[i习作temp] issue 131 艺术能够揭示社会的理念和动力 [复制链接]

rainius
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发表于 2009-9-10 21:48:32 |显示全部楼层

本帖最后由 rainius 于 2009-9-10 21:53 编辑

Issue 131
The arts (painting, music, literature, etc.) reveal the otherwise hidden ideas and impulses of a society.

Is it true that the arts reveal the otherwise hidden ideas and impulses of a society? The author claimed so. Admittedly, art provides people a way to record and express their ideas and feelings. However, in my perspective, a deep and comprehensive analysis should be made on the ability of arts to present the otherwise hidden ideas and impulses of the society, and the attitude that people should hold to confront the thinking revealed from art works.

From the ancient to contemporary days, many artists and philosophers have made interpretation to the meaning of art. For example, Lev Tolstoy, a famous Russian writer in 19th century, said, "Art is not a handicraft, it is the transmission of feeling theorist has experienced." On the whole, art usually is regarded as the process or product which complies with a set of hidden rules of psychology, aesthetics, etc., for the expression or communication of the author's ideas and emotions by intentionally arrange a group of elements. And art complies a set of hidden rules of psychology, aesthetics, etc.. for example, painting is a kind of art to present that painter's idea or emotion by combining a group of lines and color; and music is a form of art which make expression by singing or performing an ordered arrangement of sound.

Since that art has been defined as a way to express the ideas and emotions in human's mind, the hidden ideas or impulses of society can possibly be represented through art works. an artist, as a member of a society, usually cannot avoid being influenced in his thinking and ideology by the society and era in which he lives. When an artwork has been finished by an artist, his ideas or feelings which is banded by the society would be assigned to his artwork, and then be represented to people naturally. For example, Uncle Tom's Cabin is an anti-slavery novel, which revealed the circumstances of African American under the slavery in United States. The author of the novel had experienced the tragic circumstances of slavers, and been deeply influenced by the idea of Abolition Movement before she decided to write this novel. This article reflected the impulse of society to abolish the slavery, as well as it represented the author's compassion to slavers and her abhorrence to the slavery.

On the other hand and furthermore, the purposes of some artworks are just to reveal the hidden ideas and impulses. Liberty Leading the People is such a painting which represents the scene of the July Revolution of 1830, France. The painter's impetus was aroused by the people's bravery in the battle to reverse the restoration of the Bourbon Dynasty. Through his article, the artist consciously represented the people's passion and courage for the pursuit of freedom.

However, the value of the revealing of the hidden ideas and impulses through artworks does not lie in stating these ideas and impulses with a rational and systematic form. In another word. The advantages of art do not include making people understand something deeply or comprehensively, but inducing them to feel what the artworks representation with aesthetics, and make strong influences in their minds. The reason of such a situation lies in that the ideas, emotions and other aspects which are represented from artworks usually be rendered with artistic exaggeration and modification. What the artists' creativities and imaginations may bring to the audiences involve not only the enjoyment of aesthetics but also distortion to the ideas or impulses. Furthermore, the ideas and impulses which are expressed by artworks are mostly incomplete and ambiguous, and cannot qualify the mission make systematic explanation to people about specific ideas or impulses.

In sum, painting, music, literature, and other forms of art really have the function to reveal some hidden ideas or impulses of society. And people can feel these social ideas or impulses from the artworks. However, people should not consider the artworks as textbooks from which they can obtain systematic and comprehensive understanding for the essences of these ideas or impulses.

理念, 艺术