"Art is the product of creative human activity in which materials are shaped or selected to convey an idea, emotion, or visually interesting form." - Encarta Encyclopedia

When I read this quote in the module provided, Salvador Dalí's 1931 painting "The Persistence of Memory" was the first artwork that popped into my head. It was one of the paintings that defined the surrealist art movement. With just a simple use of the canvas, paint, and paintbrushes as its materials, Dalí was able to portray the emotion of persisting memories and the emptiness it brings when we realize these memories will soon pass as time flies, or in this case, melts by. In addition, ordinary objects are seemingly shown in an unordinary way, making it eerie and almost dreamlike, breaking the status quo of what art meant during World War I. It sought to redefine traditional norms and aimed to revolutionize human experience.

To me, art is just that. No matter the materials or form of medium, an artist is able to utilize these to their advantage to create experiences, ideas, and emotions that people are bound to either understand or be disturbed by. Visually, art evokes feelings that cannot be explained through mere words and thus provides another avenue for those who may not express verbally.

Reference:

Dalí, S. (1931). The Persistence of Memory [Painting]. The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, United States. https://www.moma.org/collection/works/?include_uncataloged_works=&on_view=1

1. Art as “expression". Among the key concepts, this is likely the well-known dimension of art. You hear people say, “I paint (or dress) this way to express myself." How does ‘expression’ relate to the artistic process, in general, or the artist, in particular? How does this compare with art as representation?

In the reading, art as representation "looks outward". Here, it does not necessarily have the intention to express or to be an expression of something even though its audience could interpret it as such. Examples could be just a simple landscape or the portrait of Queen Elizabeth. However, art as expression "attempts to look inward" thus expressing in art becomes somewhat of an extension of the artists' themselves and whether intentionally or not, during their artistic process, it becomes a bare and vulnerable look into their soul as an artist, offering a deeper connection to the audience. But it is also important to remind ourselves that expression in art is very subjective and depending on its beholder, interprets a multitude of emotions and ideas. Hence rather than expression becoming the bridge of the artist's feelings from canvas to audience, art is viewed more to the qualities it expresses and may not have the artist's feelings in mind from when they were creating it.

2. If art is defined within the ambit of “aesthetics,” whether as “aesthetic object,” or “aesthetic experience,” how is art viewed from this perspective?

In my opinion, if art was only viewed and defined by its "aesthetics" whether as an "aesthetic object" or "aesthetic experience", from this perspective, the creation of any art seems to be caged into something that is meant to be of beauty or pleasure and it rejects the very idea of what the subjectivity of art provides, limiting its potential to express. Not all art is meant to look pleasing or feel pleasing, it is just an added bonus if it does. There's always a saying that is passed around whenever people discuss art:

"Art is meant to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comforted."

We all have varying definitions of how art is supposed to be and to me, it's a matter of switching your perspective from looking at it aesthetically to diving deep into its complexities beyond the initial aesthetics.

If this painting were an emotion, what title would you give it? What aspect of the painting can

suggest “lightening” in the artist?

If "Abbey with Oak Trees" were to be encapsulated as an emotion, a fitting title would be "In Grief and Of Sorrows". Under the dim-lit sky, the ruined abbey, barren trees, and mourning figures, it depicts a certain kind of sadness. In its simplicity, Friedrich's painting seems to be an allegory of the passage of time and its inescapable nature. Despite it, the image of a waning crescent moon transitioning to the glimmering rise of light indicates a new beginning. This aspect of the painting to me suggests "lightening" in the artist as it provides a moment of clarity and hope in surrounding darkness, amplifying much of its emotion.

A cliff near a quiet but lonely beach accompanied by an orange sky and dark looming clouds.

In my opinion, the practice of art for its own sake can be done yet it cannot be completely separated from society. Just like what Lopez explains in his essay, artists, as they continue to involve themselves in the creation of art, start to pursue truth rather than beauty and touch upon the realities of society, either critiquing or reimagining it as a way of communicating societal change. With that said, whether art is made for the sake of beauty or truth, it is done as a communicative pursuit to the masses and thus each cannot be separate as they need to work hand in hand.

2. Why is it detrimental to believe that art is a form of escape?

I would not say that believing art as a form of escape is detrimental, however staying within that mindset shows a certain kind of privilege. For centuries, art has been a gateway to openly critique societal issues and give way to artists to express whatever challenges the status quo, thus reducing it only as a form of escapism undermines its value. I think its important to take note that the idea of art as escapism and art as a tool for social commentary are not mutually exclusive; it should make us feel deeply while also making us think critically.

3. Why is it important for art to address the "problems of [the artist's] time"?

In Lopez' essay, indifference and cynicism are two paths artists must avoid and argues that to be a true artist, you need to engage with society which means addressing problems of the time. Society evolves yet much of the societal issues of the past either remains and repeats in the present time. By addressing these problems, it invites discourse that would be normally silenced by those in power and becomes not only a reflection but also an evaluation of the current state of the world.

4. What does Lopez mean when he said that writers and artists should be "teachers of men"?

When Lopez says that writers and artists should be "teachers of men", he means that they quite literally have the power to teach, to communicate, and to influence the minds of the people. For me, writers and artists are able to dictate the untouched realities of the marginalized through a wider spectrum and reach the masses. Because of that privilege, it becomes their responsibility to discuss the truth and to open up people's eyes to reality, guiding them through the darkness brought on by prejudice and injustice.

5. Why does Lopez think that the highest form of art emancipatory?

For Lopez, caging in art merely through beauty and aesthetics limits its opportunity to engage with the realities of society and be impactful, remaining only in an "Ivory Tower" of hope and delusion. As such, he believes that the highest form of art is emancipatory because the development of man, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually, is done through meaningful connections. Through this, an artist becomes selfless and thus should make art that reflects this ideal, shedding light on societal issues and enacting societal change.

Severance is an American science fiction psychological thriller TV series that follows Mark Scout, an employee of a fictional corporation industry known as Lumon. In the series, the characters, being employees of Lumon, are made to undergo a procedure called "Severance" wherein a person's memory is separated between their workplace life (innie) and their personal life (outie). Soon, Mark along with his coworkers Helly, Dylan, and Irving find out that their workplace is not what it seems.

In Season 1 Episode 7: "Defiant Jazz", it begins to be the setting point of revolution for the characters as Dylan recounts to Mark, Helly, and Irving about how he as the innie was able to see and live as his outie, finding out that this particular self of his has a son—a family outside of his confined workplace. This suggests that idea that the separation of their innie and outie self can be controlled and that someone is in control of it—Lumon. But before that happens, their supervisor Milchick visits them to give an award to Helly for reaching a certain quota. The incentive, seemingly innocent as first, turns unsettling giving the audience the idea that this is a form of control. When Dylan gets angry and hurts Milchick however, this action becomes a catalyst to change and resistance against Lumon.

Rewatching this episode, I feel that Lumon functions both as an Ideological State Apparatus and a Repressive State Apparatus. As an ISA, Lumon takes part in shaping the beliefs and behaviors of the employees through corporate indoctrination, the illusion of work-life balance, and discipline through surveillance. As a RSA, the severance procedure itself is a form of repression towards the employees of Lumon, despite being a consensual act between the two parties.

From a critical lens, this episode perfectly illustrates how the State or any institution in power for that matter are able to control the masses to serve and be subjected to their ideological structures however just like Dylan's realization in the episode, a single moment can easily shatter a built ideology of the State, enacting a certain societal change.

As stated by Alice Guillermo, Representational Art is a broadly used term to describe any art that depicts a subject matter that is recognizable and taken from the natural world. Used in opposition to abstract, its style can vary from realistic to highly stylized but remains representational. Meanwhile, naturalism and realism are art movements under representational art. Naturalism includes representing natural objects as they appear and more often than not, was concerned with the visual appearance of life. Such examples include "Hay Making" by Jules Bastien-Lepage and "Sunrise in the Catskills" by Thomas Cole. Realism, on the other hand, while being similar to Naturalism in its idea of depicting the world as how it appeared, was more concerned on the narrative and experiences of life with much having a strong and consistent socio-political context based on specific conditions in everyday life — the truthfulness of it. It was also a direct response to the artworks of Neoclassism and Romanticism wherein much of it depicted unrealistic figures and an idealized world. Such examples include "The Stone Breakers" by Gustave Courbet and "The Third-Class Carriage" by Honoré Daumier. It must be noted as well that realism has several variations like surrealism, hyperrealism, and magic realism to name a few.

1. Based on Walter Benjamin’s ideas, can you consider the end-product of your project art? In what ways? (at least 3 sentences)

Based on Walter Benjamin's ideas, the end-product of my project is still considered art, even while it is a reproduction. He remains critical in his essay but discusses a point that the reproduction of art has opened it up to a lot of potential, especially in its democratization to the masses. My collage also mirrors another point he brings up in his essay wherein art is connected with being ritualistic/religious, however taking that aspect away, transforms it into something political instead. The sculpture of Venus de Milo, during its time period up until today is seen as a ritualistic figure, but by remixing and incorporating it within the context of the punk and feminist movement (two very political movements), I am reimagining her as figure that sets about desiring change of how women are viewed and portrayed in a patriarchal society.

2. How do the concepts of “originality” and piracy affect the way we receive works of art?

The discussion of "originality" and piracy can be a complicated one. Walter mentions in his essay that art has an aura to it, meaning that it has a distinct feeling based from its historical/religious context, medium, the time of which it was created, and the space of which it was placed in. The advancement of technology has made art possible for reproduction but bears a significant loss in its aura or "originality" as it suddenly becomes mass produced and easily pirated by other individuals. With this in mind, our relationship with art and how we receive it has caused a shift over the past century, from becoming a sacred experience to one of mass accessibility, inadvertently sacrificing originality for widespread reach and democratization.