Saturday, September 12, 2009
Artists have to make a difficult choice when creating a piece of art. Certain questions swirl in their minds: What medium should I use? Who is my audience? What message am I trying to present in my work? The audience plays a major role in how artists express their ideas and opinions. People are drawn to images that they feel connected to, or allows them to face aspects of their lives not usually explored. The artist wants his/her audience to understand, remember the art piece, and let its message seep into their minds.
Artists have to make a difficult choice when creating a piece of art. Certain questions swirl in their minds: What medium should I use? Who is my audience? What message am I trying to present in my work? The audience plays a major role in how artists express their ideas and opinions. People are drawn to images that they feel connected to, or allows them to face aspects of their lives not usually explored. The artist wants his/her audience to understand, remember the art piece, and let its message seep into their minds.
I was surfing the web when I came upon a picture that really stood out to me. It was a poster of Mahatma Gandhi; at the bottom of the image was one of his own quotes: "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." Gandhi was a man of wisdom and stood for peace. Individuals who are into philosophy and human rights would be willing to buy this poster, as homage to this great man. Even if a person didn't know who Gandhi was, the photographer who took this picture, showed Gandhi at his element: A gentle, serene smile, his glasses and gray mustache present him as a grandfather figure, which people would be at ease with, and willing to place this poster in their home.
In my bedroom there is a black and white drawing of a woman with her eyes closed, looking tranquil, surrounded by stars that cover the sky and her dress. The woman's stomach is a window that reveals a tiny bird; above her head is the phrase: "I have calmed and quieted my soul." This is part of the bible verse Psalm 13:2 which says "I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me." (King James Bible)
The artist who drew the picture goes by K Yugit. He used part of this passage in his piece to convey a message to his audience. I believe he wanted others to discover the inner peace and find contentment within themselves. Though this is only my interpretation, the viewer (audience) has the freedom to find what they think is the meaning behind an art piece.
The artist who drew the picture goes by K Yugit. He used part of this passage in his piece to convey a message to his audience. I believe he wanted others to discover the inner peace and find contentment within themselves. Though this is only my interpretation, the viewer (audience) has the freedom to find what they think is the meaning behind an art piece.
Not all works of art have to be serious, other artist use humor or "in your face" sentences and images to create their message. In this comic strip the old man is confused by new digital T.V. The artist, Scott Johnson is trying to show that people of older generations need to understand new technology or they will be left out of the loop and feel isolated. The simple image of the old man clicking frantically at the T.V. with his remote, plus the hilarious dialogue allows the audience to be sucked into his world and feel his agony, even if only for a second. If the audience connects with a piece of art on an emotionally level, it allows them to reflect on the ideas presented by the artist.
Whatever medium an artist chooses to give birth to their work; the ability of using images and words together can allow the message to be expressed and linger in the minds of the audience.
(photo poster of Gandhi: http://www.art.com/, and Comic strip found at http://www.extralife.com/).*Sorry I couldn't get the image of Yugit's drawing on the blog.
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