Art Essay

Assignment: Watch the PBS Video “Cases for Political Art” () and also click on the link to the NPR article about the controversy concerning the painting created by the student from Ferguson. READ the article AND listen to the brief commentary also provided on the same page (located at the top of the article – click on the blue button with the arrow to hear the audio). After watching the video and reading the article respond to the issues raised in both relative to the issue of political art in a brief essay.

Criteria: Post in Word Document on BB. Use Times New Roman or compatible font, Font size 11, double spaced. Length should be 1.5–2 pages (Minimum 650 – 900 words)

Due Date: March 5th  –  11:59

Questions or issues to consider in your response:

• In the video which works did you respond to the most and why? Or which works do you think were most powerful or effective in making their point relative to the issues they were intended to address?  In addition, did you notice how all of the artists used the form to convey their intended message? Describe and critique at least one of works featured.

• How familiar were you with the historical events being addressed by the artists? For example, did you know about the Nazi’s bombing of the Spanish town of Guernica during World War II, which was the focus of the Picasso painting featured in the video? Can or should political art be a means to give information to the public as well as make an argument about a particular issue and which should take precedence, the information or the argument?

• How relevant do you believe political art is in today’s climate? And, do you think art can be effective when addressing political issues or controversies and how so? Do you think art can actually change people’s minds or are there better ways and what might those be?

• Can you think of any other political art you have experienced that changed your mind about a relevant social issue? Remember films are art too. Have you seen any films that dealt with some social issue that changed your perspective?

• How do you feel about the controversy surrounding the painting done by the student from Ferguson? Do you think the congressman was justified in removing it from where it was being displayed in the Capitol Building?

this is the  video  : https://www.youtube.com/embed/RfXad3HVox4

the article  is : https://www.npr.org/2017/01/10/509168850/student-painting-depicting-cops-as-animals-sparks-tensions-on-capitol-hill