Completed on December 14, 2020, for a global humanities course.
Former Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, believed, “The art of a people is a true mirror to their minds.” For centuries, humans have been creating art to express themselves. We’ve created worlds of fiction, capture physical sites, and express our love, grief, joy, etc. To better understand art, it’s essential to understand how different mediums create different impacts. For example, graffiti is usually painted on the sides of buildings and capture a passerby’s attention. The graffiti artist has made a conscious choice of which colors or symbols to depict to incite specific reactions. Art in the political realm is a necessary medium that allows us to understand each other. In today’s political context, art bridges the gaps in understanding perspectives and expresses and emphasizes inequalities through different art mediums.
Politics in art is not a new phenomenon. The well-recognized oil painting “American Progress” by Prussian artist John Gast captures American westward expansion’s ideals and highlights the theme of Manifest Destiny through symbolism and color choice. The West and the lower side of the painting are significantly darker. This darkness expresses the eurocentric and colonialist perspectives that the Americans held of the indigenous tribes residing in the West and their culture. The contrasts between the East and West sides of the painting depict the colonial perspective that Native Americans are barbaric and “living in the dark.” The woman, Columbia, represents the perceived self-identity of Americans as saviors. She is leading the Americans to their destiny as rightful owners of the Americas. In her analysis of this painting, historian Martha A. Sandweiss concludes that Gast’s painting “allows one to demonstrate the ways in which painters, too, could engage large historical questions, cultural stereotypes and political ideas, by using a visual vocabulary that viewers found both familiar and persuasive.” (5).
Author of “American Progress: A Foucauldian Discourse Analysis,” Julian Thomas Donno agrees with Sandweiss’s conclusion. In his cultural context analysis of “American Progress,” Donno observes, “During the height of westward expansion, in the 19th century, the religious thought behind Manifest Destiny fuses with political ideals, social concepts and cultural imperialism.” (25) The fusion of politics and religion is a common theme recognized cross-culturally. The presence of religion in politics is so fierce that the United States has had to acknowledge and implement the “separation of church and state.”
The medium most associated with political art is graffiti. In their article, “Graffiti as a Form of Contentious Politics,” Lisa Waldner and Betty Dobratz refer who state, “Graffiti is sometimes referred a minor or ‘small media’ (Bishara 2010), and takes on greater importance when alternative forms are not possible (Oliver and Steinberg 1990).” Protests against Shah Pahlavi, a monarch who aimed to Westernize and modernize Iran with little regard for Iran’s public or economy, triggered the Iranian revolution. The region’s sense of pan-Arabism inspired Pahlavi opposers and blamed Iran’s westernization as the downfall of Iranian culture’s economy and erasure.
The graffiti on the left is painted on the side of the American embassy in Tehran, Iran. The artist, Hannibal Alkhas, alludes to the American flag and Lady Liberty, a symbol of freedom. Lady Liberty’s face is thin as if she’s starved, symbolizing the United State’s lack of resources to give to Iran. This contrast also exposes the opposing perspectives each nation holds about the United States; is it really the land of the free? Alkhas uses graffiti to open a communication line between the protesters and the regime, clearly stating his feelings about Pahlavi’s regime and his attempt to westernize Iran. This piece’s location is on public property, and most likely without consent, it is an example of micro-level “bottoms up” political activism. This type of political activism creates a public challenge against the higher-ups, such as the regime or state (Waldner and Dobratz 384).
Margaret Atwood’s novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, is best described as a work of speculative fiction. She pulls from the lived horrors of women in society and the dangerous political climate that suspends women. Atwood’s novel is a significant example of politics in literature as it follows the life of June, a handmaiden, living under an authoritative regime. In this regime’s social hierarchy, people’s worth is based on what they can offer to society. Women are only worthy if they are fertile and then are raped to give children. In her article for the Guardian, Atwood shares her journey while writing The Handmaid’s Tale. She states, “I would not include anything that human beings had not already done in some other place or time, or for which the technology did not already exist.” To better understand the context that inspired Atwood’s novel, Jennifer Keishin Armstrong explores the social and political climate of the 1980s when Atwood wrote the novel. Armstrong concludes that the novel reflects the United States’ acceptance of conservatism upon former President Ronald Reagan’s election (4). She further emphasizes the rise in Christian right organizations such as Moral Majority, Focus on the Family and the Christian Coalition (4). Atwood’s employment of conservative Christian themes and government in her novel reflects the reality of women’s politics in the 1980s and today. Although The Handmaid’s Tale is a “worst-case scenario” regarding women’s rights, Atwood effectively depicts oppressive themes that women suffer today.
The use of politics in music common across cultures, but Yemen’s collaborative, political poems are beautifully unique. The documentary “Men of Words” explores the interaction between the Yemini men who create this political poetry. Ahmed Husseini, one of the many collaborative poets in Southern Yemen, describes how music and poetry have evolved to include politics as they become more relevant. He states, “In the 70s and 80s, I wrote poems about love… that’s what the people wanted.” (Husseini, 11:25-11:35). During the 1990s, though, as politics became more relevant in people’s lives, music and poetry content changed. Following the Yemeni civil war in 1994, when the army entered Southern Yemen, there was a rise in discrimination against southerners. Many of them were either fired from their jobs or forced to retire, ultimately leading to an economic collapse (Husseini, 12:08-12:38). These significant changes created friction between the public, who felt unheard, and the government. Creating poetry to discuss the political scene was a way for Yemenis, specifically Southern Yemenis, to have their voice heard. This poetic movement gained traction, and poets began collaborating, debating, and responding to other poets. These poems were recorded on cassette tapes and sold in markets, increasing accessibility.
In her book “Politics in Music,” Courtney Brown analyzes music’s political component through time and across cultures. She acknowledges that politics influences music but further argues that music influences politics. Brown states, “The potential for music to directly influence the political evolution of society has long been recognized by some thinkers, and even Plato warned that ‘the modes of music are never disturbed without unsettling of the most fundamental political and social conventions’ (Republic, Book IV: 424).” Although politics often exclude minority groups, politics are holistic because they impact everyone, whether directly or indirectly. Yemen’s collaborative poetry does the opposite as it includes less represented groups such as the lower class and women. By giving these groups a voice, Southern Yemini poets have influenced politics, creating a mutual relationship between politics and music in Yemen.
Golden Globe-winning director Bong Joon-Ho’s 2019 film Parasite is globally appreciated. With unique horror themes and profound cinematography, Joon-Ho adequately depicts poverty’s struggles, creating an open discussion of how we understand different socio-economic classes. In their analysis of Parasite, Julia Ridgeway-Diaz, Thanh Thuy Truong, and Glen O. Gabbard discuss how “Themes of repression, envy, class, power, violence, wishes and fears — both conscious and unconscious — enthrall the audience as they join the world of the characters, even when the world is dark and unpredictable.” (5) These artistic themes express the central horror of the film: capitalism. For example, the amount of power a family has is dependent on their socio-economic class. The Kim family in Parasite experiences a rise in power as they slowly rise in class.
Cinematographer Hong Kyung-Pyo further incorporates the central theme as he builds the visual architecture of Parasite. In scenes where the protagonist family, the Kims, is in their small home, the camera is closer to the characters and other details such as furniture’s proximity. In the Park family’s large house, the camera is placed further away, capturing their wealth’s calming essence. Kyung-Pyo effectively builds these contrasting themes of poverty and wealth and emphasizing the perspectives of each. For example, in the Kim family’s home, the camera is less stable, expressing poverty’s chaotic mood.
The presence of politics in architecture overlaps closely with religion. The Pyramid of the Sun in Mexico is the largest building in Mesoamerica. Although it can be argued that this pyramid isn’t political, I disagree. The practices of sacrifices and religious worship were cultural and influenced by religion, but it can be safely assumed that there was a political essence. In their analysis of Teotihuacan human sacrifices, authors Tom Froese, Carlos Gershenson, and Linda Manzanilla explain that “An analysis of oxygen-isotope ratios in skeletal phosphate of 41 of these individuals revealed that most men had lived in the city for a prolonged period before their death, some since childhood and others after having moved from several foreign locations; most women had also lived in the city all of their lives or had moved from there to a foreign location as adults.” (15). Because of this distinction of Teotihuacan individuals found, as opposed to foreigners (prisoners, trespassers, etc.), it can be assumed that the human sacrifices had a political order, and raises the question: who was chosen for sacrifices and why?
The overlap of culture and religion is a prominent theme in politics worldwide and throughout time. Offering found at the base of the pyramid is “an indication that its location held special meaning for the people of Teotihuacan.” (Cohen, 5). But if this was so significant, archeologists have contemplated, why is there a little written documentation? Written language during this time and location was decently popular. Researchers have hypothesized that perhaps, unlike Mayans, who documented people and events to glorify their royals, the royalty status maybe have been absent in the Teotihuacan culture (Froese et al., 15). Because of this, researchers have hypothesized that the Teotihuacan government style may have been more “localized forms of social interaction” (Froese et al., 15). Archeological evidence discovered at and around the Pyramid of the Sun indicates the presence of political, religious, and socio-cultural importance.
By highlighting the presence of politics in art through time and geographic space, we better understand the intimate relationship between politics and art. Our understanding is further built upon as we explore the context in which the art was created, and the advantages that the medium provides in terms of expressing perspectives and/or inequalities. I predict that we will continue to see this theme in the future as particular politics become more global because art can break language barriers. For example, during the Black Lives Matter movement in June, nations worldwide spread awareness through posters consisting of paintings of many Black victims. The 1980’s feminist mantra, “The private is political,” deems true in this analysis as the context of different art and styles emphasizes the personal appeal.
Works Cited
Armstrong, Jennifer Keishin. “Why The Handmaid’s Tale Is so Relevant Today.” BBC Culture,
BBC, 18 Apr. 2018, www.bbc.com/culture/article/20180425-why-the-handmaids-tale-is-so-relevant-today.
Atwood, Margaret. “Margaret Atwood: Haunted by The Handmaid’s Tale.” The Guardian,
Guardian News and Media, 20 Jan. 2012, www.theguardian.com/books/2012/jan/20/handmaids-tale-margaret-atwood.
Brown, Courtney. “Politics in Music: Music and Political Transformation from Beethoven to Hip
Hop.” Atlanta Farsight Press, 2008, courtneybrown.com/publications/PoliticsInMusic_front_end_material.pdf.
Cohen, Jennie. “Offerings Discovered at Base of Teotihuacan’s Pyramid of the Sun.”
History.com, A&E Television Networks, 14 Dec. 2011, www.history.com/news/offerings-discovered-at-base-of-teotihuacans-pyramid-of-the-sun.
Donno, Julian Thomas. “American Progress: A Foucauldian Discourse Analysis.” Malmo
University, 2017, muep.mau.se/bitstream/handle/2043/23741/Thesis%20paper-JulianDonno%20%281%29.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y.
Froese, Tom, et al. Can Government Be Self-Organized? A Mathematical Model of the Collective
Social Organization of Ancient Teotihuacan, Central Mexico. 10 Oct. 2014, journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0109966.
Ihle, Johanne Haaber. “Men of Words, Yemen.” Vimeo, 2009, vimeo.com/7183783.
Ridgeway-Diaz, Julia, et al. “Return of the Repressed: Bong Joon-Ho’s Parasite.” Academic
Psychiatry, Springer International Publishing, 22 Sept. 2020, link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40596-020-01309-7.
Sandweiss, Martha A. John Gast, American Progress, 1872. 2020,
picturinghistory.gc.cuny.edu/john-gast-american-progress-1872/.
Waldner, Lisa K, and Betty A Dobratz. “Graffiti as a Form of Contentious Political
Participation.” ResearchGate, May 2013, www.researchgate.net/profile/Betty_Dobratz/publication/264257023_Graffiti_as_a_Form_of_Contentious_Political_Participation/links/59ed9fac4585151983ccee33/Graffiti-as-a-Form-of-Contentious-Political-Participation.pdf.
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