Art 305 Final PDF

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The artworks tested on the final....

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Edgar Alonso December 18, 2018 Art 305, Eve Wood Final Exam Throughout any era there are things that society deems okay, or normal, but it because injustice can be blinding. As in any era there rises a voice of reason , people with keen eyes, seeing things for what they truly are; and it is these revolutionaries, such as Leon Golub and Eugene Delacroix, that bring about that social awareness. Leon Golub and Eugene Delacroix did not simply paint a picture, they delivered a message, made a statement. In the paintings “Mercenaries 1” and “Liberty Leading the People” they both depict a social injustice and emote a sort of discomfort for the viewer, but this is the point, this is their message; social injustices should be discomforting, as viewers we should not be at easy about such events or ideas. Through these painting, the artists use color, shape, and space to help deliver their statement. In Leon Golub’s “Mercenaries 1” we see a depiction of two mercenaries, or soldier-like figures, carrying what seems to be a burned and faceless human figure hung from a rope. This was painted not long after the vietnam war had ended and it can be interpreted as Golub trying to show the people what really happened throughout that war. These two mercenaries, as the title calls them, seem to stand tall and proud, unfazed by pain and demise of the character they carry. This alone causes unease because it takes away from their humanity, they not only seem to be okay with act that they engage in but they seem to have power and control. What really emphasizes the discomfort, and can be seen as Golub making a statement, is the gaze of the two mercenaries, they sort of engage the audience and pull us into the act along with them. The victim of complete torture in the image is also faceless, crippled, and hardly seeming to be human, which doesn’t let the viewers relate or empathize with them. Golub’s statement then seems to be that not only was this war full of horrific acts, we as people are also involved. His

message strikes deep given the time era because it was after the vietnam war, a time where many people died and were tortured, and still people struggle to answer why. It is no coincidence that Leon Golub used mercenaries as he himself has explained that a “ mercenary is not a common subject of art, but is a near-universal means of establishing or maintaining control under volatile or up-for grabs political circumstances” , which really speaks to the idea that power is misused. In the painting, Golub uses shape in the form of an inverted triangle to bolster this idea sinful use of power. Because the bottom peak of the triangle is the faceless figure there is that greater sense of guilt that we get at viewers. In terms of color and space, the mercenaries seem irregularly long and large and there colors stand out from the rest of the painting which all shows that they are in control, a driving force standing with confidence. Eugene Delacroix’s “Liberty Leading the People” is a vivid depiction of the July Revolution of 1830 and through this image he makes a few bold statements. This revolution marked a change towards “liberty” as the title suggests, and Delacroix has a rather innovative manner of depicting “power to the people”. There are many aspects of this painting that speak against the social injustice of that time but the most captivating is the woman at the focal point of this painting. During the early 1800’s it was uncommon for women to portrayed in a position of power, and in this painting Delacroix does just that. He set a woman leading this revolution and she not leads but she is at forefront getting her hands dirty. She is seen with her dress tore and her breasts are shown and yet she does not seem to care she still stands with the flag in her hand and her head held high, powerful and inspiring. She seems divine yet also down to earth and strong. Delacroix’s use of shape greatly emphasizes this interpretation of the woman as she creates the peak of a triangle with her arm. This triangle not only shows that she is a divine-like character but the whole scene is a proud, empowering, and sublime moment. In the foreground of

the painting we see what seem to be the dead soldiers along with possibly members of the high class. Although they are in the foreground, they are also an essential part of this painting because it allows liberty to stand out, they are part of the ruins which push the message of liberty from power forward. The use of color highlights that idea literally. All along the bottom of the painting Delacroix uses dark and somber colors which can be representative of the darkness that liberty arose out of, which is why the brightest color is in the center embodied by the woman. Another area where color plays a significant role is in the red,white, and blue. These colors of the flag are obviously important because that is the reason this painting was created and the reason for the revolution itself, it was for the people of France. These three colors are probably the most vibrant in the image and they are seen not only in the flag but also in the lady kneeling before “lady liberty” and that part of the story with this painting. It was those common people looking for liberty, yearning for change and that is seen as the lady kneels and looks up to the woman holding the flag for liberty has finally come. It’s almost like saying this is France this is what France has needed, and it has finally been delivered to its people. Eugene Delacroix not only told the story of the July Revolution and breaking apart from the social injustices of those in power but he also made a bold social statement way ahead of his time, which is that women are powerful and can be portrayed just as powerful and inspiring as men. When looking at similarities between the two mentioned artworks we see recurring theme of misused power and confidence and determination. In both paintings we see a gaze of those in the image, both with confidence and determination but different in their purpose. In “Mercenaries 1” the characters seem, by their gaze, confident in their inhumanity and use of power to hurt and oppress with no real purpose. With “Liberty Leading the People” we can also see this gaze of determination among all those rallied up and engaging in the revolution because

they have fulfilled the purpose of bringing about liberty for the French people. It also emotes an overall sense of pride and although as viewers we weren’t there, we can engage in their same sense of pride. On the other hand in Golub’s painting there is that sense of personal responsibility, like if we all hold a little piece to blame for those actions. While they both have that same sense of strong confidence, one is almost humbling and the other is discomforting. Both artists were able to uniquely use techniques and formal elements to convey their message and although the message was slightly different, as an audience we come to understand that power is a big part of human nature and a driving force of how society works. Power is essential because we all hold a certain amount of power as individuals but power can also be dangerous and misused; and it can also be taken away. Part of life is how power is used, Delacroix and Golub displayed certain views and acts of power but they also used their own power to create awareness and provide a deeper connection to events and ideas which even impact us today....