Art and politics power totruth essay
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Transcript of Art and politics power totruth essay
“The investigation of the truth is in one way hard, in another easy. An indication of this is found in the fact that no one is able to attain the truth adequately, while, on the other hand, noone fails entirely, but everyone says something true about the nature of all things, and while individually they contribute little or nothing to the truth, by the union of all a considerable amount is amassed.” – Aristotle i
The truth can be liberating to the artists making, however the
truth can also be a false utilitarian, if the artist has chosen
to remain faithful to their truthfulness. Over the history of
Western art, power to the truth is often a repercussion of
visuality investigated in art history discourseii. Since the
breath of the Enlightenment period, the Orient has been mystified
into the artifice of translating the picturesque images of
Orientalist paintings as misguided representation. By contrast
the work of Gerome and Delacroix can be studied as two
juxtapositions disseminating the truth of studying the other and
being studiediii. Both artists are pinnacle to the understandings
of responsibly enriching the European knowledge of censorship in
their Orientalist paintings, debated over their truthsiv. Though
Orientalism remained a style, Artist such as Goya and Duchamp
challenge the status quo of their subjects being represented. These
artists chose to turn their back against their environments and
prove that truth to power is key as artist as producer to their
desire. However, desire of the artist does not always mean
representing the truth in relation to the artist. Artist such as
Jeff Koons invests to ingrain the truth of his ideas to stay in
the ivory tower. Defenseless to observe the public appreciating
Koons work as highly valued art, his hegemony of art covers up
the institutional networking’s of his company, unquestioning the
banalities of his public sculptures, changing the artist,
controlling the truth through his own criticv. This distancing
can also remind of biographical and historical truths expressed
simultaneously by Aboriginal artist, Vernon Ah Kee and Michael
Cook. Both choose to differ to remain different showing
difference. It
becomes apparent of Australia’s fall from grace that the power to
truth is built upon the Artists behavior emphasizing their
environment.
Orientalism has categorized romanticism, desire and most
importantly segregation of contrasting superiority between the
subjects of the painting. The fault of engaging the truth
projected from Delacroix’s way of working is reproduced by
similar artist who study the archaeological objects of the Orient
and use perspectiva (see fig.1)l, figurative and classical
conventions of painting to create an abstract scenevi. The
problem of power to the truth is when pluralism is the cause of
Orientalism. It is often misread how educational purposes of
these paintings map out accurately. If we look at the work by
Gerome (see fig.2) who has produce paintings from his nomadic
journey to the Orient, the content of his paintings in contrast,
may not seem as far, considering that he has experienced what he
has painted. So the power to the truth in this case is power of
hybrid form, taken action into the eyes of European buyers,
pleasure to their truthful understanding of the Orient. Even after
the post-colonial waves, the Artist as critic with power to fuel
the Western avant-garde continues to oppress the majority of
Artist to remain faithful to their truthfulness in practice. For
example, Artist during the Impressionist and Cubist movement can
be often be seen as Europe’s forerunners of Art and politics.
Little to know that, the truth which is read in Western literacy
there is muted information about the diaspora and international
artists such a, Kuroda Seiki (1866), Asai Chu (1856) and
Tsuguharu Foujita (1886) who remain in the absence in mainstream
literacy of avant-garde power.
Not all Western Artist that remain in the
grey areas of revised history, Goya and
Duchamps works remind us the importance
of the artist playing the fool to reveal a
reflection of the piece in all its subtly
and truthfulness in power. The status of
these artists have been highly regarded
as the fore runners of modernity.
Particularly to Goya whose style is
reminded as an allegory of classical art infused with a timeless
qualityvii. Often portraiture in painting is the patent truth of
the artist being in contact with the subject and proves directly
what is observed. Royal portraits in European classicism are
linear to the truth in that, representations of the reproduced
subject are modified however the existence of their glory and
wealth directs back in history of the family name in narrative
(see fig.3). In 1800, Goya began his commissioned painting of
Charles IV of Spain and his family. Amongst the royal members of
the family, they were seen as inferior to their entitlement, and
the public did not grow fond of the Monarchy as well. It is
FIG.2
interesting to see how Goya paints to emphasize the honoring of
their wealth and distorts their face in a character style, in
reflection to the general lament of the family. Within this
commissioned painting, Goya is situated behind the subjects,
which contradicts the perspectival and also subtle humor in
presenting both the power of the family, and the power of the
truth presented by Goya, without consequence.
Duchamps story can also follow another tongue and cheek, in
paying homage to Goya’s technique of sustaining a piece of truth,
then exploiting it in its entirety. Infamously known for his
fountain sculpture, which cause scandal the artist was revealing
if certain checkpoints are met in the white-cube, people will
believe what is presented. Though, these works have been convened
in the basis of Art economics through critic, the minds behind
market can also lead a false impression.
FIG. 3
If the Orientalist remained in the hegemony of high art, and if
the avant-garde deflected this idea of bourgeois, it is
interesting to see artist like, Jeff Koons who plays both the
critic outside the public bringing a weight of believing his
planed and factory produces of high art. Often Koons work has been
highly criticized in the art world, however his institutional
network of his company invests to create works, which are made
for the Art marketviii. Therefore, for the general public to
understand that it is a object of value and should believe that
it not a trick. The truth to power by artist can exploit the
inferiority but that’s not to say, it is not easy to create
distance from Koons’ balance of producing art value to the public
feeding them into the system of believing what the shaping of the
modern Art is. If Koons’ ideas remain as origins of truths in his
creative process (truths as an idea to be prophesied) the
question is where and how he makes it to critique out not within
the public, mystifying a truth by Koons that is rarely
considered. However, the character of Koons himself remains in
the American art institution a key figure of mainstreaming the
culture of museums and festival. This year, The Whitney curated a
solo retrospective of his work. Which is questionable to see how,
again debates about his institutional creative process and his
worth of his art (In 2013, Koons’ Balloon Dog sold for $58
Million dollars, see fig.4), becomes a fault of the public
believing in the extremities of signifying an art value of an
object. So in this study case, the artist as producer, who
envisions and abstracts it out may not accurately present an
object of valued art, instead a produce made to believe the
commercial gains to the artist, which in return effects the
grounding values of high art presented to the public.
Artist and their environment almost go hand in hand, in their
visual process of making and to most, history is an important
factual allegory to biographical artist, Vernon Ah Kee and
Michael Cook (see fig 5 and 6). These two artists share common
FIG.4
interest in Colonial and Post colonialism up until todays
modernity. They still use the past as a reminder of critiquing
Australia’s minimal progression with the Indigenous populationix.
Having to touch very sensitive topics, their works can come off
as a rhetoric image because the content they put in their work
has highlighted a strong failure of Australia’s miscegenation and
undignified treatments that sadly as the viewer who feeds on the
power of truth by these artist, most stand as bystandersx. So
even though the truth can present in its genuine visual language,
historically referencing and politically activating, playing both
grounds of critic and witness, truth as power, can only go so far
in action in the field of the public.
In this discussion as the artist as producer of truth, there are
points of the economical inventions of art being blurred in
understanding the foundations of the makings. However, as
observed in the humorous sides of subject being portrayed by the
artist, there is a seriousness of presenting the artist as the
joker, as one who can create truthfully on both sides of the
opposing relationships of the Artist environment. Though the
Orientalist may stand to be traffic of subverting the image,
questioning its inaccuracy is a practice, of what should be
accepted as the truth to mythologies with the truth of the
producer remaining faithful to their truthfulness in making. Even
if all truthfulness is presented, the issue of the truth being
power could result as a rhetoric image, which might question the
silence where the involvement of the public critic is engaged.
FIG. 5
FIG. 6
Books
Clark, John Japanese Exchanges in Art 1850s-1930s. Sydney. Power Publications: 2001
Holly, Ann Michael Past Looking: Historical imagination and the Rhetoric of the Image. Cornell University. New York: 1996
Lippard, Lucy in Hilary Robinson, ed., Feminism-art-theory: an anthology1968-2000. Oxford, and Malden Mass. Blackwell: 2001
MacKenzie, John Orientalism: History, Theory and the Arts. Manchester University Press. New York: 1995
Néret, Gilles Delacroix. TASCHE. Los Angeles: 2004
Nochlin, Linda, from The Politics of Vision: Essays on Nineteenth-Century Art. New York. Harper and Row: 1989.
Raobrecth Vanderbeekenn, Drunk on Capitalism. An interdisciplinary reflection on Marekt Ecnomy, Art and science. Springer Dordrecht Heidelberg. London: 2012 pp 53
Summers, D., “Representation”, Robert S. Nelson and Richard Shiff(eds)Critical Terms for Art history, University of Chicago Press,1996, pp. 3–16
Sontag, Susan Against Interpretation. Penguin. London: 2013
Walter, Benjamin in Brian Wallis, ed., Art after Modernism: Rethinking Representation. Moma. New York: 1984
Winther, Bert “Indigenous American Orientalism” Japanese after 1945: scream against the sky, Harry N. Abrams, New York, Incorporated: 1994
Yves Bonnefoy, The lure and truth of painting: selected essays on art, Richard Stamelman, Chicago Press, Ltd. London: 1995
Journals
Brogan, Walter A The battle between Art and Truth, Philosophy today, v.28no. 4, (1984-01-01) pp.349
Ray, Gene Little Glass House Of horrors, high art lite, the culture industry and Damien Hirst, Third text, vol. 18 no.2, 2004 pp 119-133
Mitchell, W. J. T., “What do Pictures Really Want?” October, no.77, Summer (1996): 77
Websites
Huffpost, Marc Lamont Hill and Alicia Menendez May 10, 2013 http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/segment/jeff-koons-new-york-magazine/518a95382b8c2a6c7e0000d9 (accessed 23 July 2014)
Forbes, Kathryn Tuller 25 July, 2014, http://www.forbes.com/sites/kathryntully/2014/06/25/jeff-koonss-whitney-retrospective-expensive-art-is-important-art/ (accessed 23 July 2014)
The Telegraph UK, Davie, Lucy, Is Jeff Koon Having a Laugh? 18 June 2012 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-features/9329136/Is-Jeff-Koons-having-a-laugh.html (accessed 23 July 2014)
Keeping History Alive, Art History Wednesday: The Family of Varlos IV March 23, 2013 http://keephistoryalive.wordpress.com/2013/03/23/art-history-wednesday-the-family-of-carlos-iv/ (accessed 26 July 2014)
Michael Cook, http://www.michaelcook.net.au/ (accessed 26 July 2014)
Herald Sun, White Fellas in the black 21 August 2009 http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/white-fellas-in-the-black/story-e6frfifo-1225764532947?nk=25c6a9b983d1e9f9901bb6edc23333cb (accessed 26 July 2014)
Appendix
Fig. 1
Eugène Delacroix, The death of Sardanapalus, 1827, Oil on canvass, 392X496cm, Lourvre http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Sardanapalus (accessed 26 June, 2014)
Fig. 2
Gerome, Jean-Léon, Slave market 1866, Oil on canvass, 84.8C63.5Cm, Williamstown Clark Art Institute http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:G%C3%A9r%C3%B4me_Jean-L%C3%A9on_The_Slave_Market.jpg (accessed 26 June, 2014)
Fig. 3
Goya y Lucientes, de Francisco, The family of Carlos IV, 1800 Oil on canvass, 280cmx336cm, Museo del Prada http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_IV_of_Spain_and_His_Family (accessed 26 June, 2014)
Fig. 5
Jeff Koons, Ballon Dog (orange) 1994-2000, Stainless steel, 307.3cmX363.2cmX114.3cm) http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/sculptures-statues-figures/jeff-koons-balloon-dog-5739099-details.aspx (accessed 26 June, 2014)
Fig. 6
Vernon Ah Kee, Austracism, 2003 Prints, ink; paper. 120X180cm, Nation Gallery of Australia http://artsearch.nga.gov.au/Detail.cfm?IRN=129593 (accessed 26 June, 2014)
Fig. 7
Michael Cook, Majority Rule, Memorial, 2014, inkjet print on archival Hahnemüle photo rag paper, 140X200Cm, Sydney Biennale 2014
http://www.biennaleofsydney.com.au/19bos/artists/cook/ (accessed 26 June, 2014)
i About.com, “N.S. Gill 2010”http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/aristotleworks/a/121610-Aristotle-Quotes.htm (accessed 26 June 2014) ii MacKenzie, John Orientalism: History, Theory and the Arts. (NEW YORK, Manchester University Press, 1995), 84
iii Néret, Gilles Delacroix.( Los Angeles, TASCHE, 2004), 12
iv ibid.:44v The Telegraph UK, Davie, Lucy, “Is Jeff Koon Having a Laugh? 18 June 2012 ,” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-features/9329136/Is-Jeff-Koons-having-a-laugh.html (accessed 23 July 2014)
vi Mitchell, W. J. T., “What do Pictures Really Want?” October, no.77, Summer (1996): 77
vii Clark, John Japanese Exchanges in Art 1850s-1930s (Sydney: Power Publications, 2001), 44
viii Walter, Benjamin in Brian Wallis, ed., Art after Modernism: Rethinking Representation. (New York: MoMA, 1984) pp. 300
ix Huffpost, Marc Lamont Hill and Alicia Menendez May 10, 2013 http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/segment/jeff-koons-new-york-magazine/518a95382b8c2a6c7e0000d9 (accessed 23 July 2014)
x Herald Sun, White Fellas in the black 21 August 2009 http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opinion/white-fellas-in-the-black/story-e6frfifo-1225764532947?nk=25c6a9b983d1e9f9901bb6edc23333cb (accessed 26 July 2014)