Reflection Of William Kentridge's Life In The Past

864 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay on art in society

CHAPTER 3

Personally I find that Kentridges work cements the past which he narrates in the present, I think the artists work is socially engaging because…

It is the act of forgetfulness which Kentridge finds distressing, how such events like (???) can escape from ones memory and the process of forgiveness too is merely ignored. To Kentrige this is makes little to no sense and is therefore a means to him for creating work based upon personal and collective history, as opposed to singularly narrating his own personal history which few South Africans can relate to as he found himself in an unusual position as a white man aware of the atrocities which took place.

By studying Kentridges work, it is now clear that the act of remembering is an important one in order to mover forward, and ensure history does not repeat itself. To accept and acknowledge the past, to make an account of it, to honour it. One could analyse Kentridges works and assume that the artist is stuck in the past and refuses to accept the future, perhaps for fear that nothing will change, that if he does not dedicate his life to the cause that it will be swept away and forgotten like so many challenging times …show more content…

In the sense that the artist is dealing with a subject matter loaded with emotion and passion, it would appear futile to analyse his work in a calculated manner. Whilst viewing ‘9 Drawings for projection’ you become invested in the protagonists, empathising with them in scenes and relating to the traumas which they are dealing with. It would be inaccurate to say that a set of rules should be applied to the manner in which we interpret the narrative content of this artists body of work. The emotional reaction which occurs when viewing Kentirdges work is something which can’t be achieved through historical reading of the subject. for it is artworks which

Show More
Related

  • Subject Placement in American Gothic, The Third of May, Acrobat’s Family, and Waterseller

    1097 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many of these artists' works contain subtle hints to the author's opinion on the subject. By analyzing their central compositional effects, the viewer can obtain a greater appreciation and understanding for the art.

    Read More

  • This Way for the Gas Ladies and Gentlemen

    1234 Words  | 3 Pages

    /6m÷illions of their very race, but also with the prisoner workers who were-and have been-relentlessly tormented by (the guilt of their actions) (their guilt). This (novel, story, event, etc..) will not soon be forgotten.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Turning By Tim Winton

    808 Words  | 2 Pages

    Through this short story we are taken through one of Vic Lang’s memories narrated by his wife struggling to figure out why a memory of Strawberry Alison is effecting their marriage and why she won’t give up on their relationship. Winton’s perspective of the theme memory is that even as you get older your past will follow you good, bad or ugly, you can’t always forget. E.g. “He didn’t just rattle these memories off.” (page 55) and ( I always assumed Vic’s infatuation with Strawberry Alison was all in the past, a mortifying memory.” (page 57). Memories are relevant to today’s society because it is our past, things or previous events that have happened to you in which we remembered them as good, bad, sad, angry etc. memories that you can’t forget. Winton has communicated this to his audience by sharing with us how a memory from your past if it is good or bad can still have an effect on you even as you get older. From the description of Vic’s memory being the major theme is that it just goes to show that that your past can haunt or follow you but it’s spur choice whether you chose to let it affect you in the

    Read More

  • Naturalism and the Venetian Poesia

    1377 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... the Durer landscapes seen in Giulio Campagnola’s Saturn. Campbell’s analysis of poesia is a strong illustration of the examination of works in the field of Art History. Art historians obviously study the physical marks and meanings of a piece of work, but also need to critically analyze the influences and historical context of the time period to get a stronger understanding of the artist and his intentions. As a good art historian, Campbell has taken apart the elements of different images and tied in extrinsic factors, like contemporary events and works, to create a bigger picture.

    Read More

  • Essay Comparing The Kneeling Woman And Two Women

    500 Words  | 1 Pages

    Spending time looking at art is a way of trying to get into an artists’ mind and understand what he is trying to tell you through his work. The feeling is rewarding in two distinctive ways; one notices the differences in the style of painting and the common features that dominate the art world. When comparing the two paintings, The Kneeling Woman by Fernand Leger and Two Women on a Wharf by Willem de Kooning, one can see the similarities and differences in the subjects of the paintings, the use of colors, and the layout

    Read More

  • Forgiveness In The Holocaust, By Simon Wiesenthal

    920 Words  | 2 Pages

    Must one forget before one can forgive? Forgiveness involves not holding a sin against a person any longer, but forgiveness is a decision of the will. Since we cannot selectively remove events from our memory, it is impossible to truly forget sins that have been committed against us. Simon Wiesenthal, a Holocaust survivor, in his book The Sunflower, writes of an experience that occurred when he was a prisoner in a concentration camp during the Holocaust. He recounts a day when he was taken from work and lead to the bedside of a dying man. The dying man Karl, a member of the SS, confessed to Simon about his dreadful act for he sought absolution from a Jew. As Karl begs for Wiesenthal to forgive him, Wiesenthal remained silent and walked away. Wiesenthal’s purpose is to argue whether the inhumane acts of the SS should be forgiven. Because

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Remember By Joy Harjo

    772 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the poem, Harjo portrays the importance of recalling the past to help shape one’s identity. She uses the repetition of the word “Remember” to remind that while the past may be history, it still is a defining factor in people’s lives (l. 1). This literary technique

    Read More

  • Howls By Allen Ginsberg's Howl And The Beat Generation

    920 Words  | 2 Pages

    Over the decades, art has been used as a weapon against the callousness of various social constructs - it has been used to challenge authority, to counter ideologies, to get a message across and to make a difference. In the same way, classical poetry and literature written by minds belonging to a different time, a different place and a different community have somehow found a way to transcend the boundaries set by time and space and have been carried through the ages to somehow seep into contemporary times and shape our society in ways we cannot fathom.

    Read More

  • Representations of History and Memory in Mark Baker's 'The Fiftieth Gate' and David Olere's Painting 'The Massacre Of The Innocents'

    1151 Words  | 3 Pages

    History and memory are depicted through human attitudes and behaviours. The way that History is shaped and represented impacts on our response to events of the past and memory is vital to this equation in order to fully understand history and appreciate the past. The representation of History and memory in Mark Baker's 'The Fiftieth Gate' (TFG) justifys Yossl, Genia and Baker's attitudes and behaviours. We are made aware of this through character, literary techniques and the structural frame in bakers journey through memory and David Olere's painting 'The Massacre Of The Innocents'

    Read More

  • Vasilii Kandinskii Red Oval Analysis

    1212 Words  | 3 Pages

    The vibrant colors and geometric shapes catch my eye in each of his pieces. Each and every one, because they are so packed with shapes and colors could arise a great amount of interpretations from person to person. Although, with research, the interpretations are more focused and guided. Before research I believed that “Red Oval” was a type of landscape picture in a scrapbook, and after research I still believe that is what the painting is about but it now has meaning. Knowing more about his life, gives the painting meaning and gives the painting emotion which then translates onto the viewer. I believe this emotional attachment is what lures viewers to his beautiful

    Read More

  • Art Analysis

    965 Words  | 2 Pages

    Though most works of art have some underlying, deeper meaning attached to them, our first impression of their significance comes through our initial visual interpretation. When we first view a painting or a statue or other piece of art, we notice first the visual details – its size, its medium, its color, and its condition, for example – before we begin to ponder its greater significance. Indeed, these visual clues are just as important as any other interpretation or meaning of a work, for they allow us to understand just what that deeper meaning is. The expression on a statue’s face tells us the emotion and message that the artist is trying to convey. Its color, too, can provide clues: darker or lighter colors can play a role in how we judge a piece of art. The type of lines used in a piece can send different messages. A sculpture, for example, may have been carved with hard, rough lines or it may have been carved with smoother, more flowing lines that portray a kind of gentleness.

    Read More

  • David Copperfield

    1004 Words  | 3 Pages

    is a classic and may be considered his best work. There are times when the

    Read More

  • Griselda Pollock: Article Analysis

    985 Words  | 2 Pages

    The article Artists Mythologies and Media Genius, Madness and Art History (1980) by Griselda Pollock is a forty page essay where Pollock (1980), argues and explains her views on the crucial question, "how art history works" (Pollock, 1980, p.57). She emphasizes that there should be changes to the practice of art history and uses Van Gogh as a major example in her study. Her thesis is to prove that the meaning behind artworks should not be restricted only to the artist who creates it, but also to realize what kind of economical, financial, social situation the artist may have been in to influence the subject that is used. (Pollock, 1980, pg. 57) She explains her views through this thesis and further develops this idea by engaging in scholarly debates with art historians and researcher, and objecting to how they claim there is a general state of how art is read. She structures her paragraphs in ways that allows her to present different kinds of evidences from a variety sources while using a formal yet persuasive tone of voice to get her point across to the reader.

    Read More

  • Various Art Critiques

    929 Words  | 2 Pages

    As I enter the Gioconda and Joseph King Gallery at the Norton Museum of Art the first thing that Caught my attention was a painting measuring approximately at 4 ft. by 10 ft. on the side wall in a well- light area. As I further examine the painting the first thing I notice is that it has super realism. It also has color, texture, implied space, stopped time, and that it is a representational piece. The foreign man sitting on the chair next to a bed has a disturbed look on his face and is deep into his own thoughts. It’s as if someone he loved dearly just experienced a tragic and untimely death. He is in early depression. I could feel the pain depicted in his eyes. A book titled The Unquiet Grave lying open on the floor by the unmade bed suggesting something is left unresolved. The scattered photos and papers by the bedside cause redintegration. The picture of Medusa’s head screaming on the headboard is a silent scream filled with anger and pain, yet it cannot be heard. I feel as if I am in the one sitting in the chair and I can feel the anger, and regret.

    Read More

  • Confronting Images

    1639 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Confronting Images, Didi-Huberman considers disadvantages he sees in the academic approach of art history, and offers an alternative method for engaging art. His approach concentrates on that which is ‘visual’ long before coming to conclusive knowledge. Drawing support from the field of psycho analytics (Lacan, Freud, and Kant and Panofsky), Didi-Huberman argues that viewers connect with art through what he might describe as an instance of receptivity, as opposed to a linear, step-by-step analytical process. He underscores the perceptive mode of engaging the imagery of a painting or other work of art, which he argues comes before any rational ‘knowing’, thinking, or discerning. In other words, Didi-Huberman believes one’s mind ‘sees’ well before realizing and processing the object being looked at, let alone before understanding it. Well before the observer can gain any useful insights by scrutinizing and decoding what she sees, she is absorbed by the work of art in an irrational and unpredictable way. What Didi-Huberman is s...

    Read More

More about Reflection Of William Kentridge's Life In The Past

Open Document