Social Contexts

A detailed Summary of Social Contexts

 1. When analysing an artwork what is to be gained from considering the social context in which it was created? Are there possible drawbacks to this methodology? Provide clear examples to substantiate your argument.

When analysing artwork, in any form, there are often times social contexts in which can be interpreted. Not always does the history behind the painting need to be revealed to fully understand the concept of the artwork, yet it is helpful in determining if the artwork is truthful in its representation. Although in analysing artwork it is likely that there are drawbacks to considering the social context. To illustrate this point, I'm going to use the visual arts as my medium of choice.

Understanding the social context can be an important tool. An advantage of knowing the history of the painting or sculpture can really enrich our knowledge, being in the 20th (soon to be 21st) century, about some of the social periods from previous times. It can demonstrate how traditions were carried out, how they had an impact on the different social classes. It's a visua

We don't know for sure what Jules Breton wanted to convey when he painted The Gleaners. We can assume certain circumstances and backgrounds, but the key word is 'assume'. When determining a social context of a work of art it's strictly an assumption and is only one of the many, many contexts that can be derived. Yes, works of art, especially realist works, can give the twentieth century some sort of clue as to what life was like in the 1850's. Yet, we can't take everything we view as the truth. It has to be at face value. If one were to look at Breton's version of The Gleaners and then at Courbet's version, we would see exceptionally noticeable differences. So what are we supposed to 'assume' as the truth? The answer is we don't choose either one as the truth. We have to look in between and find a happy medium in which we can understand and be satisfied with by either doing background research on the painting or simply not regarding either to be truthful and just moving on. It's very hard, nearly impossible to fully understand a social context for a work of art. In this instance, with the gleaners, through documentation, we can determine which work of art was a little embellished towards pleasing the critics. Sooner or later we have to just look no further along the association line than is absolutely necessary. The vision can get too cloudy if the context wants to be understood completely.

There are various and numerous drawbacks to considering the social contexts. The major one, being stated, is that all context is itself textual. It's too hard and labourious to attempt to comprehend the mannerisms and customs of the eighteenth century. We weren't there to experience it so we have to be happy with just reading and viewing about it.

l teaching aid of a sort. Even in the time period of which the artwork was created can be used as a tool to show how the life was in different parts of the world. It was also used as a hammer in the realist movement to show the upper classes that life for the poor was horrible.

The gleaners were poor, withered, weak, and sick. They weren't beautiful and were definitely not happy. Also, the gleaners had to collect wheat for a full day, sometimes more, to be able to bake one loaf of bread. It is even published that one of the girls in the painting is Breton's wife, he used his wife as a model. "Breton's style epitomizes the contemporaneity associated with realism. He wants us to feel we are looking at real people in an actual place, and, indeed, the young woman seen in profile in his Gleaners is a portrait of the artists' future bride." It's not a true representation of the gleaners when he uses his bride as a model. "Jules Breton looked at the world and the future with an optimistic eye. Although he painted many of the same themes as Courbet and Millet, his sensibility-his 'social consciousness'-was different. Where they saw the poor, he saw 'the humble'." His family was bourgeoisie, yet he knows what it's like to experience financial troubles. When his father died in 1848, the family plummeted. Perhaps he knew what the gleaners must endure and by

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Approximate Word count = 2118
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Arts