ART101: Art Appreciation (ACH1212A)
04/18/12
Propaganda is used to appeal to emotions and not necessarily intellect. It is used to influence opinions and beliefs in many different areas such as religion and politics. In the 20th century it was used to justify or support political actions or ideals.
Art was a wonderful medium for this it was used in cartoons, photos, illustrations, and paintings so that their ideals could reach a wider group of people and draw them to their cause. These works were definitely political statements and not really meant to be great works of art. Grosz’s images are disturbing and morbid they are a social observation showing that society had become barbaric.
All of these artists had a dream like state that seemed so farfetched yet they were based on reality. With their works they have blurred the line between reality and fantasy. They showed that society had major flaws that needed to be overcome. Grosz’s painting “Dedication to Oskar Panizza” this painting was about a censored 19th century writer and anarchist with whom the artist must have related to. In this painting the artist is showing a modern city which looks like it has been turned into an abyss in it you see deformed humans.
The artist still included religion you can see a cross clearly pictured. The artist said “I painted this protest against a humanity that had gone insane”. Each artist included something in their work as their way of making a statement. Picasso used symbols his way was definitely more subtly than most. Hoch and Grosz both used a wide variety of tactics including caricatures, and disturbing images as well as anti-war and corruption messages. Their images were used to overload us and make us stand back and really think about their messages.
Gardner’s art through the ages: The western perspective. Volume II (13th ed.). Kleiner, F. S. (2010) Boston, MA: Wadsworth