Category Archives: Blog post #2

Ways of seeing/Ways of hearing Blog #2

The example of  an image I encountered which attempt to convey a message regarding it is 3 wises Monkey . It was a paintings that displayed 3  same monkeys with different meaning .the first monkey has his hear closed  , the second one in the middle  has closed  his eyes and the third finally has his mouth closed too . This is kind of image that stand up with a message that people could interpret in different ways .first of all , standing in front of it  personally did not let me speechless or thoughtless. I had in my mind formulate a whole story of this image that convey me to change the way I was looking at the world . Questions  as why Shouldn’t I hear , see or talk matter ? What was the really meaning of the image ? Looking around  me , and analysing how some people got in trouble simply because they had said something that they shouldn’t have said  , heard what they shouldn’t hear or saw what they shouldn’t have seen I realise that the message, me the viewer ,who  was looking to  the image would have changed my thoughts .It does really convince me to try to stay away from nonsense-talk  , keep my eyes away from things that does mean to me and chosen well what I want to listen .After that I was really impress and inspired by the image I did the research on internet to figure out if the meaning that I gave to image was matching . I found it on internet in my phone which mean it was possible for me to see it on my screen .The same image with same meaning was on internet in different aspects of viewing . Some edited it in black and white , other in colour .I even saw somewhere that monkeys was clothed . The image come to us , we play with it do whatever we want with it .

That allowed me to take good decision by connecting those life still of living to stay away from trouble . It really effect they way I used to be .I was such a person who wanted to be in the epicentre of talking , hearing and seeing everything but I became more  focused  on things that really matter to me .But its it necessary to be convinced by  images ? Those images  or painting that we are seeing , is it not someone else ideas or  thoughts  , how will that relate to our own point of view ? This image requires alt text, but the alt text is currently blank. Either add alt text or mark the image as decorative.

 

 

Blog post #2

As an example of how duplication or photocopying can manipulate the original meaning, I could have chosen some commercial, maybe even some of the publications of mainstream media, which are manipulating the truth and reality by reproduction or just using a small part of the photographs/videos. Propaganda, conspiracies, fake news, manipulation by fear, but even the filtered pictures on social media. Artificial intelligence and personalized commercials processed by experts, and psychologists, convincing us to believe that our lives are not fulfilled until we get the specific product. Reportages on the same topic are usually divergent, and what matters is the side motivation of the presenter more than some codex of the profession. All that by also using well-know art pieces that can catch the attention of the buyer. But additionally, thanks to the invention of the camera, it is sometimes very difficult to find out where is the actual truth. That all is probably one of the biggest problems of reproduction and manipulation and the most dangerous features of the new century.
Therefore, I rather decided to use something more positive. At the websites of Judit Szeifert (https://szeifertjudit.com/), who is among other things, Hungarian art historian, I found the group of manipulated art pieces into memes in the context of humor, a manifestation of nowadays time, pop-culture, and contemporary art. (See the pictures below the text). These pictures are exemplarily presenting the importance of factors surrounding the art piece, and in some cases even changing the entire meaning by adding just one object to the perspective.
When I saw these pictures for the first time, my reaction was actually very positive. I laughed at them and had thought about them as funny replications, connecting the art, times, and humor. But not all of the viewers would, most likely, think about these memes as humorous and someone could even consider some of the concepts are barbarous, destroying our art heritage, degrading our society, or being offensive.
These memes are unmistakably manipulating the unique artworks. Brutally changing the circumstances, manipulating the perception of the viewers, changing the entire context, original meanings, and sending out different messages than was the primal purpose of the artists.
Despite all, I believe there is also positiveness about them as well. For instance, some of these “jokes” may require a need for a bit of knowledge to understand the meaning. We can also consider all collection as a progressive way how to approach the young generation and wake up in it the interest in art and general education more often than not.
These memes are transmitting a satiric message which is positive. But as Berger said in the video, reproduction can be positive and also negative. In the end, we should be careful and always think about what is “behind the curtain”.

    

                 

 

       

        

Blog Post # 2

The image inserted above is Child with toy hand grenade in central park by Diane Arbus (1962). I learned that at first glance you notice the child’s facial expression and how instead of posing as a playful and angelic boy he is captured in an intense and frustrating moment. The entire image creates this twisted innocence where you have this beautiful little boy who exemplifies rage and nerves. In his right hand he is holding a very realistic looking toy grenade, while his left is clenched into a claw. Nothing is medically wrong with the boy, but his momentary reaction to the event of being photographed has come to be more than a portrait. The child embodies awkward tensions between childhood games, not-so-childlike violence, and greater turmoil that defined the late 1960s and early 1970s, a time when there was a war. Arbus sought to expose the underbelly of society, which is often overlooked or ignored. What becomes apparent is the more insistent, larger narrative of American sensibility, lost in the  1960s.  I admire Diane so much for this photograph because she created a series based on this one boy of him smiling and playing in the park and out of an array of options she chooses the most thought provoking one. Berger in his first episode talks about how reproductions of an artwork can be forms of information, explaining how its meaning can be modified without intention. Imagining Diane Arbus’ photograph being publicized throughout New York city, there had to be so many differences in opinion and perspective. Critic Susan Sontag wrote about Arbus in her book stating that she pictured people who are repulsive, pathetic, and pitiful. But despite this review it still remained one of one of the most iconic and impactful of its time.

Self-Portrait, “Ways of Seeing”

Since March of the current year, people have been forced to isolate themselves from each other due to the coronavirus pandemic. During this tough period, many try to maintain communication with the outside world through social networks. People created many different challenges while staying at home in order to entertain themselves and others. I would like to mention about “self-portrait” challenge. The idea is to choose any famous artwork and recreate the picture using improvised objects from home.

These works are a kind of parody of the original works. First of all, the participants of the challenge tried to convey the main details of the portraits, introducing a little of their own elements into them. However, if you look at these parodies without the original picture, we see a regular photo portrait. For example, look at the portrait of a young woman who was trying to reproduce a self-portrait of Van Gogh. This portrait alone does not catch our attention, but if you see the original self-portrait of Van Gogh and a parody of this picture in one place, you can see some similarities between these images. Turning to the video of John Berger in Episode #1 “Ways of Seeing”, I agree that this is a kind of manipulation of our vision, putting the original artwork and reproductions together. Due to this, they interact and reflects with each other.    

After spending some time on the Internet, I was also attracted by a selection of amusing parodies of another Van Gogh self-portrait painted in September 1889. As the Berger said, through artwork we can see, feel and hear the spirit of the time in which this work was created. Of course, these meme images are also changed in such a way as to convey the spirit of the times. At the same time, looking at these pictures, I understand that only the content of the picture has been changed, but the essence remains the same. Namely, this is a static portrait of a person, reflecting the experienced emotions of the artist when creating this work.

 

Blog post #2

Advertising warfare flared between Mercedes and BMW, after Mercedes congratulated its competitor on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of its founding by publishing a satirical video. And the content of the clip was “Happy Birthday, and thank you for a hundred years of competition,” it added, “It was thirty years before the hundredth a bit boring,” in a sign from Mercedes that it had preceded BMW in the industry. But the BMW response came strong and sarcastic, so I published an ad for pictures of a Mercedes truck transporting BMW vehicles, and said, “Thank you for transporting pleasure.”

The advertising field is always burning between companies, in an attempt to attract the largest number of customers. With sarcastic methods, the topic has become more fun, interesting and creative, and the only winner of all this is the consumer.

Blog Post #2

Blogpost #2

In one of the ad campaigns of McDonald for their Big Mac, they placed a bacon over the shoulder of Mona Lisa (the most famous painting) to promote their Big Mac Bacon sandwich as a “classic but with a bacon” slogan. This image in itself didn’t portray any sort of conflict in the eyes of unsuspecting people but created a displeasure to the people with knowledge of original painting of Mona Lisa. We may agree or not, but our habits and conventions played a role in interpreting ambiguous view on this manipulated image too. Before the invention of camera, our perception is limited to the place and time the original painting is in front of our eyes. Our ways of seeing would be conditioned by its authenticity and uniqueness at that time and place. Berger described that images are a word that we can talk with it and connect it us to our experiences as we wish. This ad did exactly what it is supposed to do. Anybody who has seen this image now knows about the Big Mac Bacon sandwich of McDonald. The image is used in an ingenious way to appear attractive to the eyes of viewers. The meaning has changed from its original, but it served their purpose. Had they used a less renowned figure; the coverage would have been far less.

Blog Post 2

In the first picture called The Scream, it shows us as a horrible feeling, so the painting back then wasn’t describing an emotion as accurately as a meme whenever we look at it, it is up to our interpretation. However, nowadays we do use a meme picture in a text message to show our emotions. for instance, the meme picture shows us this Phoebe from Friends yelling, so whenever this picture is used, the context of the conversation provides the meaning. Through memes, classical art can be redesigned as modern “art” for the people of today.

BLOG POST #2

Nowadays, many paintings are misusing in many ways. One of the most common way is it uses for ‘’meme’’. I know it’s awkward and hilarious, but it’s changing our perspective of paintings. It decreases the value of the painting or sometimes it’s doing the opposite. Such as somebody made a meme by using McDonald’s burger on the pitchfork holding by the old man in the famous ‘’American Gothic’’ painting by Grant Wood. Also, there many memes and parodies of that painting around the world. I want to clarify that the painting called “American Gothic” was not famous before.

However, the meaning of the painting is in the eye of the beholder. The artist portrayed the painting by imagining the kind of people should live in that specific house. The painting shows a farmer standing beside his daughter, often mistakenly rumored to be his wife and they were standing in front of a white house with a gothic-style window. However, here the meme changed the perspective of the painting. After seeing the meme people who never see the painting will definitely think that the two persons on the painting are fighting/seeking for food. Or the old man tokes the burger of the girl. But in reality, it’s not. Here invention of software/Photoshop changed the value/meaning of the painting like John Berger pointed out in the video that reproduction changes the actual meaning of the painting.

A meme of the “American Gothic”

Original painting of the “American Gothic”

However, here the meme actually spreads/increasing the popularity of the painting. The reason is when people see the meme, they will try to find the real meanings or the story of the painting. That’s how the fame of the painting can be increased. Similar like the meme there are many parodies about the painting. Also, many movies, animated movies use the painting for entertainment purposes. These things made the painting popular. As a result, the painting is well-known to many people in the world. Also, many people saw the painting as a joke. Therefore, reproduction can be a good way to increase popularity of a painting such as the “American Gothic”.

Blog 2

Nowadays, in many situations we use camera to change images in order to give information to our viewers. That mean we can modify art through the camera and talk with the image for our own purpose. In the video “Abraham Lincoln for kids/biography” by Homeschool Pop! modifying Abraham Lincoln’s picture, kids can learn the moral life and that all people are valuable.

The presenter in the video use Abraham Lincoln’s bear in the picture to make children recognize him by comparing his bear to the cat’s fur. In addition, the presenter uses Abraham Lincoln’s images to show how he serves the union of America and abolish slavery because his parents taught him what was wrong and right including slavery. The presenter wants kids know that slavery was a terrible system where slaves were treated like property and he also use images to show that Abraham Lincoln was killed for what he believes was right. I see that the presenter arranges different images to transmit his information to the kids. When we make a connection between this video to the previous video by Berger, we realize that by using camera we can change the meaning of the art and talk to the pictures. Also, when we use camera and play different songs for the same art, viewers can perceive different information. We know that the original, authentic picture of Abraham Lincoln is somewhere at a particular place. It cannot be in different places in the same time, as Berger said it is still and silence. For that reason, many people prefer to travel and pay a lot of money to see the original art because they believe that nothing can be like the original one. That mean we use camera to duplicate the original one and change or rearrange pictures for our own purpose.

Abraham Lincoln