Question

Many artists working in a neoclassical style were doing so to put forward a political agenda in a rather overt way.

Do you think that there are any art work from the renaissance and baroque era that is devoid of a political (and I am including religion here) point of view?

What about art today?

Answer 1

Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily. You may elaborate the answer based on personal views or your classwork if necessary.

(Answer) The general purpose of art is to depict the plight and emotions of the people through artistic expression. This is perhaps the reason why art was always considered rebellious as it spoke for the people and against authority. However, there are some pieces that are a lot more personal to the artist. These are pieces that do not involve a political message but, a personal passion.

Portrait of a Lady by Van Der Weyden is an oil painting from the Renaissance that does not seem to have a political or religious message in it. The sitter in the painting remains unknown yet; this is a painting that is famous for the light and shadow work that is beautifully expressed through the woman’s black and white attire.

Children's Games is a Baroque style painting from around the same age by painter Pieter Bruegel. It is of the typical baroque style where numerous details are congested within the frame. The purpose of these details is so the viewer grasps the idea of the moment as much as possible. This is a painting of a typical town square with several children playing. There might not be any overt political meaning in it, however, it is the artist’s way of bringing out the beauty of everyday life.

Since time is a consistent construct that is ever changing and non-recurring, it is so that art is like time. Art is constantly a representation of the time and art constantly changes according to the time. Art even though vintage, will have some essence of the time that it is in. That is a dichotomy of mutability and constancy all in one medium. One might find that artists even today might either paint with a leniency on their personal passions or with a macro view of the troubles of society. Either way, it is a depiction of the most prominent expression in the artist’s mind. Sometimes these expressions are derived from political and social scenarios.