Below is an Essay I wrote this summer based on the following discussion question presented in my Illustration Survey Class with Rick Schneider.
How have artists used used these paths and their skills to enrich, enlighten, convince, and inform?
• Discuss the effect religious art has had on the general public. Consider why you think this art was created. (See: panel painting, fresco, sculpture, and book art between 1200 and 1600 in Europe or Asia)
• When art is used to comment on society, what tools does the artist have to motivate change? (See: caricature and social/political illustration for journals, newspapers and posters from the 1800s in Europe)
• The creation of art enriches the life of the artist. What ways have artists found to enrich the lives of viewers? (See: 20th century painting and illustrated books)
..........Begin Essay...................
Images allow humans to share information and messages without words or text. Pictures allow us to express ourselves universally and with a general understanding through the common elements displayed. No matter what language you speak, or what education level you have achieved, or what your social status is, or what your political beliefs are, if you see a picture of an apple, you understand it is a piece of fruit. You wouldn't need anyone to explain to you that it was an apple, unless you'd never seen an apple before. If you had never seen an apple before, than maybe you would then be inspired to go find out what it was because of curiousity.
Depending on the context that an image is used in, they also can deliver a feeling or generate an emotion with the audience.
I’m pretty certain most everyone will have a different response based on this apple image because we connect these images with things we have learned.
No matter what genre an artist worked in (Religious, Political, Social, Aesthetic) or what time period the artwork was created (Paleolithic, Medieval, Renaissance, Industrial Revolution), artists have the potential to generate a strong influence over the viewers of their artwork and spawn wide spread reactions as a result. This occurs because artists have the ability to use powerful imagery, and humans absorb and translate these images easily, mostly with an emotional attachment. This also enables groups of people to be united through one visual connection and potentially change the course of history.
Religious art had the potential to be light, uplifting and encouraging with images of cherubs and nurturing deities, or it could present fearful images to the viewer and demonstrate mankind’s damnation and penance for our mortal sins. With one glance social and Political art can evoke deep thought, emotional reactions, public awareness, conflict, public uproar, sway popular opinion and even incite war when presented to the general public with its biting images and clever placement of text. While aesthetic art can bring entertainment, beauty and joy to the viewer, allowing many people to share in the experience.
As far back as 15,000 BC, cave paintings were used to relay stories, document rituals, and to potentially offer thanks to the spirits to demonstrate appreciation and ensure the spirits continued support for their survival from the elements of nature. These cave paintings could be considered the first religious paintings because they were meant to offer thanks to a higher form of being with a ceremonial or religious purpose.
This could potentially be the most pure and sincere form representing religious painting. People could not read and write, they depended on this form of communication in order to understand their tribe’s history and to understand messages documented over time from their fore-fathers. These images were created to share, protect and enlighten.
As time progresses, reading and writing become symbols of education, wealth and social status. They are forms of communication reserved for the privileged upper-class. As men develop conflicting political views and the desire to control territories, reading and writing become valuable tools to control lower class citizen’s minds; to obtain or maintain power. Lower class citizens, being illiterate and at the mercy of the people controlling the information funneled to them, were left at a tremendous disadvantage when forming opinions or considering important topics in their lives.
During the middle ages, religious leaders began to see the importance of forming alliances with political leaders to achieve support and gain leverage to the masses. If the church could gain the support of a strong leader it would be guaranteed to have followers and prosper. Artists during these medieval times were mostly required to paint or illustrate pictures glorifying god. Even in the illuminated manuscripts, the main illustrator’s were clergy men themselves or monks. It seems that in developing religious art, there was no freedom of speech or unbiased opinions. It was not uncommon for artists to leave their work unsigned and many of them remain unknown.
During the 14th through 17th Centuries Renaissance Period , artists depended mainly on commissions and patrons to hire them to complete specific requested work. Nobility, Religious Organizations and wealthy entities were the main sources that required art commissions. During this time, the art content was not freely created by the artist; the artist was told what to paint and was paid to paint it. The paintings, once completed, could be rejected or destroyed if not appreciated or to the patrons liking. It was also quite common for the patron’s portrait to be included into the artwork itself; as in Mantegna's "Dead Christ" where the patrons are shown kneeling by Christ's bed.
Artists were chosen on their style and execution of previously commissioned artwork. However, artists had now learned that by signing their work, they could become famous far outside their own area.
Because of the way content was controlled by these patrons, who were the most powerful people and generally men, there was a complete dictatorship of which types of art would be developed, what subjects were deemed worthy of being commissioned or created, and to what purpose the art would serve. It is quite unbelievable how much control such a small group of people had over our entire historical artwork collections. Recently, after some research on a project, I discovered how many historical paintings idealizing the naked female form in submissive poses.
Of course, there is also a tremendous amount of religious artwork from this period, with varying styles and technique.
Because of shifts in politically to republican or representative forms of government, there was a movement encouraging education in social and political life. They believed in patriotism, humanism and pride in documenting history which was translated through artist work. In the southern part of the Renaissance, the nude was entirely appropriate as a suitable subject, however, in order to pacify the church and pass religious censorship in the North, artists especially would make their works appear moralistic, the artists were happy just as long as they could paint the nude. A good example of this is Hans Baldung’s (1485-1545) Death and the Maiden, an artist who could paint delightfully sensual nudes while still giving them just enough chastity to pass the religious censor by calling them Adam and Eve.
During the Renaissance, paintings may have contained the same content over and over but were drawn with different styles that depicted different emotions and responses, differentiating them from one another. Triptych’s and Panel paintings were used for religious alter pieces. Bosch inspired fear in his triptych “Earthly Delights” documenting punishments for the sins of human kind and atrocious penalty’s for mankind’s immoral behavior.
Frescos were used to cover entire walls, ceilings and hallways in massive dimensions in religious churches. Michelangelo inspired awe and power in the “Creation of Adam” his idealized version convinces the viewer of Adam’s initial spark of life, with the powerful and beautiful human form and the tangible energy exuding from the tenuous posing of the bodies.
Caravaggio’s paintings, such as the Calling of St. Matthew, depicted dark scenes set in common places with a glowing beam of light surrounding Figures in heroic activities that ordinary people could relate to because of the similarity to their everyday life environment.
Artemisia Gentileschi, influenced by Caravaggio, created similar, chiaroscuro portraits depicting extreme light and dark settings full of powerful, heroic imagery that delivered messages of hope and triumph to the viewer. She was highly influenced by the times and took to heart the high contrasting style. Her most intense painting and possibly most famous is Judith Slaying Holofernes (1612-1613)
Jan van Eyck used a tremendous amount of symbolism in his “Arnolfini Wedding“ and also used his skill as a miniaturist. In the painting the dog represents fidelity and loyalty, the candle represents God’s presence, the elaborate signature is that of a witness to the Marriage Contract, the miniature mirror reflection includes another individual drawn as a witness, the man is closer to the window demonstrating he goes into the world to support the family, the woman is closer to the bed, the bedpost has a saint of fertility represented and the bride herself almost appears already with child, though she is not.
All of these paintings were made using different techniques, formats and materials, however, no matter what style was used and how different the artwork seemed when represented to the audience, the mission was always the same; each painting was commissioned by a paying client to create a desired image. These paintings represented the client’s wishes, not the artist’s, to be displayed to the public in order to generate a desired response or relay a specific message.
The artist only had their style and subtle elements to document their own thoughts.
One of Michelangelo’s paintings that I find quite hilarious is his painting of the Last Judgement of Minos. Michelangelo was known for being difficult to work with and temperamental. Baigio da Cesena, a papal master of ceremonies, criticized Michelangelo's work saying that nude figures had no place in such a sacred place, and that the paintings would be more at home in a public tavern.
Michelangelo included da Cesena in the Last Judgment as Minos, one of the three judges of the underworld. When Baigio complained to the Pope the pontiff explained that he had no jurisdiction over hell and that the portrait would have to remain. In Greek mythology, Minos was the king of Crete and was the son of Zeus and Europa. He became one of the three judges of the underworld after his own death and Michelangelo has depicted Minos with ass-ears and wrapped in serpents coils. The coils indicate to what circle of hell the damned are destined. The serpent's bite on the genitals of Minos or da Cesana illustrates Michelangelo's disdain for the Cardinal. Touché Michelangelo!
This is definitely one of my favorite religious paintings because it shows the personality and potential creativity an artist could have during this time if they were allowed to use it more freely.
Another painting’s history I am intrigued by is “Feast in the house of Levi” by Paolo Verones. Originally titled the “Lord’s Last Supper” 
The religious leaders were so appalled by the painting it led to an investigation by the Roman Catholic Inquisition. Paolo Veronese was called to answer for irreverence, and was accused of the serious indictment of heresy. The trial could have ended in a punishment by death if the Paolo was found guilty. However, what makes this so interesting is that all charges were dropped when the artist agreed to change the name. The dogs and midgets that were found completely offensive in Christ’s presence were no longer an issue if it wasn’t in representing the Lord’s Last Supper. So ridiculous but I suppose lucky for Paolo.
It would have been interesting to see how an artist’s work would have progressed during these historical years, and how the general public’s opinions would have benefited, if they had the opportunity to explore and create what was within their own minds freely. There is no doubt it would have been different.
By the 18th Century, the Renaissance had evolved into the “Age of Enlightenment” and had a widespread effect. Philosopher’s wanted to liberate thinking and superstitions from the Middle Ages and applauded the declining power of the Roman Catholic Church.
Political cartoons had an advantage because of timing of technological advances and the birth of the printing press; printing presses inspired the growth and support of literacy through the general public and allowed for artists to get paid by publications for original artwork that included their personal opinions and views. 
Harper's Weekly for March 15, 1879 carried a cartoon by Thomas Nast satirizing Blaine. The title of the cartoon puns upon the title of a famous comic poem by Bret Harte published in 1870, "Plain Language From Truthful James." In the poem "Truthful James" and his friend Bill Nye seek to fleece a Chinaman at cards. Ah Sin professes not to know how the game is played. Nye, taking no chances, cheats any way. But, to his and "Truthful James'" dismay, Ah Sin wins hand after hand. He too, it turns out, has cards up his sleeve.
It is significant that Nast did not cite any Chinese. As noted above, there were no Chinese who took a prominent role in this controversy. There was not even a Chinese consul, much less an Ambassador, to speak on behalf of the Chinese government. In the cartoon Blaine kicks the Chinese laborer off "the corner-stone of our republic." Why? Nast's answer lies in the figure to Blaine's left. He represents "dear" or expensive labor, as compared to the Chinaman's "cheap labor." He has "a vote" while the Chinaman has none. He also has a whiskey bottle protruding from his pocket as well as a club. Who is he? He is the Irishman. Nast made the point even more bluntly in another famous cartoon from 1879, "Every Dog (No Distinction of Color) Has His Day" and more bluntly still in an 1882 drawing, "Let the Chinaman Embrace Civilization and He May Stay." In the latter, "civilization" is a whiskey bottle. The Chinaman proves his fitness to remain by drinking, striking, fighting, loafing, and voting "early and often." All were traits Nast and others attributed to the Irish. The general public was now able to acquire their own information through newspapers although there was still a large discrepancy in the class of people. Political cartoons allow for the quick absorption of political messages using imagery, symbolism, limited text, and scathing, opinionated criticism of events.
While Religious Art and Political art clearly hold a calculating agenda, aesthetic art’s intention may not seem as deliberate. Aesthetic art may be difficult to define because of the theory of beauty itself. What is beautiful? This has been an ongoing debate for centuries. The traditional interest in beauty has seemed to broaden since the eighteenth century and since 1950 or so the number of pure aesthetic concepts have expanded even more.
My personal take on aesthetic art, is art that makes us feel good or generates a positive response from us personally.
The only other thing of note that I would add about aesthetic art is it seems to be generally dictated by the media and absorbed quite easily in the masses. I find it a bit sickening as a woman to see how early-on the female form was idealized and how that idealized image was set as the standard for generations to come.
Botticelli’s Venus is a good example, as well as, Ingres’s Odalisque.
Don't get me wrong, I love these paintings, they are actually two of my favorites, but I find my response to this style internally conflicting and I continue to explore the reasons why... however, that is another full essay altogether.
No matter what the topic, image or message the artist is trying to conbey, the viewing experience is a shared experience between the artist and the audience. The audience benefits from being exposed to new ideas, whether religious, political or merely aesthetic, through the creativity of the artist. The format the artist uses and the message enclosed within the work can stimulate appreciation, thought process, inspiration, conversation, conflict and varying reactions throughout the audience that they may never have experienced had they not been exposed to the particular work. A piece of artwork can be like a two-way conversation. The artist has completed and relayed their portion of the conversation in the artwork, but the viewer has the advantage of an ongoing interpretation that can transform and evolve depending on the time spent considering the artist’s message. The artist’s message can change based on the viewers interaction.
I have learned that no matter what the purpose or intention of the artist is, it is equally important for me as the viewer to take responsiblity for it's meaning and my own response.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_painting#Age
http://www.anthonychristian.co.uk/ezine27.html
http://www.italian-renaissance-art.com/Last-Judgement.html
http://www.arthistoryspot.com/2010/02/jan-van-eyck/
http://www.artemisia-gentileschi.com/judith1.html
http://www.thecreationofadam.com/
http://www.all-about-renaissance-faires.com/renaissance_info/catholic_church_in_the_renaissance.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_imperialism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Feast_in_the_House_of_Levi
http://www1.assumption.edu/users/mcclymer/His130/P-H/chinese%20Exclusion/default.html
