Social Trends In Art
Art is something which can be analyzed to
give deeper insight as to the common
values and beliefs shared by the members
of a certain society. Regardless of the
place of origin or the time period of
a form of art, it will always be a
reflection of the social structure in
which it's creator/s lived. However, the
way the artist perceives the culture
common to his time period is very relative.
People pertaining to a higher
social class had different values and ideologies
than members of a lower
class. This different view of life can be seen very
clearly in individual
forms of art such as painting and music. These specific
forms of artistic
expression required very little money, thus could be exercised
by anyone
including members of a lower class. Other forms of art such as
architecture
and sculpture required more money and in most cases wealthy patrons
such as
kings or queens. Architecture also required large numbers of workers
which
often made it hard to see any individual influence in the design,
however
showed the collective ideology of all of the people involved. The
cost of labor
and materials was also so great that very affluent members of
society were
needed to financially support the whole process. Sculpture was
also an artistry
that required great amounts of material and labor. This
resulted in a more
normative form of art which portrayed societal aspects in
a way that was of
interest to the financial backers. By studying both popular
and normative art
together it is possible to obtain a greater perspective on
a specific culture.
Outside influences from other countries can also
affect the art and the artists
of a certain society. As a country sees more
and more immigrants from a certain
area, the art will begin to reflect the
ideologies these outsiders bring in with
them. This same change can be seen
more drastically in the case of an invasion.
The architecture would
change drastically, since it is normative art and the new
rulers would
enforce their own norms and rules. The painting would also change,
however
less drastically than more official forms of art. This more gradual
change
could be attributed to the individuals of the country who still retained
the
old values and customs. These same influences on art would take place
if
nobility of another country married into the royal family, and was then
given
heir to the throne. The change would be just as drastic, but departure
from old
ideologies would be encouraged instead of enforced. In the case of
Arab
influence in Spain during the eighth century, it was not an invasion
rather a
gradual settling of this other culture in Spain's borders. The
change was
brought about by the affect this outside influence had on the
people of Spain.
The new ideas and forms of artistic expression were
exciting and intriguing to
Spaniards, and eventually they adopted these
ideas as their own. The change was
seen in all forms of art, especially in
the new arches and vivid colors used in
Arabic architecture. Any time a
new way of life makes itself present in a
society, it has an affect on the
art. Usually this change is seen mostly in
architecture and sculpture, while
painting follows behind. The two cultures can
also mix together and give rise
to a new form of hybrid artistic expression.
This mixing of ideas and
beliefs is usually most evident in places were the
people are trying to
choose between the new popular culture, and the old beliefs
and values of the
country. Painting of a certain society can be analyzed either
technically or
with the purpose of discovering its meaning. It's the second
which should be
used in order to give a better idea of the philosophies of a
certain group of
people. The background of the painting is always very important
when studying
a painting. The landscape or buildings behind the main focus of
the painting
can give an idea of where the artist is from. Many times the artist
will use
a background which doesn't pertain to the actual painting to show
loyalty to
his place of birth. This occurred mostly with painters who moved from
their
home country to live elsewhere and ended up painting in the same style as
the
other artists in his new country. If the background is painted in a
very
refined way and contains very elegant features than it can be deduced
that the
society at that time gave importance to these features. If it is
painted very
realistically, not showing much attention to beauty, then
portraying the scene
in a sincere way is probably the author's primary
objective. The subject of a
painting is also a very important factor when
examining its social influences.
In cultures where religion governs every
aspect of life, the painting will
reflect these beliefs. In any society run
primarily by the Roman Catholic Church
the only theme used in painting is
that of Christianity. This art is known as
committed art, and the most common
subjects in painting are the Virgin Mary and
Jesus. In a society where
the paintings are mostly of mythological events and
people, it can be deduced
that the church is not the most important part of
life. Returning to ancient
Greek and Roman ideals is more important to this
culture than the Catholic
Church. Many times art will show common people
participating in everyday
activities. This type of painting is done by popular
artists who have more of
an interest in the lower class than the higher class.
Many of the artists
who depicted this lifestyle were more popular than normative
artists, however
didn't receive the same attention from the critics. By looking
at the
techniques used in paintings it is evident which qualities were seen as
more
important to art. If the society views color and the overall impression
of
the painting as the most important aspect, than these techniques will
stand out
the most. If lines and realism are more important than these
aspects will be
emphasized in the painting. These trends are often parallel
to the social trends
which accompany them. If a certain culture believes that
reason and straight
thinking are the guidelines of life, then these qualities
will be reflected in
the painting. However, if feelings and the human soul
are more important, than
the paintings will be less realistic and more
emotional. Likewise if a society
sees religion as something to be painted
with respect, the figures are more
likely to be shown idealistically. For
instance if the Virgin Mary is always
portrayed as young and beautiful, then
this shows the society's respect and
admiration for this religious figure.
However a different culture could believe
in realism as more important and
portray Christ on the cross in a gruesome,
instead of peaceful, manner.
Architecture is the form of art most representative
of a certain cultural
period. It doesn't allow for as much individual expression
as sculpture or
painting because of the number of people involved. While only
one or two
people design the building, hundreds of people help make this design
reality.
The designers also had to please the people who gave them the money
for
supplies and manpower. This made it hard for an architect to show
much
individual expression. Often times the architecture of a time period is
very
similar throughout a certain area. The churches are all built in a
certain
style, as are any official buildings. The architecture very rarely
strays from
this style since all of it is made to please the same people.
This, although
sometimes monotonous, makes architecture a unifying force for
a specific
society. When people see a certain building they know what that
building is used
for and what that style of architecture signifies. It is
also possible to
examine architecture and find out more about the society
from which it
originated. The institutions hailed as important by that
society are often built
in the official style while other buildings are not.
Also, these institutions
are often housed in the biggest, most elaborate
buildings. Much like painting,
the social trends of the time period are often
portrayed in architecture. The
period of Enlightenment where reason governed
most actions, the buildings were
built rationally and ever structure served a
purpose. The baroque period gave
rise to buildings which closely resembled
the attitude of the people: the more
adornments, the better. Sculpture is a
form of art which was often found on
buildings as a decoration, or as part of
the architecture. Most of the time it
was used to portray religious figures
in a narrative on the front of a church.
The altars inside the church
were also made up of mostly small sculptures of
religious figures and people.
Official sculpture can be found of kings and
queens and other important
people of the society. Sculpture is helpful in
analyzing society partly
because it shows a culture's view of the human body. A
culture with an
interest in the human body is more likely to show the person
nude, and use
great detail in the artwork. Sculpture also shows what symbols or
figures
were representative of a society, and how that society used this
symbolism in
their art. Music is a form of art that is very individual in
nature, and
because of this is very diverse. There can be many types of music in
a
certain society, however, the most popular songs will be those that embody
the
ideas and beliefs of the common people. Music's availability to almost
everyone
makes it a very popular art form. Someone could make an instrument
out of just
about anything they could lay their hands on. Singing doesn't
even require an
instrument, just a voice and some artistic talent. Courtly
forms of music show
the lifestyles of the rich, affluent members of society,
while popular music
illustrated that of the common man. Since all of these
forms of art are products
of society, the driving force behind them are the
normative and popular views of
life at the time. Although individual
expression is always important for any
artist, his art won't appeal to the
people if it isn't representative of
society. This makes art a constant
reflection of social trends, whether they be
those of common man or those of
the king and queen. Studying art can prove
helpful in analyzing a specific
culture or society because embodies the ideology
of the nation.