Week 1 Lecture notes

Not all Art is political, but all politics has an Aesthetic.

Art for the sake of art.

Some people argue that art is just something that looks good it's not there to make a statement.

"I don't see art as having ever in a real sense, affected the course of human affairs". clement Greenbery. 

Only purpose is beauty or to seek aesthetic autonomy - example inside the White cube - O'Deherty Brian (1981)

Art can be considered a weapon - CIA used american modern art as a weapon in the cold war. artists include Jackson Pollock, Robert motherwell, mark pothko.

other conflicting views:
" art is not a mirror to reflect reality but a hammer with which to shape it" Bertold Bercht 1930's.

Decade of Dissent video
with Sheila Levrant on poster art
she states graphics  should get people to think about their own thoughts and come to their own conclusions. designers should be optimistic about making change, design should be a different form of representing political participation.

she designed a poster that stated that as designer you have to know about ecology and human needs.

she stressed the need to be heard, your opinions to be understood through what you make. Art should be a statement but should be open to interpretation, it more interesting when you dont have to tell people what is political about it they just know without being told.

She was asked by the american institute of graphic arts to produce something but it had to be 1 colour. She picked pink - the colour was the statement, to know what pink mean to people some of the pink squares are blank she states that this was nice because it made the piece interactive so that passers by could write their opinions.

 production:  this kind of political art takes time and care it's not something that would be seen on billboards its very personal. It does have impact but its not has direct/ in your face  or demanding as other forms of political art.

watch: Decade of Dissent: democracy in Action 1965-1975


Leah Borromeo on V&A posters of protest exhibition - Video

The power of posters at the end of the 19th century. How posters inspire political activism.
Hard to measure the impact of posters in their time but posters have been widely used throughout history.

1. Polling Station- posters about female voting to teach women how printing techniques to self promote. - seen on the streets being handed out. 
2. Angela Davis - civil rights posters of just a single photo- poster you would see in bed rooms and in houses  - grassroots activism.
3. And babies- Vietnam war my lai massacre - mixing text from interview with a solider with imagery. 
4. sun mad - to show people the effects of preservatives on health- reworking images for a political agenda. 

I think these posters are all powerful however visually i think And babies is very strong purely because it evokes the most emotion and its very iconic. It is aesthetically making a statement whereas the poster 1, the political emphasis comes from the production side. the politics is in the action of producing copies and getting people actively involved it's about participation unlike and babies which is just presenting you with news and making you aware of what is happening. 

Question: who looks after and collects these posters at the times? who knew they were going to be revolutionary? or is that the beauty of political art it comes from nothing other than necessity to join people who share views and who want to get something done. it is completely pure. 

Movement culture

Context where people mobilized to achieve transformative goals. is creativity is need for cultural shifts. people suggesting change for minority and for society in general.
Production: asking how politics is being produced



grassroots - things a changing now.