Artworks and its reflaction of culture of society

Artworks and its reflection of the culture of the society

Contemporary art criticism and history dictate that art is not made in a social vacuum. An artist uses the world around them as the stimulus to reflect upon concerns and issues of their time and create works that act as a window into a time in history.  By comparing the works of the Italian Renaissance and post-modern political movements -two very different periods- it becomes clear that the works are a representation of the artists experiences, class, ideology, age and significant events.

The Italian renaissance began in Florence in the 15th century and was a movement to revive the Greek antiquity with its human based philosophy. The fields of science, philosophy, art, literature and law all became popular and Humanism was the prominent ideology. There was movement away from the dehumanising depression of the dark ages to a rebirth of importance and value of humanity. In this time Christopher columbous was discovering new lands, scientific breakthroughs were abundant and trade became commonplace spreading the money to secular families who could now afford to commission artists. These aspects of society were reflected in the art of the time.

In renaissance art the flat expressionless figuration of Byzantine art was replaced by richly colourful works focused on solidifying and making present the individual through strong chiaroscuro, areal and linear perspective, tones, shadow, facial expressions and bold bright colours.  Artists such as Raphael, Michelangelo and Leonardo all exhibited the proportionality and balance that reflect the aesthetic focus of the renaissance bringing back the conventions of classical Greek sculpture.

In Leonardo's works The Last supper (1497) the centrality of religion in renaissance society becomes obvious.  The last supper, was a commission for the catholic fathers of santa Maria dele Grazie,. The strong composition divided the 12 apostles into groups of 3 balanced evenly on either side of Christ symbolising the order of religion. The religious depiction was a common type of art as seen in Michelangelo's sistine chapel roof and sculpture david and reflects the fact that religion was central to renaissance society.

Whilst most works had religious themes works such as the Mona Lisa (1507) show the predominance of the individual. Each figure in The Last Supper was the product of meticulous study of public figures that Leonardo undertook in Florence so are clearly Italian in appearance and characterise the contemporary culture. The figures each have an individual facial expression and gestures to signify their character. This attention to humanistic detail is also present in the subtle smile and aesthetic beauty of the Mona Lisa (1507) and is reflective of the humanistic values of the time. Conventions such as the landscape in the Mona Lisa created using aerial and linear perspective are also characteristic of the renaissance, which valued realism and geometrical accuracy. This focus on realism and aesthetics contrasts with post-modern style but not surprisingly with the vast difference between the renaissance and contemporary culture.

Post-modern art was a direct response to the modern art period and the electronic age. Beginning in approximately 1968, inspired by movements in architecture, post-modern art sought to review the legitimacy of the dominant cultures and histories which tend to exclude minority groups. It stated that the audience was supreme to the artist and that art could only be subjective never objective. The eclectic nature of the electronic age brought about by computers and other high tech forms of communication creating the global village meant art was inspired by many sources, originality was disregarded and art media varied greatly.

In terms of politics and ethics, art has sought to involve the audience with a subjective view of the misuse of power and amoral activities in contemproary society. Cultures have been demoralised by the nuclear age and the focus on the possibility of war, materialism and consumerism have inspired post-modern artists to act as political spokespeople. American Conceptual artist Jenny Holzer deals with the misuse of language and the misleading values of society. Australian based Patricia Piccinini and international artist Stelarc deal with the advancements in technology and where the electronic age may take mankind.

Holzers installations question the morals in politics and society through the use of text. Her use of technology such as led screens, mobile SMS messages and body art based on T-shirts have brought her message to the people as she aims to "make big issues in culture intelligible as public art." She uses literary devices such as puns, contradictions and cliches to highlight myths and common faults in society while using a medium that is familiar through newspapers, billboards etc to the contemporary culture. Her works "protect me from what I want" (1985), "abuse of power comes as no surprise"(1983) and "Raise boys and girls the same way"(1987) are all works where the title is exhibited publicly as a slogan. "Abuse of power comes as no surprise" was actually printed onto a T-shirt and paraded through Times Square New York symbolically worn by an innocent young girl. Such style of medium and presentation of art in such a public, political and stark manner reflects the electronic culture.

Patricia Piccinini digitally manipulates photographs to address issues of scientific ethics in modern culture. Her works including "Protein lattice Subset red"(1998), "Lump"(1996) and "The Young Family"(2002) are all presented with the sleekness of modern advertising and deal with cloning, medical research, biogenetic engineering and cosmetic surgery. The works do not make a negative judgement on the issues but rather present their consequences in a manner which is aimed at the audience to confront, make uncomfortable, create dialogue among, and as SMH critic peter hill described it leave "cold." Her work "Protein Lattice subset red" shows a beautiful model wearing a genetically engineered rat with an ear growing from its back. The work deals with the cultural dilemma of genetic engineering and ethics. The work is digitally manipulated from a photograph and reminds the audience of modern fashion photos suggesting some sort of freakish futuristic fashion accessory. This work and those of other postmodern works reflect the issues concerning modern culture.

In the artworks of the renaissance beginning in the 15th century and the works of post-modern art it can be seen that art reflects the culture that it is made within. Whether celebrating culture as Leonardo did, questioning the status of political culture as Jenny Holzer did, or analysing the impact of algal cultures on modern society as Piccinini does artists have reflected the ideology, values and other aspects of culture that art has been created in.