欢迎拍砖，有拍必回~Issue131【六人行小组8.3】by xyjprc

xyjprcUID: 2412778

练一练art方面的，也当积累素材，欢迎猛拍砖~

TOPIC: ISSUE131 - "The arts (painting, music, literature, etc.) reveal the otherwise hidden ideas and impulses of a society."
WORDS: 687          TIME: 01:30:00          DATE: 8/8/2010 7:11:46 PM


Arts, in forms of music, architecture, painting and so on, are deeply combined with our society. However, do they convey the hidden impulses and ideas of our society? In most cases, I concede that the inner value of a society could be reflected by the arts. However, in my observation, some artworks are only creations in their aesthetical meaning, and some serve only as commodities to satisfy the majority's desire.

Admittedly, the arts can in some extent reveal the hidden ideas and impulse of a society. The creators of these artworks are members of their societies, thus they share the same spirits, values and beliefs of their societies, and are likely to impose them, both advertently and inadvertently, on their creations. Yellow River Cantata, composed by the famous composer Xinghai Xian, is a song that makes an analogous with the roaring Yellow River to reflect Chinese people's resoluteness to fight back against Japanese invaders during World War II. Xian composed the Yellow River Cantata after he witnessed the fall of Wuhan, which was his hometown. Angry as he is, he decided to write a song to incite the Chinese people to fight back against the invaders, and there he composed this masterpiece, which later was sung all over China to encourage the passion to save the nation. Meanwhile, artworks other than music also reflect the hidden ideas and impulses of a society. From the novel Trackers on the Volga River we could feel the hardship of the trackers in that time; from the frescos in the Notre Dame we could witness the sincerity of those believers. In a word, the ideas and impulses of a society could be reflected by various forms of art.

However, there exist some artworks that are only creations in their aesthetical meaning, and rigidly connecting them with the contemporary society would be ridiculous. What most artists pursue is the pure beauty, which is comprehended aesthetically, thus the connection between their artworks and the society is fuzzy. For example, the famous "Bird's Nest", the stadium for 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, was elected as one of the Top Ten Modern Architectural Wonders in 2007 by New York Times. The Bird's Nest, however, was appreciated mainly for its complex but natural appearance, rather than its representation, if it does have any. China National Aquatics Center (also known as the Water Cube), is also commented as a work of art. Its blue appearance is designed in accordance to the theme "water", and it would be effortless if one tries to link it with the ideas and values of China. In other words, there are many artworks that are designed for aesthetical purpose, while social ideas are never taken into account.

Furthermore, there are many artworks that are created to profit. They are designed to cater with people's interest, and all effort to create and refine these artworks falls to the single aim of making money. We must admit that popular music is a form of art. To sell the music better, the record companies write lyrics that are usually about love which is easy to arouse resonance, and compose the music that is striking. These commercial music are composed to help express the feelings of people and relieve their stress accumulated in the fast pace of society. Directed mainly by money, the procedure of composing commercial music is obviously possible to go against the inner value of the society. The possibility of commercialization exists generally in other forms of art. A painter may sell paintings that are only painted to decorate the room, in order to survive; a director may direct seemingly dazzling advertisements that is only directed to promote commodities. All in all, the money-first principle of forms of art denies their ability to reveal hidden ideas and impulses of a society.

In a conclusion, rather than reflecting the inner value of a society, artworks are usually created mainly in aesthetical meanings and for monetary matters. Art may serve as a reference to comprehending the hidden ideas and impulses of a society, while merely depending on appreciating art to understand a society could be misleading.

Eileen312UID: 2648750

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

Arts, in forms of music, architecture, painting and so on, are deeply combined with our society. However, do they convey the hidden impulses and ideas of our society? In most cases, I concede that the inner value of a society could be reflected by the arts. However, in my observation, some artworks are only creations in their aesthetical meaning, and some serve only as commodities to satisfy the majority's desire[再点破不能反映社会思潮，另外本段两个however].

Admittedly, the arts can in some extent reveal the hidden ideas and impulse of a society. The creators of these artworks are members of their societies, thus they share the same spirits, values and beliefs of their societies, and are likely to impose them, both advertently and inadvertently, on their creations[and后面主语承前而来就是creator了，那后面就很让人困惑了]. Yellow River Cantata, composed by the famous composer Xinghai Xian, is a song that makes an analogous with the roaring Yellow River to reflect Chinese people's resoluteness to fight back against Japanese invaders during World War II. Xian composed the Yellow River Cantata after he witnessed the fall of Wuhan, which was his hometown. Angry as he is, he decided to write a song to incite the Chinese people to fight back against the invaders, and there he composed this masterpiece, which later was sung all over China to encourage the passion to save the nation. Meanwhile, artworks other than music also reflect the hidden ideas and impulses of a society. From the novel Trackers on the Volga River we could feel the hardship[s是 ideas or impetus？] of the trackers in that time; from the frescos in the Notre Dame we could witness the sincerity of those believers. In a word, the ideas and impulses of a society could be reflected by various forms of art.

However, there exist some artworks that are only creations in their aesthetical meaning, and rigidly connecting them with the contemporary society would be ridiculous[rediculous这个词太口语化了吧，而且不够客观]. What most artists pursue is the pure beauty, which is comprehended aesthetically, thus the connection between their artworks and the society is fuzzy. For example, the famous "Bird's Nest", the stadium for 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, was elected as one of the Top Ten Modern Architectural Wonders in 2007 by New York Times. The Bird's Nest, however, was appreciated mainly for its complex but natural appearance, rather than its representation, if it does have any. China National Aquatics Center (also known as the Water Cube), is also commented as a work of art. Its blue appearance is designed in accordance to the theme "water", and it would be effortless if one tries to link it with the ideas and values of China. In other words, there are many artworks that are designed for aesthetical purpose, while social ideas are never taken into account.[这段例子的分析不到位，没有说服力。]

Furthermore, there are many artworks that are created to profit[“to profit”??把profit换为更具体的说法吧，不然很唐突]. They are designed to cater with people's interest, and all effort to create and refine these artworks falls to the single aim of making money. We must admit that popular music is a form of art. To sell the music better, the record companies write lyrics that are usually about love which is easy to arouse resonance, and compose the music that is striking. These commercial music are composed to help express the feelings of people and relieve their stress accumulated in the fast pace of society[不是为了赚钱吗？？]. Directed mainly by money, the procedure of composing commercial music is obviously possible to go against the inner value of the society. The possibility of commercialization exists generally in other forms of art. A painter may sell paintings that are only painted to decorate the room, in order to survive; a director may direct seemingly dazzling advertisements that is only directed to promote commodities. All in all, the money-first principle of forms of art denies their ability to [好熟悉啊]reveal hidden ideas and impulses of a society.[这段事例具体些就好了，点出个考官可能知道的有名有姓的例子]

In a conclusion, rather than reflecting the inner value of a society, artworks are usually created mainly in aesthetical meanings and for monetary matters[这通过你前文论述的不要出来啊]. Art may serve as a reference to comprehending the hidden ideas and impulses of a society, while merely depending on appreciating art to understand a society could be misleading.[你第二段花那多多文字说了艺术作品可以反映社会思潮，这里不可以否得这样绝对。否则自己贬自己了]

[总体感觉不错，语言很到位。。。你有没有发现一个问题：事例里的专有名词很难记啊。。。愁！]