There are specific and general reasons your comments appear extremely anti-semitic. — Hanover
It doesn't help that there are so many horrible people who deny the holocaust, but even so, does that mean that I am not allowed to say that there are also many Israelis that deny anything bad going on in Palestine too, unless I am a holocaust-denier, anti-semite? — TimeLine
I think it is, only because of the above mentioned complexity and sensitivity, but certainly it must be carefully explored. — TimeLine
I agree that there is something about a work of art, which draws us toward it. I wouldn't say it's the aesthetic though, because "aesthetic" already implies a judgement of beauty or ugly. So I would say that something "strikes" us, it's striking. To take your example of music, you hear something and it attracts your attention, but right away, you may have made a judgement of whether or not you like it. The judgement is based on aesthetic value, but you do not necessarily make such a judgement. You may just hear the music and think, well this is different, and I don't really know if I like it or not. Then you are struck without judging the aesthetic.
You seem to not be realizing the fact that good art need not "portray" anything. The artwork is a creative piece, it is made to "be" something, on its own, something stand alone, a piece of art. This is the reality of the art work. You cannot say that what it portrays is the reality, because it's not necessarily meant to portray anything, it is meant to "be" something. What it "communicates", is entirely a function of the audience, what "I get from it". That the artist intends to communicate is only true so far as the artist attempts to portray something. If the artist is attempting to portray something, then this may be, as you say derivative of the artist's society and culture. But I think it is wrong to look at any piece of art with the perspective of "what does the work portray", because the primary intention of the artist is to create something, not to portray something.
I assumed that the colours symbolised innocence just like the little girl in the red dress in Schindlers List. A child-like purity. But the difference is that symbol was represented in the moving image because it ameliorated the horror surrounding her symbol - that all the victims were innocent as she was - which is why paintings may be inadequate when discussing such horrors and the impact the violence has not just to the victim and his family, but to all those who belong within the social and political problem itself. It is no longer about the victim and thus more than just a mothers love in the eyes of those who claim authority.
Whilst this is understandable, what exactly happens to empathy? Are we unable to recognise and understand another person' emotional state? I have never experienced something like rape, for instance, but would that mean that I am unable to simulate the possibility and imagine my emotional state as though I were a person who has experienced it? This may be a question of aesthetics, I guess.People who go through experiences will often see and hear more than those who don't. It can be transferred through communication, but only that way. — Moliere
Again, this returns to my original problem, that somehow because of mad people who entertain horrible realities that suddenly Othering appears justifiable and unequivocally, even to those who are sincere. This is inexcusable. She is not an outsider, in fact, looking at what you wrote, conversely it is her empathy that helps us feel pure and free of racism, a united cohesion between those who are 'good' and those who are not; those who are human, and those who lack empathy. That should be the only division. In reverse, are we not being discriminatory back to her?She is an outsider. She should be treated as one. And, what's more, often times the suffering of African American's is used as a sick form of entertainment more than a bridge -- a kind of cathartic entertainment which is meant to alleviate guilt and help us feel pure and free of racism at last. — Moliere
Perhaps outsiders to our personal emotions, but not outsiders to our experiences. If I had an extremely violent father that caused me to become afraid of men, surely you can understand that. You cannot understand how isolating the pain feels of being hurt by someone who was supposed to love you, but nevertheless it would be wrong of me to say that you are an outsider to the concept of familial violence, even if you have never experienced it. It may frustrate me to see you underestimate the pain, but if you adequately express it somehow, you should not be treated as an outsider only because you have never experienced it.Since that is the case it really does make sense to treat people like outsiders rather than members. Our coming from different backgrounds makes it so that I am not the target of these persecutions nor do I feel their ramifications -- as such, I just won't ever be a member of the group. — Moliere
No, how could you? A painting is far more complex than the reality it alludes to. The camera's glaze is inherently dumb. Give me David's Death of Marat (which not so incidentally is also idealized) over any celluloid pastiche...any day >:O — Cavacava
I agree with you to the extent that any work of art must communicate something, even Cage's 4'33 communicates something. From the earliest cave paintings, to the most disturbing atonal music, to the highest form of conceptual art, there is communication, an intersubjective component in every work of art. What is communicated encompasses the reality of the work. What is communicated portrays something about the world (which includes thought and matter), what the work is in itself is purposeless (pace Kant). — Cavacava
I suppose the biggest question is the issue of sincerity. That's what I alluded to at the end of my last post. Does the artist have genuine feelings concerning the portrayed event, or is the artist opportunist, looking at potential controversy as a chance for notoriety and personal benefit. That would be a problem, for a white artist (or any artist for that matter) to take this "American Image", which was really a dreadful occurrence and shamelessly use it for personal advancement. Don't you agree that this would be bad taste?
We cannot really turn to the artist to ask this question, and artists are notoriously vague and obscure when describing the motivations behind their work. They prefer that we see for ourselves, what is within the work, and only tend to offer corrections if they think the critics have gone way off track. So the claim that it's an "American Image" is just an attempt to counter the charge of social appropriation, which I would agree is way off track.
But we still have the issue of the artist's sincerity, and the possibility of bad taste. We have to find hints of this within the work itself, true expressions of feeling would demonstrate that the artist is genuine. If it is true, as you say, that the image is of a sacred icon, then this would be an indication of sincerity. But I'm not sure that I see that. The beige could be an aura or halo, like you say, that makes sense, but it doesn't quite look like it to me. Is that really what the artist intended? What makes you say that it is? Why is there a straight edge and a sharp point at the top? I find the border at the top of the painting to be very interesting. I do see flowers there, as well as a white hand. What makes you think that the white hand is praying rather than preying?
Shutz's abstraction does not do justice to the reality of his violent death. Some think that by abstracting Till as Shutz has done, she has closed the casket because we don't see the essential, revolting realism. and this denies Till's mother's request. — Cavacava
The painting is of a casket, and as such flowers, hands, praying are expected. What perhaps is tough to explain is why they are white...except that if you were to accept my interpretation, then it is heaven, & all those little angels that hover around saints that form the top border of the casket, hovering above Emmett. — Cavacava
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