Remember, remember….

V for Vendetta is one of my favorite and most personally viewed films.  I have always been drawn to stories that use fictional scenarios to draw attention to everyday issues. The plot of V for Vendetta makes a huge political statement and is probably best known for the line, “People should not be afraid of their governments, governments should be afraid of their people.”  But is profound message what makes the film so powerful?  No, it is the skillful application of various thematic elements, coupled with great music selection that allow this film to be so emotionally involving.

Released in 2006, V for Vendetta was directed by James McTeigue.  The script was adapted by Lana and Andy Wachowski from a graphic novel originally written by David Lloyd.  In watching the film, it is apparent that it is carefully scripted for impact and word choice was incredibly important in the process.  For example, when V meets Evey Hammond she asks the question the audience is of course already thinking, “Who are you?” to which V has a most intriguing reply:

“Evey Hammond: Who are you?

V: Who? Who is but the form following the function of what and what I am is a man in a mask.

Evey Hammond: Well I can see that.

V: Of course you can. I’m not questioning your powers of observation; I’m merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is.

Evey Hammond: Oh. Right.

V: But on this most auspicious of nights, permit me then, in lieu of the more commonplace sobriquet, to suggest the character of this dramatis persona.

V: Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition.

[carves “V” into poster on wall]

V: The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous.

V: [giggles]

V: Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it’s my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V.

Evey Hammond: Are you, like, a crazy person?

V: I am quite sure they will say so. But to whom, might I ask, am I speaking?

Evey Hammond: I’m Evey.

V: Evey? E-V. Of course you are.

Evey Hammond: What does that mean?

V: It means that I, like God, do not play with dice and do not believe in coincidence.”

In this first exchange, V not only intrigues the audience, but invites them to begin questioning the sources of their information and how they look at things.  The camera angles in this scene as V rescues Evey from her would-be rapists and possible murderers are rapidly moving as if following the line of sight of a witness.  This contributes to the intensity of the fight by adding a frenzied feeling of looking back and forth to not miss any of the action.

Music plays an especially important role in this film.  V is very fond of classical music, and uses it as a part of his protest.  In this government there is much censorship, including over music.  In addition to beginning his “terrorism” with blowing up the Baily, a government building, he plays Tchaikovsky’s 1812 overture over the public loudspeakers.  This is an important thematic element because it was essentially V’s declaration of war on the corrupt government in this film. Other musical elements in the film come from various sources, but the most heavily used source is from The Count of Monte Cristo, an allusion to V’s obsession with his vendetta against the government and the way that he returns for vengeance against those responsible for the wrongs he experienced.  A victim of amnesia from his treatment in captivity, this drive is all V knows of himself.

There is a lot of symbolism in V for Vendetta. There is V’s attire, black as he is cast as the villain, with the white mask of his truly good intentions that can not immediately be seen.  The roses of Valerie are another symbol.  These roses represent the time before the oppressive and manipulative government took hold.  A time where people could be happy, and free and thrive like those vivid red roses.  Those flowers make Evey’s fake torture experiences real, in the way that they were for V.  They have such a strong feeling of love and hope associated with them in this film, especially in the tragic ending where a near-dead V is driven off with the bombs in the cable car headed for parliament, it is fitting that he is surrounded by Valerie’s Roses.

The act of destroying the parliament building is also a symbol.  It is a symbol of power given back to the people.  As V puts it, “A building is a symbol, as is the act of destroying it. Symbols are given power by people. Alone, a symbol is meaningless, but with enough people, blowing up a building can change the world.”  This is what V is aiming to do.  His entire purpose is to empower these people to stand up for themselves.

Valerie, played by Natasha Wightman, is not a main character, yet played a valuable role in the film.  She represents the homosexuals whose lives were ripped apart by the chaos caused by the government’s own terrorism.  She says, “I remember how different became dangerous.”  Her small role really personifies the terrible wrongs that were hidden from the public, what their government really did when it was “protecting” them.  She serves as a special source of motivation for the actions of V.

The most notable and most frequent use of Foley sound effects is in the  many knife motions of V.  V is particularly fond of knife combat and also enjoys the use of swords.  There is in many scenes the re-created swishing sounds of a sword or knife cutting through air.  There are also some interesting special effects associated in the fight scenes.  Especially in the last fight scene, seen below, special effects are used to trace the paths of V’s knives, as if slowing down time as he cuts his way through his opponents.

Another really good use of special effects is in the same scene when slow motion and exagerated force is used to make the fight scene surreal and almost like a dance, of which V is so fond.

A scene that really implicates the power and fear instilled by this government is the meeting with Chancellor Sutler after V destroys the Old Bailey.  The colors of the government, red and black, are symbols of death and war.  The combination is intended to instill fear.  Additionally, the detached way in which Sutler addresses his minions is highly intimidating.  They are in a dark room facing a large screen, which is placed above them, to show power.

The most famous costume of this film is of course that of the villain, V.  He sends his mask and cloak to every citizen in the country, inviting them to take his identity and support the cause.  Allowing them to don the masks is important to avoid persecution, but once they all amass, it becomes noticeable that anonymity is not an issue among thousands.  The masks gave them the courage to find the power they always had.  V gave them the direction.

“He was Edmond Dantes. And he was my father, and my mother, my brother, my friend. He was you, and me. He was all of us.”

Sources:

“Film Analysis: “V for Vendetta”” The Cinephile Fix. Web. 5 Dec. 2014. <https://cinephilefix.wordpress.com/2012/08/24/film-analysis-v-for-vendetta/&gt;.

“Full Cast & Crew.” IMDb. IMDb.com. Web. 5 Dec. 2014. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0434409/fullcredits/&gt;.

“Quotes.” IMDb. IMDb.com. Web. 5 Dec. 2014. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0434409/quotes&gt;.

“The Count of Monte Cristo Summary.” SparkNotes. SparkNotes. Web. 5 Dec. 2014. <http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/montecristo/summary.html&gt;.

What does it mean to be human?

In my research on contemporary art for this exhibition, I was drawn to what is perhaps not a new idea.  The idea of what it is to be human has been pondered since conscious thought, yet we do not definitively understand ourselves.  We are constantly changing, yet parts of us remain the same across the ages.  The question of what we become when we are no longer living persists along with the question of what our future humans will become.

Emma Allen is an artist and animator currently based out of London.  Her work is primarily body painting, but she also works with textiles.  She has created a variety of stop motion films showcasing her body-painting skills.  Her work, Ruby, made in 2013, is by far my favorite animation.  In this piece she follows the evolution of a human face through aging, death, and beyond.

Her use of color is so beautiful and her attention to detail is amazing.  The slight movements of the model throughout the piece add a humanistic touch, as if the subject is watching how time acts upon her existence and then goes on to allow us to see beyond.

Félix González-Torres was a Cuban-born sculptor and installation artist who worked in New York in the 80s and early 90s.  He was a part of the process art movement, which held that the experience of creating and re-creating the piece was as important as the finished piece itself.  The idea behind the movement was that the point of the art was to constantly re-create itself.  This is an idea we can see in ourselves as humans throughout time.  The piece that really drew me to the work of Torres is Portrait of Ross.  Ross was Torres’ partner who died of an AIDS-related illness.

This piece consists of 175 pounds of small candies wrapped in multicolored cellophane.  The piece represents Ross at his ideal weight.  Viewers are encouraged to take a piece of candy, gradually eating away at the installment the way the disease slowly ate away his partner until he was gone.  His choice to represent his partner in this way speaks to the way our memory takes on different forms after death.  This piece spoke to me deeply as it speaks with such a profound message of loss.  It also represents another portrayal of how life, and time eat away at us.

Lucy McRae and Bart Hess are contemporary artists who work both collaboratively and individually.  They describe their work as an instinctual stalking of fashion, architecture, performance and the body.  Their exploration of the exploitation of the human form for societal ideals as well as their interest in futuristic form evolution make their work both fascinating and somewhat of a pseudo-science curiosity.

This piece, Evolution Silhouette, was created for American Vogue for an exclusive article about age, youth and plastic surgery.  I think it is interesting how “ideal” body forms clash in this work.  The curvy sex-object is superimposed upon the slim form of the model.  Both forms are sought after in modern society, and this piece singles out the urge to change ourselves to satisfy the idea that we are supposed to embody a certain form.  The piece points out the fallacy of this kind of thinking by pointing out how fake and superficial these modifications really are.  What does it mean to be human?  It seems in the 21st century we are still trying to figure that out, and trying to figure out how to accept ourselves as we are.

Exploded View Part 2

Grow On Me Part 2

These two pieces, also by Lucy McRae and Bart Hess, embody the futuristic human form.  It is always interesting for me to delve into the concept representations of what the future may bring.  I love the way that these artists really experimented with their materials to provide texture and life to their subject, allowing him to transcend the typical human form.  The unusual appearance of their work really sets it apart and makes it eye-catching.  It is also important to note the role of modern technology in the preservation and presentation of these pieces.  Photography and film allows artists like McRae and Hess to preserve art in a dynamic and permanent way, when the true nature of these pieces is fleeting and temporary.  I think this idea in itself is also important to consider.  Appearances are so temporary, what we leave behind now are these impressions in film.

So what does it mean to be human?  The true answer is we don’t know.  This is a question for eternal exploration and artistic inspiration, to find meaning in this life we live and draw meaning from our lives.  We are familiar with the twin cycles of growth and decay, but there is only speculation of what may lay beyond, both in death and the future.

Sources:

“Emma Allen – Facepainting.” Emma Allen Facepainting. Web. 21 Nov. 2014. <http://www.emmaallen.org/&gt;.

“Félix González-torres: Portrait of Ross.” Shape Colour. Web. 21 Nov. 2014. <http://shape-and-colour.com/2010/06/23/felix-gonzalez-torres-portrait-of-ross/&gt;.

“The Magic of Lucy and Bart.” DAZED, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. <http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dazeddigital.com%2Ffashion%2Farticle%2F6040%2F1%2Fthe-magic-of-lucy-and-bart>.

“Lucy McRae.” Lucy McRae. Web. 21 Nov. 2014. <http://www.lucymcrae.net/&gt;.

The Profound Effect of World War I

In times of extreme shock and emotional turmoil, it is often easiest to express oneself indirectly.  Sometimes you have no words…only feelings, feelings that come pouring out of you like a never-ending waterfall.  This was the effect of WWI on art.  Art was the emotional outpouring of those participating in and bearing witness to the most brutal war thus far in history at that point in time.  This, very visually, gave rise to a new style of art, Modernism.  Modernism allowed artists to express their reactions and often rebellions against society and the messed up reality of war.  Events that traumatic didn’t call for realism, they called for abstract emotional reaction.  The poem Iron by American poet Carl Sandburg, written in Chicago in 1916, calls to the reader to see past the glory fairy tales to the reality of war which is death.

GUNS,
Long, steel guns,
Pointed from the war ships
In the name of the war god.
Straight, shining, polished guns,
Clambered over with jackies in white blouses,
Glory of tan faces, tousled hair, white teeth,
Laughing lithe jackies in white blouses,
Sitting on the guns singing war songs, war chanties.

Shovels,
Broad, iron shovels,
Scooping out oblong vaults,
Loosening turf and leveling sod.

I ask you
To witness–
The shovel is brother to the gun.

I like this particular poem because it first presents this very pretty view of war, the idealized sort of view one might get from propaganda supporting the war effort, but then finishes with a very simple reminder of the finality of war and death.  This poem shows the separation between the killers and the dead and the new disconnect between the two.  Yes the people holding the guns may be happy, but the reality is that they are using those guns to kill people.  The separation almost allows them to forget the murders they are committing, a scary thought to most.

With that said, the reaction to the war in the visual arts was also “spoken” with the same indirect voice.  Modernism gave artists the freedom to react and respond to the complex emotions of the war era.  Not all artists were against the war, some, like Gino Severini, were fascinated by the new mechanized warfare.  In this piece, Armored Train in Action, he depicts his observation of the new style of war.

In this piece, painted in 1915 in Paris, you can see his fascination with the new weaponry.  You can also see, however, that he recognizes at well that this takes the personal aspect out of the killing.  There is no facial detail to the soldiers, they have no identity beyond the function they serve, just like the turret above them. This work, interestingly enough, also supports a futurist idea of the time, that “war is a motor for art.”  The new mechanisms are signs of change, and the WWI era truly was an era of change with the new industrialization, mechanized warfare and evolving social and political structures.

Another great work of this era, Taube, painted in 1916 by Christopher R. W. Nevinson, depicts a child lying dead amidst the aftermath of an apparent bombing.

The title of this work is important. Taube translates as dove, but is also the name of a small German reconnaissance plane that could carry and deploy small bombs as well.  The dove represents the innocence of the dead child, but also their killer who is not in the scene.  These planes also had little control of where these bombs landed and were not there to see where and what they hit.  This piece is another reaction to the newly impersonal killing of mechanized war.

Sources:

“Gino Severini. Armored Train in Action (1915).” MoMA.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014. <http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A5360&page_number=8&template_id=1&sort_order=1&gt;.

Johnson, Reed. “Art Forever Changed by World War I.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2012. Web. 11 Nov. 2014. <http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jul/21/entertainment/la-et-cm-world-war-art-20120722&gt;.

Sandburg, Carl. “69. Iron. Sandburg, Carl. 1916. Chicago Poems.” 69. Iron. Sandburg, Carl. 1916. Chicago Poems. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014. <http://www.bartleby.com/165/69.html&gt;.

Scott, A. O. “A War to End All Innocence.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 21 June 2014. Web. 11 Nov. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/22/arts/the-enduring-impact-of-world-war-i.html?_r=0&gt;.

Tolson, Roger. “Art and Daily Life in World War 2.” BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/trail/wars_conflict/art/art_daily_life_gal_04.shtml&gt;.

Impressions of Impressionism

My personal reaction to impressionism is that I find the abstract and often loose brush strokes to be aesthetically pleasing.  The impressionist style is reminiscent of a memory or a dream, and the attention to light gives the pieces such a realistic element, despite their unfinished and unconventional look.  I much prefer the impressionist portrayal of leisure to the art of the Roccoco style.  It is idealized in a much different way, instead of luxurious it is more happy and pleasant.  The emotional effect of impressionist paintings is quite soothing.

Here I have chosen one of the most famous Post Impressionistic paintings, Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh, painted when he was in asylum at Saint-Rémy.  The advances in synthetic color during this era are especially evident in Post Impressionism as vivid color schemes and minimal color mixing prior to application to the canvas were popular techniques.  This painting has always reminded me of a dream state, the way he seems to even paint the air currents in the night sky.  It is interesting to note that this work was painted by van Gogh from memory, which makes the Impressionism effect stronger I think.  These paintings remind me of a stream of conscience type of thought, and I love them because they invoke more free flowing emotion than paintings of the Realist style, for example.

Realism is another popular painting style from the same era as Impressionism, but it doesn’t give me the same profound aesthetic experience.  While it more accurately depicts everyday life, a popular theme in the nineteenth century, Realism does not offer me the same freedom of mind and emotion as Impressionism.  My reaction to Realist paintings feels predictable.

While I do enjoy this Realist painting, Love’s Young Dream, by Jennie Augusta Brownscombe, I don’t feel the emotional depth from it as I do from Starry Night.  There are realistic themes in this painting in addition to a wealth of detail.  A young woman waits longingly for her suitor who can be seen in the distance approaching on horseback.  While there are things to think about in this painting, it does not stimulate my imagination or reasonably spark my interest in the way Impressionist paintings do.

Sources:

Finocchio, Ross. “Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History.” Nineteenth-Century French Realism. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014. <http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/rlsm/hd_rlsm.htm&gt;.

Samu, Margaret. “Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History.” Impressionism: Art and Modernity. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2014. <http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/imml/hd_imml.htm&gt;.

“Vincent Van Gogh: The Paintings (Starry Night).” Vincent Van Gogh: The Paintings (Starry Night). N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014. <http://www.vggallery.com/painting/p_0612.htm&gt;.

The Rise of the Bourgeoisie and New Artistic Freedoms

Big changes were happening both culturally and artistically during the classical era.  The middle class, or bourgeoisie, had recently become economically powerful.  On the other side of things, the Catholic Church was losing its influence over the culture of Western Europe due to the Protestant Reformation and other repercussions of the new Enlightenment thinkers.  Previously, the Church had controlled artistic influence because it held the wealth and was the major benefactor for the arts.  The ruling upper class had also been a major influence over both art and music, demanding the subject matter and musical pieces that most suited them.  However, with the middle class gaining the economic power to finance their own artistic passions, art culture was evolving in Europe.

Previous to the classical era, musicians were either employed in a court or by the church.  Their compositions were requested of them and they had little artistic freedom.  Additionally, they were often treated as servants although they were paid decently.  The rise of the bourgeoisie financed a new type of musical appreciation more open to the public.  The invention of the symphony and public concerts made music more accessible to the masses and with this the music began to change as well.  Sonatas and Symphonies incorporated familiar tunes from popular songs and folk music, which appealed to the tastes of the middle class.  This is noticeable in the third movement of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony no.1 where you can hear the well known theme of Frère Jacques.  If you listen to the clip in the link, you can hear the familiar tune, slowed down and in a minor key.  It sounds almost sad in this new context, but is soothing in a familiar way.

Visual art also underwent a major shift during the classical era.  At the beginning of the time, the Roccoco style of painting was in fashion.  It was characterized by it’s lavish and pleasurable settings.  However, this style of artwork did not suit the changing times and the rise of the new middle class who saw lavish living as an irresponsibility and yearned for a return to morality.  “Critics could look at the canvases of a painter like Watteau, where figures masquerade disport themselves in dreamy, parkland settings, and argue that they were the product of a regime far too absorbed in its own artificial pleasures and utterly cut off from the all too evident sufferings of its people.” (“The Classical Era.”)

Les Champs Elysees, Watteau

This painting by Watteau is beautiful and dreamy, but in a time when the vast majority of people were disadvantaged and literally could only dream of a life lived in this way, it was as if the art were spitting in their face. The distaste for overly pleasurable settings brought rise to a new style of painting, Neoclassical.  Typically depicting scenes from Roman mythology and scenes of self sacrifice, this style of painting was supported by the new moral yearnings of the bourgeoisie.  As you can see in this painting, Belisarius Receiving Alms By David Jacques-Lois, the new fashion was to depict acts of positive moral character that appealed deeply to the emotion of the audience.

Belisarius Receiving Alms, Jacques-Lois

I like this piece especially for its rare depiction of charity.  There is also the Roman soldier in the background with his hands up as if to say that he has no business there, where normally in this time period the government would have frowned upon such an act of charity.  The new bourgeoisie were trying to be different, however, and this painting is evidence that times were indeed changing.

Another major influence of the newly powerful middle class was the freedom of artistic subject matter.  It is interesting that first the freedom took the artists to their indulgences as in the Roccoco style, but once they realized the responsibility that came with that freedom and new-found influence, the Neoclassical style took hold.  I have chosen to conclude with another painting of David Jacques-Lois, The Intervention of the Sabine Women.  I find this particular work to be breathtaking in a way that not many works of this time period are.  The portrayal of women in this scene is both soft, yet powerful.  It is also irrational and sensational at the same time.  These women have run out into battle, it seems to save the infants who are in the middle of everything.  I feel like the infants represent innocence and honesty, and the women represent good will and the popular yearning for morality and rightness of the time, while the fighting men represent the still tumultuous world around them that they are seeking to change.  I really feel this painting is an embodiment of the sentiment of the middle class in the classical era.

The intervention of the Sabine Women, Jacques-Lois

Sources:

Behrman, Simon. “From Revolution to Irrelevance: How Classical Music Lost Its Audience.” International Socialism. 2 Jan. 2009. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

“The Classical Era.” A World History of Art. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. <http://www.all-art.org/history700_classical_music_4classical_era.html&gt;.

Estrella, Espie. “Music’s Role in the Baroque and Classical Periods.” About. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. <http://musiced.about.com/od/medievalto20thcentury/a/The-Role-Of-Music-And-Composers.htm&gt;.

The influence of the Catholic Church in Baroque Art

One of the functions of The Council of Trent was to define the role of the arts in the counter-reformation efforts.  It was decreed that, “by means of the stories of the mysteries of our Redemption portrayed by paintings or other representations, the people be instructed and confirmed in the habit of remembering, and continually revolving in mind the articles of faith.” (The Council of Trent) The Catholic Church during the Baroque period and the Protestant Reformation embraced and heavily supported the religious arts as a way to remind the masses of their faith and display the greatness of the Lord.

Baroque era painting is signified by expressive use of lighting, highly emotional and intense scenes, and the incredible translation into the plane of the viewer. In my research I was infatuated with the work of Caravaggio.  His non-idyllic representations of religious scenes bring a very relatable feeling of realism to his work, a feeling embraced by the Church as it helped to bring common people back to Catholicism.  Caravaggio is very fond of complex scenes which incorporate very compelling feelings of physical properties, such as gravity and weight.  This is shown beautifully in his work, The Crucifixion of Saint Peter.

Caravaggio

Michelangelo

It is interesting to compare the Baroque and Renaissance works of the same name as seen above. Caravaggio of course painted the Baroque version and Michelangelo painted the Renaissance version.  In contrast to the religious artwork of the Renaissance period, the art of the Baroque era was less idealized and embellished.  A major effort of the Catholic Church’s counter-reformation was to remove the idolization typically present in religious scenes.  The idea was to make both religion and the art more relatable than venerable and bring people back to the core foundations of their faith. The Baroque style also employed overlapping subjects whereas Renaissance art typically separates the subjects into their own plane.  The idealistic Venus Rising painted by Sandro Botticelli is a great example to contrast the Renaissance and Baroque styles of religious imagery.

 

“The 25th Session.” The Council of Trent. Trans. J. Waterworth. Hanover Historical Texts Project, n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2014. <http://history.hanover.edu/texts/trent/ct25.html&gt;.

“Anti-Mannerism and the Council of Trent.” Art and Theory in Baroque Europe: Anti-Mannerism and the Council of Trent. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2014. <http://witcombe.sbc.edu/baroque-art-theory/style3.html&gt;.

McKay, Brett. “The Basics of Art: The Baroque Period.” The Art of Manliness. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Oct. 2014. <http://www.artofmanliness.com/2010/10/18/the-basics-of-art-the-baroque-period/&gt;.

Humanism Portrayed in Michelangelo’s David

“this figure has put in the shade every other statue, ancient and modern, Greek or Roman… such were the satisfying proportions and the beauty of the finished work…To be sure, anyone who has seen Michelangelo’s David has no need to see anything else by any other sculptor, living or dead”  -Giorgio Vasari

A great example of humanist ideals portrayed in Renaissance art is seen in the sculpture David by Michelangelo.  Many aspects of the statue relate to humanism.  Firstly, the sculpture is a depiction of David from the biblical story David and Goliath.  The selection of this as a subject in itself exalts the power of man and human ingenuity.  The basic moral of the story is that it isn’t physical size that matters as much as having the smarts to find a solution to your problem.  This is very much a humanist ideal.  Humanists highly valued human intelligence and saw it as an equal or greater power to physical strength.

Looking at the sculpture itself, it is a celebration of the human form.  David is a representation of the ideal man.  His shape is very much realistic, yet perfect.  The way Michelangelo sculpted the body makes it appear very strong in the most subtle way.  Brian McClinton wrote in an article for Humanist Ireland that he, “freed the angel from the marble.”  This supports another humanist idea that humans are not inherently depraved and sinful.  Instead, Michelangelo presents man as an angelic and nakedly innocent creature.

Michelangelo’s accomplishment in the creation of David is also another expression of Humanism.  In this statue he demonstrates the magnitude of creation man is capable of.  He shows that man can create beautiful things and is not inherently a dark creature.

Sources:

McClinton, Brian. “Michelangelo’s David.” Humanism Ireland 177 (2009): 12-13. Print.

Image

About me :)

I am a lifelong Alaskan from Fairbanks.  I will be graduating this year from UAF with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a Minor in German Language.  I am very passionate about traveling and cultural exploration as well as adventuring in the great outdoors.  My career aspirations include working in international engineering consulting or management and I would like to work in Germany in the next few years.

My relationship with art is a bit diverse.  I have worked quite a bit with film photography and a little with DSLRs.  I really enjoy photography in that the focus is to bring new perspective to commonplace things.  I also grew up playing classical violin, so I have 10+ years of experience in the minutae of what it takes to manipulate the emotions of an audience with a musical piece.   In the same way that the speed and volume of a piece is used to manipulate emotion, I enjoy the way that poetry is like an emotional recipe to duplicate and aesthetic experience.  To me, art is the pursuit of capturing emotion, to record it and convey it to others in the same way it was felt by the artist.

The link I have chosen to include is to a site containing the portfolio of Humans of New York, a portrait project I like to follow.  The artist, Brandon, takes photos of everyday people in New York and along with a little caption about them, presents a snapshot of their life or world view.  I find his work to be fascinating.

http://www.humansofnewyork.com/