Towards the end of the reading, on p. 222, the author calls playwrights 'brave and united' in their stand against the McCarthy hysteria. Indeed, some playwrights themselves faced HUAC investigations and potential blacklisting for the content of their writing...even if it was a satire or critical commentary of the general era of suspicion.
Do you still see art as 'ahead of the curve' when it comes to critical social commentary? Can you think of things like books, TV shows, and films taking a bolder step towards criticizing the government before other organizations can?
of course! art more about creation and expression than organizations. organizations are organized for money and profit-most of the time. Books, stories, tv, what have you are able to convey ideas and emotions even without literally stating them. while organizations tend to be a bit more politically routed and use politics to their advantage rather than fighting it. To be honest this doesn't really feel like a question that could be arguably answered on both sides for me. . .
ReplyDeleteOf course art is a perfect medium for social commentary. I completely agree with Shakespeare's quote in this reading that states that "the drama and the actors 'are the abstract and brief chronicles of the time.'" Plays, books, etc are creative and imaginative, however much of it is also based on society, as raw and complex as it may be at this particular time. A book that comes to mind is 1984. Ultimately it is an imagination of what the future may look like based on society at the time the book was written. It was undoubtably a bold stab at how dangerous too much government control on society could be. This example is so similar to what is going on in these plays. They incorporate these social issues into their work so that the audience can both take away whatever ideas or messages are being portrayed and work to fix them in order to improve society.
ReplyDeleteI would love to think that art (music, movies, shows, paintings) still challenge government and provide social commentary, but that seems to have faded out. Granted there are pieces of art that mention government, but nothing in 2013 compares to that of the 1950's and 1960's. Music especially back then had strong views and stances on current events. For example Creedence Clearwater Revival's song called "Fortunate One". This song was about the Vietnam War and the draft. Also Neil Young's song "Ohio" about the shootings at Kent State University. These songs had views about war and government control and ultimately formed a revolution in America. Unfortunately we don't see that as much in 2013.
ReplyDeleteArt is a great way for people to express their opinions about anything, including their views on politics. Artists would create their work for a large audience. The same applied for musicians, and all other people regarded highly upon by the general public. Both artwork and music is experienced by a lot of people so it is an ideal way to spread a message to the people, and have them unite.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that art is "ahead of the curve" when it comes to critical social commentary. Art is a way to express opinions, bring direct or indirect. One of the best aspects of art is that everyone has their own interpretation of it. Films/plays are a great way to criticize the government first because most of them are based on other times in history that connect to their era, which is a creative way to connect two periods of time. If you think about it, many organizations are criticized for being false or just simply not having enough supporters. Entertainment, however, grasps people's attention and draw them in to see the bigger picture. Art is more creative than organizations. Also, organizations seem to be more direct, whereas plays and film are more indirect, which is good so that the writer does not get blacklisted.
ReplyDeleteArt is a great tool to use to convey political and social emotions. Art of all kinds can be used for a fast way to subject large groups of audience at a time. Whether it is music, or sculptures around town or artistic pictures in newspapers, it spreads the message very well. However, I think that I am agreeing with Mitch when he says how it is not as influential as it used to be. And not only that but its not directed in the same way it used to be. In the past, we can see that music can talk about the hardships of war and everyday life. But quite frankly, we don't see that anymore.
ReplyDeleteIn 2013, I believe TV and internet has taken over the role art used to have during the 1950s/1960s. However, those are arguably a form of "art" nowadays, since it is so rare to hear of a painter or any visual artist of some sort whose portrayed political messages through their art. For example, the show, "South Park" revolves around critical social commentary. Essentially all of the episodes are linked somehow to real-life society. Throughout the reading, it appears that theater/film was the most prominent social-commenting art form, which is similar to today. However, we also have the internet and various forms of social media. So yes, other than the internet, I believe that art is still "ahead of the curve" regarding social commentary.
ReplyDeleteYes, art has always been used to criticize governments and whatever might be going on in economy and politics. Organizations can be shut down, but art, once it exist, can be banned but will still have an effect as long as it has been noticed once. One reason why art is a good tool for this is because the critic can be very subtle, artwork cannot always be accused of anti regime. It is a way to get people thinking without blaming them straightforward. In the play about the witch Gillian for example, the play doesn't openly criticize McCarthyism, but the story about witches and their prosecution makes it obvious for the audience, that there is a parallel to the paranoia about Communists.
ReplyDeleteI agree with emma that TV and social media have taken the place of art in the 50's and 60's. more often then not, new stations look for their news on social media or get tips about something that is happening from the social media. TV also has millions of viewers that get the information from the news cast they are watching and the different shows that are being aired. The Colbert Report and the Jon Stewart show are very popular TV shows that comment on world news and put a comedic twist on it but also get the news out and these shows put their own social commentary on the news of the day.
ReplyDeleteI definitely believe that art can be "ahead of the curve" in fact most work pieces that are considered classics are so because they were ahead of the curve. Expression is a major component of art and expressing how likely the future is to become reality is very popular genre among-st the classics. And in doing so these works commonly question and or reprimand current policies, governments, or even the current norms of society itself. a great example although more current is the widely popular and critically acclaimed dystpoian novel 1984 by George Orwell
ReplyDeleteThe biggest example that always jumps out at me when thinking about anti-government movements or art pieces is Michael Moore. Today, I don't think that art is necessarily ahead of the curve other than political cartoons featured in newspapers. In today's world of social media, the term "group" loses substance, as groups online can be created instantly with seemingly millions of "supporters." Not only is the importance of a group fleeting, but people are not as afraid to join an anti-government group, as it is seen as less of a taboo today.
ReplyDeleteIn my eyes, art perhaps is one of the last safe heaven for free minds and sprites, encompassing visual
ReplyDeleteart like sculpture, drawing, painting, literature and music. Through out the human history art has been always ahead of the game since Renaissance era was a distinct out cry opposing authorities of the Catholicity and addressing the imperative role of human and individual. In today's art field art is still in the role of taking bolder steps and giving scrams to politicians and governments.
Examples could be Andy Warhol's Mao's painting...
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