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The Honors College at FIU
ART AND AUTHORITY PAPER This paper requires that you explain how an artist(s) has used their work to either reinforce or challenge the values of an authoritative entity or tradition. I also will allow comparisons of two separate artists that either do one or the other. Lastly, I will also welcome papers that explore the use of a certain symbol of authority in different works (charging horse, heavenly light, extended open arm – Augustus, Washington, Clinton). Examples of serving authority: Rubens’ paintings of Marie de’ Medici legitimize her divine authority to rule. Egyptian sculptures do the same by depicting rulers alongside gods. Or the artist’s attempt can simply be to define character, such as the Roman sculpture of Augustus. The portrait of Hitler that shows him as a knight in shinning armor would an example of character invention through the use of myth. Examples of challenges to authority: Goya created a “realistic” aesthetic that depicted war in a brutal manner that challenged the traditional glorious representations of battle. Caravaggio challenged the idealistic representations of the Renaissance and the Catholic Church by painting subjects from life and placing them in dark, simple settings. John Heartfield used collage in a revolutionary way to challenge the authority of the Nazis. Robert Mapplethorpe challenged traditional notions of sexuality with homoerotic portraits. So, you can either select one of the above and explain it, or do a comparison of one of each. An excellent paper would be a comparison of official Nazi portraits of Hitler to John Heartfield’s representations of him. Another would be a comparisions of Gros’ depictions of war with Goya’s. Or one could compare the white horse in Picasso’s Guernica with the depiction horses in the works of David or the Roman sculpture of Marcus Aurelius. Remember to substantiate your positions about the artwork with descriptions of the use of content and method. Talk about the formal elements: line, shape, color, light, texture, composition, space, and subject. How is light used by Caravaggio to reinforce his rejection of idealism? What effect do the organic compositional elements of Rubens have on the effectiveness of his message about Marie de’ Medici? What type of color does Rubens use? Are they primary colors, organized in analogous relationships, or neutral colors with complementary relationships? Goya’s line quality in the Disasters of War is often sketchy and broken. What effect does this have on the viewer’ impression of his subject? How would the work be different if the lines were consistent and solid? Was Goya interested in beauty? You must also research the artist's intent (when possible) and the audience reaction. Did the artist intend for his/her work to challenge a specific authoritative entity? What was the reaction of contemporaries to the artworks? For example, certain leading figures believed Caravaggio's work was inspired by the devil. The Nazis forced John Heartfield into exile. Egon Schiele had a work burned in court. Conversely, the Democratic National Party adopted Shepard Fairey's portrait of Obama as essentially the official portrait of Obama. Louis XIV called Charles Le Brun the greatest French artist of history. You must conduct research. Substantiate your positions with historical data. Your research must involve multiple text sources, as well as at least two interviews. You must conduct an interview of an expert in the arts (must be from off-campus – art historian, gallery owner, collector, or artist) and an interview of someone outside of the arts (scientist, mechanic, athlete, etc.). The student should demonstrate a thorough understanding of the artists and artworks s/he is examining. A list of helpful and reliable interenet research sources can be found at http://www.johnbailly.com/edu/syllabi/links.html. All sources must be properly cited in MLA format. Note: Titles of artworks are typed in italics. The paper must be a minimum of 1,000 words. Images may be inserted into the text portion of the paper or may be attached at the end of the paper. Please follow the Paper Format Guidelines. The paper must be submitted to http://www.turnitin.com/static/home.html. A hardcopy is not required.
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