Lecture Questions D

What was the social mood after WWII?

The end of World War II called out for celebration; the world was relieved that such a tragic period of time was over.

However, the world also comes to the realisation that the developments accomplished in technology also have a down side. Einstein’s theory of relativity, a fantastic result of everything that modernism represents, allowed the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs that killed 2500000 people. And with photography emerging, there was irrefutable proof of the mass genocide that had taken place.

When the dust began to settle, when the celebrations were over, reality settled in. There was little that art could say about the arch reality that was being witness. Art responded to war in a fundamental way. There were two different ways they did that; The use of abstraction and nature, representing the world in a very existential and basic way; rejecting detail and approaching art in new way. Animals become the main subject over humans; starting to represent this democratic ideal of an anthropomorphic way to look at the world. Art also had this irrational approach, favouring the genuine and primitive. Children, amateur artists and mental ill people often connected with this approach.

There are also a couple of quotes and ideas from people that lived in this period of time that translate the mood after World War II. Francis Bacon gives us an idea of the post-traumatic stress felt by many after experiencing ultra-violence; even by looking at something as basic as meat in a plate, there is still a disturbing reminder of the reality, of the violence that was existing. Following this idea, Max Ernst responds “If the mad man made history and if the painting is a mirror of history, it must be mad to be true of its time”. The painter made use of the animal metaphor in his work, creating crazy images, abstracting himself from the outside world.

 

Why did America provide a new location for art and design?

Europe had always been the centre of culture but it had been decimated by war. And even though America was also involved in the war, it did not suffer the ground level attacks that Europe did; they were still able to progress in those 6 years and to keep themselves in a good place financially. America presented a much different cultural landscape, very technological and industrialised. Artists were in need of a new and good environment to create, so they necessarily needed to move away from Europe; and they decided to cross the ocean and settle in America.

 

How did the use of real, found materials like advertising impact art and why?

The culture artists found in America was mass media and consumerism; everything was easily accessible as well as easily disposable. And since artists are heavily influenced by what happens around them, art started to be seen as something as achievable as the products advertised. There is this new notion that art can be everything and anything.

Modernist artist Robert Rauschenberg is a good example of that. He created his work from found materials, objects that had been disposed of. He also used post war values about abstraction, animals and nature; notions that start to combined and fused with this new notion of disposability.

Artist Jasper Johns also followed this new concept; he recreated everyday objects, simple and familiar things, such as the American flag, and made something unique and extraordinary with them.

 

What is the difference between a ‘sign’ and ‘art’?

At this period of time, the line draw between something being art or an advert (sign) was really thin. Art always tries to mimic the present reality; we see artists like Andy Warhol use a common everyday item such as the Campbell Tomato Soup can as the main subject in his artwork. Andy Warhol created a parody, a reflection from experiencing mass culture; but at the same time, he was promoting, advertising, bringing special attention to that item.

Art is obviously a much wider concept; art is defined as the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture; producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power. Signs were also expressions of creativity and imagination, but that was only with the purpose of selling or publicizing a certain item. Art has a much higher purpose. However they were both trying to cause an emotion, an impact in order to be recognized.