Vocabulary Flashcards: Vietnam Memorial & Mapplethorpe Controversy
Course logistics and exam prep
Exam Week Five: multiple choice/true-false, includes image identification (artist, material, contextual term).
Focus: context (conditions surrounding art creation) and content (subject and meaning).
Resources: CAPS, Disability Support, Student Wellness are available.
Today's lecture covers two controversial artworks; topics include representational, abstract, and nonobjective art.
Key concepts and vocabulary
Context: Social, political, cultural conditions during art creation.
Content: Artwork's subject matter and meaning.
Representational art: Realistic depiction.
Abstract art: Non-representational forms, not depicting recognizable objects.
Nonobjective art: Forms focused on color, line, composition, not recognizable objects/scenes.
Public art vs. private art: differences in audience, accessibility, and potential controversy.
Censorship and funding: influence on art display and support withdrawal.
Ethics of representation: how identity affects reception.
Protests and memorials: art for memory, dialogue, and healing.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial (Maya Lin)
Artist and design context: Maya Lin, young Asian American architect; won anonymous national design competition (1,400 entries).
Design features: Long, shallow, black granite walls, sunk into earth. Over 58{,}000 names inscribed chronologically by date of death. Highly reflective surface, creates mirror effect, blending viewer with memory. Described as an edge opening to earth, not a closed wall.
Rationale: Avoid political statements, honor sacrificed lives. Names represent individual reality.
Controversies: Abstract design, lack of heroic imagery. Backlash due to Lin’s identity (young, Asian American) and perceived lack of traditional heroism.
Resolution: A more representational sculpture was added adjacent. In 1993, a separate element honored women veterans (approx. 10{,}000 added).
Function as public memory: Visitors interact by rubbing names, using lookup tools. Traveling replicas extend commemoration.
Significance: Challenges traditional war memorials, prioritizes collective loss and individual memory. Reflects broader conversations about the Vietnam War.
Mapplethorpe: controversy around sexuality, obscenity, and art’s freedom
Artist and context: Robert Mapplethorpe, 1970s-80s photographer. Documented NYC art/music scene, including gay life. Pushed boundaries of obscenity vs. artistic merit.
The X and Y Portfolios: Included explicit imagery, central to obscenity debates.
Legal outcome: Court ruled X and Y portfolios, viewed together as intended, possessed artistic merit and were not obscene; context/presentation matter.
Artistic approach: Meticulously composed, rigorous eye for form, line, light. Elevated photography to high art, challenged art/life boundaries. Explored beauty, sexuality, mortality, taboo.
Implications: Debates on public funding, congressional scrutiny, artistic freedom vs. societal norms, LGBTQ representation.
Ethical, philosophical, and practical implications
Balance freedom of expression with public sentiment and funding decisions.
Identity (gender, race, sexuality) significantly impacts art reception.
Art serves as memory and healing, connecting to collective events.
Curators and educators must provide context for controversial material.
Design choices profoundly shape public memory.
Practical tips for studying and exam preparedness
Recall key terms: context, content, representational, abstract, nonobjective.
Understand how context shapes interpretation of Vietnam Memorial vs. Mapplethorpe.
Identify types of controversy (aesthetics, politics, morality, representation, funding).
Remember factual references: 58{,}000 names (Vietnam Memorial), 1{,}400 competition entries, 10{,}000 women veterans added (1993), naming from 1959.