Art Portfolio Two - Political Art

Hungry times in Petrograd. A lady and her daughter gather potato peelings and herring heads in the garbage by Ivan Vlamidirov 1919

What I have learned so far from watching short videos and articles, is that political art is a form of activism and artists have always felt the need to express their political views and feelings in art. They have given voice to leaders, movements and even express their individual statements. Art can be the driver of empathy needed for peace or comfort. Käthe Kollwitz is one of the most recognised women artists of the twentieth century. She lived during war time and witnessed both world wars. Her drawings are still admired because she was expressing and depicting the impact war and war sentiments both individual and social. She lost a son and a grandson in both wars and her art consists of sentimental depictions of personal loss, mourning, pain and death. She channelled her own tragedy to deliver powerful statements that could be felt by just looking at. She was also concerned with depicting working class struggle and the impact of war on the most vulnerable in society. We can go back to any revolution or any war that happened in modern history and find artists who were concerned with depicting what happened and usually their report give us more insight than any written historical document in my opinion. We say 'an image is worth a thousand words' and I add 'thousand words are not enough to describe the depth of one image'. Otto Dix have also shed a light on the dark time of world wars by giving us the brutal side of war. He depicted destruction, sickness and death. His political art is very depressing, but that was his point, to communicate the harsh reality of conflict. The Russian realist Ivan Vladimirov have also depicted day to day life of poor people in Russia during the Russian revolution 1917. His work gives me the side of history that is not concerned about winning or loosing, but about all the ignored details to ordinary people's lives that happened during chaotic times, and I get the feeling of instability and insecurity of ordinary Russians at that time and how they struggled with cold weathers and poverty. Also, he depicted the better side of us during hard times, like how the the Russian community worked cooperatively to overcome and survive. In conclusion, art is not always beautiful or comforting. Sometimes art needs to be expressed in accordance with its extreme, ugly or dark nature to get the message across more profoundly. And I should not limit myself by making something nice or sellable, but instead I should express myself fully through my art so that my message is clear and understandable. I have also learned that political art is always relevant and it is a great way for artists to express their opinions and share them around so that people understand and discuss them. And from Banksy I have learned that art transcends our need for personal gain of wealth or fame and its true value lies in its meaning or message.

References:

The Art Assignment (2016). Cases for Political Art | The Art Assignment | PBS Digital Studios. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfXad3HVox4&t=42s [Accessed 15 Aug. 2020].

The Art Assignment (2018). Behind the Banksy Stunt. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-6jMi4e-0Q [Accessed 15 Aug. 2020].

artnet News. (2017). Why Käthe Kollwitz Is Still Controversial on Her 150th Anniversary. [online] Available at: https://news.artnet.com/exhibitions/kathe-kollwitz-german-modern-art-controversial-1021973 [Accessed 15 Aug. 2020].

‌Anon, (n.d.). Russia in 1917-1919 – the Paintings of Ivan Vladimirov · Russia Travel Blog. [online] Available at: https://russiatrek.org/blog/society/russia-in-1917-1919-the-paintings-of-ivan-vladimirov/ [Accessed 15 Aug. 2020].