Blog #6

I have always had an appreciation for art. Although it was not until I took this class I understood its past and development at all. Like all things, knowing how art got to where it is today helps understand it further. What I am interested in is what will people read about when our time passes (if we make it over this summer :P). What will be considered "great?" Will there be an artist of our time that no one knows of, but gets discovered in 30 years, whos work is seen as the pinnacle of 20th/21st century art? Will the books simply skip over this century, as it does so often with others. Seeing the art being created so long ago is very humbling. It really has all been done before. Seeing the church commissions inspire abstract art decades later was probably the most interesting part for me. The way each previous century influences the next, building a pyramid of art that slowly morphs into modern day works.

Blog #3

Art today is used as propaganda in every extreme. In countries with corrupt governments, extreme propaganda is very prominent. Although you don't need a socialist government to have propaganda. In the recent presidential election, the famous image created by Frank Fairey was very prominent. Aside from the notable relation in style with those old Russian Socialist posters, (not saying Obama is) it also simply says, "Hope," showing a very direct message. Propaganda does not always have a negative connotation, as I feel most people make it out to be. It can reinforce a positive message, instead of a person with a bad one. Propaganda can be especially influential, mostly when it is the only thing someone has heard about a person or cause.