The Role of the Artist in Society

Life Through a Different Lens

The artist’s role in society is to add a new perspective to life and create a new vision of the parts of life that the spectators are familiar with. In early eras, within the visual arts and sculpting, this came in the form of creating new interpretations of biblical stories, legendary figures and scenes. In music, early artists found original ways to express prayer and worship. In theater and opera, artists would create a unique story based on characters, costume and writing. Throughout the ages the subject matter has constantly changed, but the artists key position in contributing a unique representation of their subject has remained. Today, even in modern photography and realistic paintings, the artist is still tasked with presenting a work that transcends reality; images of everyday life are composed in such a way that they’re removed from our own first hand experience. They augment the mundane. They reinvent the mundane into something unexpected.

For society, this keeps life and public opinion evolving. Through their unique interpretations, artists continuously challenge the status quo. They bring to light beauty and human atrocities just the same. They inspire new schools of thought, while reflecting cultural values. Overall artists create a one-of-a-kind commentary that provides a look at humanity, by humanity.

Early Modern Interpretations

Dance Around the Golden Calf, created in 1910 in Munich by Emil Nolde is an example of Expressive Abstraction. Here, Nolde uses wild and imprecise brush strokes, as well as incongruous colors to depict the scene of people dancing around the calf.

In the painting, it is clear that the people, nor the calf, are meant to be an exact representation of what the subjects actually look like. It is not realistic. Still, the subject is clear (something that is not true for all Abstraction) and Nolde, without a doubt, has created an original interpretation of the scene. This painting, and others like it, shatter the viewer’s expectation of a realistic portrait.

Nolde, who’s own religious faith had wavered (Britannica), created a scene that was based in well known religious themes but unlike his predecessors did not contain careful attention to detail and intricate pieces. The image is rather flat, and although impressive, does not resemble what most would imagine when trying to visualize the same scene.

Additionally, Nolde’s colors are incoherent and do not align with our expectation of reality. In fact the image becomes more confusing and jarring the longer it’s studied. It is difficult to tell the gender of the people, the number of dancers, the position of the calf and the overall setting of the scene. We are left wanting more detail, but the beauty of the piece is that we do not get it. It appears more like a fragmented memory than a first hand experience.

As an artist, Nolde took part in challenging what constituted art at the time. Society was changing in the Early Modern era, and artists such as Nolde reflected that in their less than traditional styles.

Often when artists present a new and distinctive outlook, their individual mark moves the landscape of art forward and art itself evolves. This was certainly the case for Igor Stravinsky and his 1913 piece The Rite of Spring, prepared for a Paris ballet. Stravinsky’s use of melody and composition approached music in a way that had previously been unheard of. Rather than the previously popular Sonata form and the carefully planned structure of melody and timing, Stravinsky delivered a piece that was wholly unexpected. The melody was jagged, the structure unpredictable, and at times the sound was discordant and haphazard.

The Rite of Spring was not only groundbreaking for its time, it also inspired musical innovation throughout the 20th – and arguably the 21st – century. Donald Jay Grout, a music historian, wrote that “…it had the effect of an explosion that so scattered the elements of musical language that they could never again be put together as before.” (Wikipedia). If Stravinsky had followed the rules of music, rather than inventing something welcoming of criticism, music today may be something completely different from what we know.

George Bernard Shaw was another artist (a playwright, among other professions) who has contributed to the evolution of art, and subsequently the evolution of certain ways of life, by adding an individual take on acceptable behavior to history. One of Shaw’s most famous plays is Mrs. Warren’s Profession – the story of a a mother, who was once a prostitute and now owns many brothels, and her daughter’s journey into adulthood. Prostitution, while more prevalent in popular culture today than 100 years ago, is still a controversial subject. Shaw, in his telltale form of breaking the molds of acceptable ways of life, did so with Mrs. Warren’s Profession, if by no other means than normalizing it to a certain degree.

The story of Mrs. Warren and her daughter also comments on the woman’s role in life and early feminism. The dialog, while not tasteful to some, is downright inspiring, her argument being that women are expected to look pretty for men in exchange for being taken care of, so why not do the same for one’s self and keep all of the profit? Mrs. Warren is written as confident, self sufficient, and justified – something that many women, especially as depicted by stories for entertainment, struggle with still. Mrs. Warren’s boldness is invigorating. It instills fearlessness and comfort in following desires, despite what society demands.

Shaw has contributed greatly to what is acceptable in society, as well as what isn’t, but perhaps should be.

Contemporary Interpretations

The art landscape has become significantly more vast with the help of computers and technology. Styles have changed, and graphics programs have had a large hand in the transformation. Ben Heine is a visual artist from Belgium who is well known for his distinct styles, which include what he calls Digital Circlism. Heine describes this style as a synthesis of Pop Art and Pointillism. (benheine.com)

For pieces in this series, Heine uses circles of varying size and color to make digital portraits of well known celebrities. While the portraits are immediately recognizable, Heine’s unique circle structure changes the aesthetic quality of the images dramatically. They are fresh and dramatic. They are not quite psychedelic and not quite realistic, but close to both. The images are made up of circles, which give the image delicacy. Still, they are bold and three dimensional, while relying only on one dimensional shapes.

Marilyn Monroe has become an icon over the last several decades. Her face has been used as a symbol of beauty, sexuality and idealism. It has been plastered on items from flasks, to dishes, to clocks, to clothing, to wallets, to key chains. Her image is everywhere, and aside from a few photo manipulations, the image remains the same. In Heine’s case, however, his portrait of Monroe (as well as other household celebrities including Elvis Presley, Bob Marley, Eminem and even Jesus) utilizes a brand new technique that adds something special and new to the experience. It is Heine’s brand new interpretation of near trite figures that makes his work with only circles so realistic and fascinating.

Artists like Heine may not be fully appreciated until a few more decades have passed. But when they do, it is not unreasonable to think that we will look back and see clearly just how much the transition into incredibly powerful technology influenced society overall.

Creating new interpretations of sound is a unique challenge for musicians today, as there are hundreds of thousands of songs available online at any time. Still, artists are continuously changing and adding new genres. As part of the artist’s role of offering a distinct perspective on real life, musicians have been incredibly innovative within the last two decades. One of the new genres that has emerged is Lowercase (ironically capitalized). Lowercase is a sub-genre of ambient minimalist music, created by artist Steve Roden.

Lowercase music is an opposite to structured, repetitive popular music. Contrary to the beliefs of many, it does not consist of long silent pauses, but rather amplifies quiet, subtle and generally indistinguishable sounds that are often found in nature or common, quiet settings. Lowercase artists wants their listeners to experience the sounds that are usually underneath the louder, distracting sounds of popular music (Wikipedia). Roden’s piece Stars of Ice, created in 2008 in Pasadena, California, is a great example of Lowercase music.

While this type of music doesn’t really draw in an audience, it certainly re-imagines both music and the auditory experience of everyday life. Thanks to the artists’ vision, the sounds of paper shuffling, plants moving and other nearly silent noises are woven into an inharmonious wall of sound. Some have asked if Lowercase constitutes music at all. Lowercase may not appeal to large audiences – it is abstract and by its own definition, distracting – but it does sometimes have subtle melodies underneath. The melodies, however, aren’t enough to keep the music moving forward a pace that is fast enough for most listeners. The slow, anti-climatic nature of the music evokes impatience, boredom and unfulfilled expectation, much like the mundane, inconsequential sounds on which its based, and which popular music generally contrasts and covers up.

Lowercase music, as well as other obscure genres, serve to keep the wheel of musical innovation turning. Artists like Roden and other non mainstream musicians represent a small fraction of people who prioritize certain ideas that might otherwise struggle to survive. Perhaps their revival is yet to come.

A final example of how contemporary artists create unique perspectives on life comes in the form of the Guillermo del Toro’s 2006 film Pans Labyrinth. I chose this film because not only did del Toro synthesize numerous old fairy tales together in a way that completely disobeys the rules of how fairy tales should be told, he also introduced two new narratives simultaneously. The clip below illustrates just how well he intertwined these two stories, while not giving the viewer the obvious answer as to which one was correct or real.

This film is amazing for many different reasons, but for the purpose of describing the artist’s role in society, I will limit my discussion to his ability to interpret life and transform it in his work. While one narrative follows the ruthless Captain Vidal as he searches for remaining rebels in the Spanish Civil War, the other focuses on the young girl Ofelia as she follows a magical quest as a princess which ultimately leads to her death. The story is very deep, complex, intertwined and carries with it many themes, but the enchanting reality of magic vs. the harsh and cruel reality of wartime struggles is at the heart of it. Is Ofelia’s magic quest a coping mechanism to deal with the difficulties in her life? Or is she in fact a princess who is returned to her kingdom upon her death. The film intentionally does not answer these questions. Ofelia’s struggle, however, whether it pertains to her life with the cold and cruel Captain Vidal or her daring trials as a princess, is what makes the story both sad and eerie. The viewer wants Ofelia to finish her quests for the magic faun, but they also want her to run away from Captain Vidal. Overall it is a dark, cold film that offers moments of warmth and comfort. Del Toro told a brutal story of war and a mystical fairy tale at the same time, and with his unique vision created a brand new picture of the world.

Film and television is perhaps one of the most influential art forms because it reaches such a large portion of the population, and the messages associated with them do affect society. In Pans Labyrinth for example, the themes of disobedience, good vs. evil and telling your own story are prevalent. In creating the film, Del Toro has affirmed to society that standing for what you believe in the face of evil is as important as ever, and he has reflected that when society does so it pays off. The gravity of the influence of film should not be overlooked.

Conclusion

The artist’s role of adding a new perspective and creating a new vision of life may seem overly simplistic, but it is what truly makes art powerful. As a critical viewer, I find art less moving when it does not fulfill the role of presenting a new and unique vision.

In all art, the world of normal human perception is shattered. In portraits from the early art eras, portraits transcend time and space. In plays, disbelief is suspended in order to enjoy the story being told. In modern photography, the photographer offers a snapshot of the world that is not typically perceptible to the human eye – at least not commonly. When artists can take a face, a busy scene, a love story, an event as large as the changing seasons, or even an idea and use their talent to make it like no other, they have fulfilled their role in society, and society inevitably will change because of it.

Personal Journey

In this class I have learned to look at art as it pertains to larger societal influences. Prior to this class I have not had much taste for art that came before the Romantic era (except for music – I do enjoy Classical) but have given it much more thought in the last few months. When looking at art now, I try to put myself in the appropriate time and place and think about how I would view it then, vs. how I view it now. I have even given more thought to today’s art, music and film / theater and tried to pinpoint societal influences. While I still have my favorite styles (Rococo, Classical music, Avant-Garde, futurism, retro-futurism and contemporary) I certainly feel as though other works mean a lot more now.

References:

Encyclopedia Britannica. “Emil Nolde”. 2016.  https://www.britannica.com/biography/Emil-Nolde

Wikipedia. “The Rite of Spring”. 2016.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rite_of_Spring#Influence_and_adaptations

Wikipedia. “Mrs. Warren’s Profession”. 2016.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrs._Warren’s_Profession

BenHeine.com. “Biography”. 2016.
http://www.benheine.com/bio.php

InBetweenNoise.com. “Steve Roden”. 2016.
http://www.inbetweennoise.com/discography/solo/

IMDb.com. “Pans Labyrinth”. 2016.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0457430/