According to The Politics of Vision by Linda Nochlin, people rely on specific individuals to initiate a revolution and an idea. Previously, society mainly depended on the artists for the opinions, especially those engaged in painting and sculpturing. As a result, the artists became essential people in the community since they initiated an idea and made people believe in their concepts. Through their works, they expressed the people’s feelings, and as a result, they engaged in politics where a lot of persuasions were needed, and they could perfectly do it using their artistic and political skills. As a result, art played an essential role in the revolution, and therefore, it becomes associated with freedom.
History plays an essential role in ensuring that people can understand ancient times and predict the future. In most instances, generations only focus on current events; however, the future should be a critical point in shaping the politics and the relationship of people and societies. As early as the 1840s, artists realized that they should focus and predict the future to remain relevant in their fields. As a result, they produced art materials that had their missions for the future, which made them appropriate for both the present and future generations. Although arts evolve from one form to another, the themes of the arts remain the same. For instance, incorporating politics into the arts was conceived several centuries ago; however, even though politics has changed much and the players are different, the ideas of politics advocated for by ancient artists remain the same in the modern era.
The main idea that is portrayed in the article is the issue of political radicalization. As politics began to revolve around most alliances formed across the world and the nations, there was a need to start extreme politics. But since art was critical in politics, it was essential to reform it because politics was already radicalized. Therefore, the paintings and the sculptures that were being displayed portrayed extreme and violent events taking place. Radicalization is mainly being realized because the world had militarized its politics, and evolutions were witnessed in every corner of the world. Although several ideas have been witnessed in different artists, radicalizations are still evident in most types of arts. For instance, cartoon painting across several articles in contemporary society portrays several extreme events and ideas.
The theories of social ideals are widely discussed in the reading. After the revolution years of 1848, artists began to incorporate social ideals into their works. The social standards include humanity, education, human rights, fairness, among other social requirements needed to achieve peace. Artists still use these social ideals in their daily activities. For instance, the world is currently advocating for fairness and human rights; the artists, therefore, use their art pieces to portray the current social ideal challenges experienced by society.
In conclusion, artists play a critical role in both ancient and modern society. They persuade the public and are involved in politics by highlighting the feelings and the plight of the society members. However, the ideas portrayed by the ancient artists remain the same and are crucial in modern society. Radicalization of the art materials, which was demonstrated several centuries ago, has also been portrayed by contemporary society, especially in politics. Moreover, the theories of social ideals are crucial in making the pieces of art relevant. Aspects such as humanity and fairness are currently witnessed in modern society; hence, the artists highlight them.
Bibliography
Nochlin, Linda. “The Invention of the Avant-Garde: France, 1830–1880.”In The Politics of Vision: Essays on Nineteenth-Century Art and Society, 1-18. New York, NY: Routledge, 1989.