stance and one from a Television series that took a stance of the same sort. The Kingston Trio song, They're Rioting in Africa, just made me smile. I like to join in on the whistling part. But there's nothing to smile about when it comes to bombs and missals and disarmament. UNLESS your Nick Cage and you're the Lord of War selling American guns to our enemies. Good movie to drive yourself a little bit more confused.
DeleteSome artist is very political and want to share their point of view, I am not one of those, but I admire and respect those who do. I especially love Picasso's painting "Guernica".
ReplyDeleteGuernica is astounding, (but no more so than Liberty Leading the People; it's just bigger and done in a very contemporary style). I found the history that provoked all these paintings fascinating. All of them were born from civil strife. I told Ellis we had to watch the history and military channels more--and I suppose those will push me to the library and deeper exploration of our world history.
DeleteInteresting post, Linda, and powerful images! I share John's point of view: doing the right thing in your own little world maybe makes a difference in the big world. I hope your cold is better!
ReplyDeleteThanks Judy. Political paintings are interesting; the artists more so. When I was reading about Francisco Goya, I was fascinated to learn he was official portrait artist to the King of Spain. Then when France conquered Spain during the Napoleonic Wars, he survived being friendly to the French, but when Spain took back their country, the Spanish king never gave him another commission. I do think I've been bit by a history bug. Now I'm interested in the Napoleonic Wars.
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