Just by looking at the cover, you realize already that this is an issue about art. What is art? I have my definition, but there is no need to rant about it, seeing that the common responses to that question are based solely on people’s subjective opinion. Take an introductory course in art history or even its methodology if you want to learn what art is.
Instead, let us look at the effect of art on our daily lives. When people donate their bodies after death, they usually end up as organs to a patient or towards the education of tomorrow’s doctors. Gunther von Hagen, however, uses cadavers for his contemporary exhibition of Body Worlds where the process of plastination occurs to remove fluids and fat in order to pose them, stripped of their skin, in visually stunning positions. The Chicago Tribune marked it as being too realistic and gross, yet so amazing that we are easily educated.
Having seen this traveling exhibit in Philadelphia with little knowledge of anatomy, I returned incredibly stunned, knowing how substantial the human body is, along with a larger vocabulary for muscles. Most visitors viewed this exhibit with more curiosity than disgust.
Think of these exhibitions as a learning guide. This is similar to how ceiling frescos of scenes from the Bible were the primary tool to educate Christians in the fourteenth century. However, these depictions of human beings—tortured and eaten by demons in hell— were exploited as propaganda to subjugate any follower into the Christian faith. We don’t take these pigmented paintings seriously today, but photography and our more advanced recording media present us with the same challenge: Should we view a photograph as factual evidence or as a vehicle for ideological influence?
In times of national conflict or war, we tend to forget about the art that is destroyed or pillaged, as stories about art are overshadowed by body counts and explosions. A cathedral that has been a casualty of war may never have a chance to be built again. It wouldn’t necessarily affect people at first, but think about the cultural history and heritage behind this building that had a profound impact on the lives of others. We’ll never see Minoru Yamasaki’s World Trade Center again.
Have you thought about how art has affected your life yet? Do it and appreciate our generation of artists. Start with this issue and find out which images startle, attract, and change your beliefs. Also, don’t forget that the Anderson, Albright Knox, and One Hour Galleries are right around the corner, so check them out and ask yourself more questions about the way art influences your life. Even if you don’t learn anything about the principles or methodology of art, you may come away with a better understanding of yourself.
High Regards,
Cuong Nguyen
Photo Editor
