ALTRUISM IN ART
Art is an element of truth but mainly opinion, and is open to various interpretations around the world. It is an innate form of expressing ourselves in a creative nature and its very notion stirs controversy.
We cannot imagine a life untouched by art. Art lives in the form of paintings, architecture, pottery, photography, singing, dancing, etc. There is art in culture — the way we dress up, stand, sit and talk. The rangolis on our doorsteps on Diwali, that huge Ravana on Dussehra, the beautiful temples and not to miss Goddess Durga statues which have a new personification every year,… the shape, form, and style of the divas emerging every day; the ideas and skills in visual art can help transmission of cultural know-how, traditional and customs.
While the definition has varied rapidly over the years, it has been classified into various categories regarding changes in art over time, tracing a line through contemporary and traditional art. It is a component of culture, reflecting economic and social substrates in its design. It transmits ideas and values inherent in every culture across space and time. Its role changes through time, acquiring more of an aesthetic component here and a socio-educational function there.
The use of creative expression to cultivate awareness and social change spans various disciplines including visual art, poetry, music, film, and theater. To validate their points, artivists* cleverly employ parody or satire through culture jamming and other forms of “subvertising” — a portmanteau of subvert and advertising- to change the original meaning of a well-known image or corporate logo.
Artivism- artistic activism*
CASE STUDIES:
Guernica
Painting is not made to decorate apartments. It’s an offensive and defensive weapon against the enemy.
- Pablo Picasso
Guernica is a large oil painting made in 1937 by the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. It is one of the most powerful anti-war paintings in history and is regarded as one of his best-known works. It is exhibited in the Museo Reina Sofia museum in Madrid.
The grey, black, and white painting, which is 3.49 meters (11 ft 5 in) tall and 7.76 meters (25 ft 6 in) across, portrays the suffering of humans and ungulates wrought by violence and chaos. Prominent in the composition are a gored horse, a bull, screaming women, death, dismemberment, and flames.
Picasso painted Guernica at his home in Paris in response to the 26 April 1937, bombing of Guernica, a Basque Country town in northern Spain that was bombed by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy at the request of the Spanish Nationalists. Upon completion, Guernica was exhibited at the Spanish display at the 1937 Paris International Exposition, and then at other venues around the world. The touring exhibition was used to raise funds for Spanish war relief. The painting soon became famous and widely acclaimed, and it helped bring worldwide attention to the Spanish Civil War.
ADDRESSING RACISM THROUGH ART BY PEGGY DIGGS
Peggy Diggs of Galisteo, NM is an art worker concerned with social justice.
“I don’t tend to think that anyone person can change anyone’s beliefs, much less behavior,” says Diggs. “I think attitudes can be cumulatively nudged towards justice if people are presented with multiple renditions of thinking not like their own.”
Diggs has been exploring racism since 2007 often in the form of business cards and junk mail. After her father’s death, she made a very grim personal discovery — a receipt of a slave among old family papers. That led her to start addressing the issue.
She started interviewing participants about race and created her Being White series. She challenges her white viewers to explore their privilege.
“I think now my target audience is older white people, folks raised with an unquestioning belief that being White……it’s the unquestioning part that I would like to grapple with.”
As much as art is used in the form of welfare and employing creative means to ensure awareness, it influences the mass in a great way that can be accounted for by the changing behaviors, there needs to be a fine line between propaganda and artistic activism. According to Dannie Snyder, an interdisciplinary activist and the co-host of Re-Flect/Calibrate, with propaganda there is less room for interpretation because it tells us exactly what to think, feel and do, whereas good artivism inspires critical thinking and empathy.
There is an ethical debate regarding artists profiting from their work since society tends to view art as a hobby rather than a profession. It is important to support underpaid and unpaid artists for their dauntless expression and involvement.
Social media is great for sharing results, communication is the key. It allows the artists to connect and see others’ works and admire them. Some great networking websites that allow featuring of artworks are through blogs and portfolio websites.
I present a few artists’ views on promoting their art in the mass media.
Bob Flynn: I regularly post artwork to my blog, and I have written a few Flash drawing tutorials. Simply having an online presence is a good start, but think of the impact you could have by sharing information, ideas, and helpful tips. People enjoy reading about processes, so document your methodology as you work, and it will make for more interesting posts.
I wouldn’t be in this just to get my name out, though. If you’re all for show and self-promotion, you risk turning people away. Participation is key: I enjoy reading about what everyone else has to say. There’s more value in that, really.
Alex Dukal: I started writing little news on my website using Grey Matter, an old tool for blogging. Then I switched to Textpattern, and finally, I separated my portfolio and blog (now in Blogger) as a matter of convenience. In the blog from time to time, I’ll write an article or tutorial. Judging from the feedback I get, I’d consider it an effective method of promotion.
Jayme McGowan: I have a blog where I post images of my work in progress and updates on current projects I’m involved in. I use it to give readers some insight into my process. I think it definitely gets people more involved in my work. Most of the visitors to my main portfolio website were directed there either from my own blog or from someone who did a post about my work on their blog. I think if you keep your blog up to date and post regularly, it will be an invaluable tool for getting your name out there.
Challenges of creating a self-promotion strategy:
Bob Flynn: To be honest, I can’t say I’ve ever architected a real strategy. You’re talking to a guy who’s never even sent out a promo card. My approach has been to put myself out there and see what happens. Sort of the like adage, “Just be yourself” — that’s how you stand out from the rest of the pack. I try to update my blog at least once a week to keep people coming back. Keeping up with your website’s stats is a good way to see what’s sticking (i.e. where your traffic’s coming from and what your most popular posts are).
Alex Dukal: Yes, of course, as a freelance artist, self-promotion is necessary. I think the first challenge is having something to say, something to show, a reliable portfolio to back up that promotion.
Personally, I placed my bet on a portfolio that shows my best work, something that showcases the illustrations rather than the website interface and that makes it accessible and simple. And then there’s the blog, which allows me to maintain other kinds of contact with people: social networks, forums, contacts databases, etc. It’s a big garden; one must water and take care of it every day.
I think a strategy of this kind should be thought of in different phases. And you can’t expect a miracle before six months (though miracles do happen).
Jayme McGowan: My self-promotion strategy is fairly simple and involves social networks, as I mentioned earlier. When I got started creating a presence online, I came up with a plan by looking at the networks that successful artists who I admired were involved in, and I tried to do something similar. I was fortunate enough to generate interest in my work early on just by posting photos on Flickr and becoming an active member of the Etsy community. Many people who commission work from me say they found me on one of those two websites.
Now I use Facebook and Twitter (and my blog, of course) to keep people posted on what I’m up to. But to succeed in promoting yourself on any of these networks, you have to be truly interested in making friends and business contacts. You can’t just scream, “Hey, look at me!” all the time without giving anything back. I guess I have a subtler approach to self-promotion: let people know what you’re up to from time to time, and trust that they’ll follow you if they like what they see.
To keep the legacy of artworks alive, a great number of world-class artists are collectors of drawings. Many people also collect drawings as a form of personal expression and entertainment.
Celebrated European painters including Edgar Degas, Joshua Reynolds, and Giorgio Vasari were passionate collectors, and their appetites for drawings by old and contemporary masters compelled them to acquire exceptional examples of craftsmanship by artists such as Delacroix, Raphael, and Rembrandt. These drawings were valued as intellectual property, powerful status symbols, and works of art in their own right.
Contemporary artist Deborah Brown says what it means for her to collect art-
Like many artists, I own artworks by artist friends and colleagues. The works in my collection were largely acquired during the time when I directed and programmed Storefront, one of the early artist-run galleries in Bushwick, Brooklyn. It was my habit to acquire works from the shows I organized as a way to support artists’ careers and express my enthusiasm for their practice.
Being surrounded by these works is a daily pleasure. Most of them are hung in my warehouse studio in East Williamsburg where I can see them every day. One wall is hung salon-style with small works, but other works climb other walls in other rooms. Who better than an artist to appreciate another artist’s work?
Deborah Brown
May 2021
Art revolves around nature and vice versa. The very foundation of art is nature. Artwork based on nature can take many forms and serve many purposes. Because “nature” is such an immense topic that encompasses so many things. Photography captures the canvas of art in nature. Everything in nature strives on connections and we reside on it.
Enlightenment is stimulation to the artistic energy. The art of enlightenment is the glistening of the amber. To restore the balance between beauty and existence, it is worthwhile to keep walking down the line, discover and explore and create beautiful art. The universe is a treasure trove of worthwhile art.
Written by Tanulima Sarma of The Phonetic House
