Art; to some, it may be a simplistic form of expression, however when we learn to analyze it, we can open a whole new world of different perspectives. In order to entertain the concept that “something” is art, we must first make sure it meets a series of criteria. In my particular case, in order to consider a piece, art, I would take certain factors into consideration, such factors can be applied to any medium, whether it is a sculpture, canvas painting or street art. First and foremost, I believe that the piece would have to almost instantly attain my interest if the piece can arouse the curiosity in my mind to further analyze it, then I will move on to look into the content. I consider something art when it uniquely depicts our cultures and way of life, a state of mind, or a different aspect of how I see life. Living in the era in which art has evolved the most, I myself look for pieces that challenge my intellect. Art should have a clear goal, it should emote some kind of emotion, anger, curiosity, sadness, it should bring enlightenment or awareness to the viewer, for art is not just about the artist, but how it impacts the observer.
Based on this I chose the image “like a vision”, mainly because it addresses, and is aimed towards our modern culture. After initially reviewing the image, we can perceive that it depicts the obsession that people can develop towards social networks, particularly the coveted Facebook “Like”. Although this image does not present strong emotional content at first, it i, however, an image that can awaken ones intellectual judgment, it challenges us to look further into the image to perceptively analyze the content. The forms found in the image itself, allow us, almost immediately, to relate with the artist, and the ideology behind the image he produced.
This being modern art, the visual cues that the artist presents are easy to follow, primarily because as part of the modern culture, we are quite familiar with the positive as well as the negative effects of said social networks. There are several factors that may come at play when doing a critique on this piece. Being street art, it may not be seen as an eloquent piece by some observers, however, the amount of detail that was given to the persona truly plays a big role in the context of the painting. This piece is a clear reflection of the modern era and culture that our generation is currently facing. It portrays how some social media fanatics can have a deviated perspective of what everyday priorities ought to be. In the piece we can clearly see that the image was not aimed to a respective group, such as a younger crowd, one may get this insight by noticing how the individual portrayed has a tie.
Once we can come to realize the message that the artist was trying to set across on the image, we can also use that as a factor to further analyze the syntax of such piece. We can deduct that the persona portrayed by the artist, is also exhibiting the effects of having an obsession, some of the visual cues may be: The growing beard, which can represent that the fixated character is taking time away from his personal life and rather investing it in the pursuit of likes, we can see that the character is displaying clear signs of sleep deprivation, perhaps due to the fact that the time is spent in the pursuit of approval from a social community, lastly we can also see that in one aspect or form the individual has become a type of slave to the social network, this can be interpreted by looking at the cuffs in his hands, as well as the tunnel vision that the character is forced to develop towards the “like” itself. After having defined the contents of this image, we can come to realize that the art portrayed, has, in fact, achieved its ultimate goal, which is to represent a side of our culture, as well as our way of life in a new form, and in an aspect that can be clearly interpreted. Aside from doing this, perhaps the artists also had a goal to raise awareness, and based on the presentation of his work, if that was not his goal, clearly the image has the power to do so. How can a convergence of lines and symbols be turned into valuable art? Although this piece is not on a canvas, and may hold no commercial value, perhaps the value it holds is on the point it sets across, because of this, the piece could potentially be considered more valuable than a traditional art piece found in a gallery. Often times street art is simply overlooked by the public, seen as illegal graffiti. I strongly believe that in our era, street art is just, if not, more powerful than traditional art, it often openly critiques, and opens our eyes to many elements that affect our every day lives, it addresses several issues around us, whether they are political, socioeconomic, or even racial.
Over the years, art has evolved in various ways, and by doing so, the way in which we view and critique art has evolved as well. It is time to realize that as societies and beliefs change, so do the matters that affect us. One thing that we should change as well, is the importance and respect we give to street art, and to the brave artists creating it, those who fearlessly use their freedom of expression in a very creative and unique way to open our eyes.
more art here:
https://laughingsquid.com/crazy-cartoony-street-art-by-mister-thoms/
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