Purposes of Art - Summary

Purposes of Art

  • Art gives voice and recognition to marginalized groups.
  • Eugene Delacroix's "Liberty Leading the People" commemorated the July Revolution of 1830 and served as an example of art and social consciousness.
  • The painting inspired the Statue of Liberty.

Cultural and Personal Reasons for Creating Art

  • Cultural and personal reasons for creating art can overlap.
  • Rulers commission portraits to project a certain political image.
  • Margaret Thatcher's tailored suits in Royal blue:
    • Photographed well.
    • Denoted power.
    • Associated with trustworthiness.
    • Color of the Conservative Party.
  • Symmetry in images connotes stability.
  • Patron: Person or institution that hires the artist.

Portraits and Self-Portraits

  • Two types:
    • Personal viewing.
    • Public viewing
  • Francisco Goya:
    • Private self-portrait, Goya Attended by Doctor Arietta (1820): recorded a significant moment of being cured of a potentially fatal illness.
    • Commissioned portrait, Conde de Floridablanca: Official political portrait with cultural meaning beyond the personal
      • Count dressed in striking bright red official uniform.
      • King Carlos III portrait on the back wall signifies order of the kingdom.
      • Goya includes self-portrait as self-promotion.

Commemoration and Documentation

  • Recording events is a primary motive for image making.
  • Trajan's Column: Historical document glorifying Emperor Trajan's victories over the Dacians through relief sculptures.
  • Bayeux Tapestry: Commemorates William the Conqueror's victory in 1066; a political document celebrating appropriated technology (Viking ships).
  • Photography:
    • Matthew Brady: Documented the American Civil War.
    • James Vanderzee: Documented contemporary life during the Harlem Renaissance.
  • Romare Bearden:
    • Collage was the method in which Ramir Bearden recorded his recollections of urban life.

Commemoration and Religion

  • Religious beliefs motivate art creation.
  • Neolithic people of Jericho refashioned skulls as part of an ancestor cult.
  • Albrecht Dürer's Saint James: Imaginary portrait conveying the apostle's powerful presence and the importance of pilgrimage.
  • Reliquaries: Hold relics of saints; act as intermediaries for healing properties.

Political Imagery

  • Political imagery is designed to show rulers in a certain light.
  • Louis XIV of France (the Sun King) used Versailles and the Hall of Mirrors to project power.
  • Equestrian portrait: Shows a ruler on horseback; symbolizes the ruler's control.
    • An equestrian portrait shows a ruler on horseback
  • Washington Crossing the Delaware: Idealized portrait of George Washington

Political and Social Protest

  • Artists create imagery to affect social change.
  • Pablo Picasso's Guernica: Protest against the Nazi bombing of Guernica and the rise of fascism.
    • The horse represents civilization nearly being destroyed by tyranny.
  • Faith Ringgold's Flag for the Moon Die N**r: Protests racism and the misuse of funds for space exploration.
  • Bettye Saar's The Liberation of Aunt Jemima: Protests the black mammy stereotype.

Advertising Imagery

  • Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec elevated posters to an art form, advertising performances at the Moulin Rouge.
  • Milton Glaser's poster of Bob Dylan reflects the singer's appearance and style of songs.