ARTiculation: Not just a pretty picture

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: THOMASHAWK.COM/2010/04/BANKSY-HITS-SAN-FRANCISCO.HTML
Banksy’s street art showcases his feelings on capitalism.

“What do you think an artist is? An imbecile who only has eyes if he is a painter, or ears if he is a musician, or a lyre in every chamber of his heart if he is a poet, or even if he is a boxer, just his muscles? Far from it: at the same time he is also a political being, constantly aware of the heartbreaking, passionate or delightful things that happen in the world, shaping himself completely in their image. How could it be possible to feel no interest in other people, and with a cool indifference to detach yourself from the very life which they bring to you so abundantly? No, painting is not done to decorate apartments. It is an instrument of war.”
Pablo Picasso

Art's most appropriate use, in my opinion, is to poke holes in the canvas we've painted our modern world on. Kind of like an I Spy book: Can you find something that doesn't make sense? Surely it isn't a difficult task right now with wars raging on, kids playing with iPads instead of one another, and garbage piling up in places we don't know exist. This propels us to reminisce of a simpler time, but it's important to note that even the artists living in those times we so cherish felt impassioned by the injustice in their society.

Even the brief history of modern art (roughly the last 150 years) shows evidence of a cohesive effort to both reveal to its audience the inadequacies of the world that surrounds them, and to imagine their ideal solutions.

In the late 1800s, those we now call the Impressionists sat in a cafe discussing what post-revolutionary France is like. In the streets, there was an air of excitement and anticipation about the future, but the painters saw that art was not reflecting the sentiment. Then, art was censored by an organization (Académie des Beaux-Arts) that only showed paintings that illustrated the affluent lifestyle. But the Impressionists wanted to portray life in the new France, so they began painting scenes of people having picnics in the park, nature, and imagery of beauty that reflected common life in the city.

A modern example of documenting the authentic civilian life is English graffiti artist Bansky. He is a prolific modern artist who produces images of a satirical nature that poke and prod at the public from the walls they're painted on. Displeased with the domination of capitalism creeping into the arts scene, he uses street art (which is free to view) paintings to display how ridiculous our current way of life is, and bring these feelings to the surface in others. Artists sense the dissidence in their fellow civilians and provide a platform for their social commentary to be observed.

The other role artists have is to envision the world according to their ideals and present it to their audience. Once an injustice is recognized comes the task of changing. We need to determine what would serve us best. The artist, understanding how elements creatively work together, can use her skills to form innovative scenarios.

A small but significant example is muralists/ street artists. In the busyness of urban life, many people feel the need to retreat. Muralists create small oases from the muted greys and browns of the concrete jungle by painting colourful, lively scenes on the sides of buildings, or even on a wall in your home.

On a much larger scale, Jacques Fresco's Venus Project re-imagines the structure of the city itself. A designer, Fresco believes that cities should be a more elegant collaboration between the natural and man-made world, functioning for the well-being of all its inhabitants. Among many other media, his team uses digitally created images to illustrate his concepts.

Those who choose to live their lives expressing creativity in physical form — that is, art — should take it upon themselves to lift their pens and brushes in the name of critical thinking, and strum and sway to the rhythm of progress.

Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.