Final Paper: Art

Question 1

Introduction

Horse Boy is a documentary about the shamanic art of healing, whereby a man and his wife go on a quest to find healing for their autistic child after they discover his connection with horses.

Analysis

Identify itself. Rowan Isaacson cannot identify his inner self as dictated by his autistic condition and evidenced by his inability to express himself through verbal communication.

Identify society. Rowan cannot identify with the society around him as well as he remains isolated and withdrawn as a result of his condition and even does not communicate with his parents.

Power and rule. The art exhibits the power of healing through social acceptance of one’s condition.

Conclusion

What is the place of the individual in the community? Human beings are joined together in the community through interpersonal communication and interaction and each of them is a significant part of the community.

Question 2

Introduction

Ai and Banksy are both postmodern artists with the major difference between them being that Ai mostly uses cultural objects to create a message while Banksy uses street graffiti to communicate his message.

Analysis

Nature. Both artists clearly bring out the aspects of nature with Ai using natural material such as clay to mold artifacts, while Banksy incorporates aspects of nature including plantations and human beings to explore nature.

Culture. Ai, on the one hand, exhibits a shift in culture from the traditional Chinese culture to a more westernized and postmodern culture. On the other hand, Banksy exhibits a transformation to a postmodern culture through his array of works.

Conclusion

What is art? Art is any form of expression of an individual that holds a hidden meaning, which can only be uncovered through proper analysis; or is a simple source of beauty.

Question 3

Introduction

The director of the film The Secretes of Kell utilizes both curves and lines to distinguish between good and evil, for example, the straight lines refer to evil while curves refer to good.

Analysis

Nature. Lines and curves have been used to define good and bad aspects of nature in the film with reference to both the setting and the characters. For instance, the wolves are presented as being with exaggeratedly acute corners of their snouts, ears, snouts and bodies.

Culture. Culture is clear brought out through the various aspects of morality, which define good and evil throughout the film.

Conclusion

What is the place of human beings in the nature of things? Human beings are central in the nature of things as they define the activities and relationship which influence the coexistence of the natural things.

Question 4

Introduction

The notion of “seeking” as established by Temple Grandin in Horse Boy refers to physical finding and thus movement from one place to another in search of a certain answer.

Analysis

Message. Rowan’s parents believe that their physical finding of treatment for their son would be the only way to help him conquer the disease. As such, they resolve to physically move from shaman to shaman in search of the answers they need.

Power. Power is held by Rowan in the case as he determines the kind of method that they use to travel to shaman, with travelling on horseback, as tedious and hectic as it may be, being the most convenient method to him due to his connection with horses.

Rules. The rules that govern the decision made by Rowan’s parents include the exposure of Rowan to conditions that would promote his interaction with them and avert any side effects of his condition throughout the journey such as the earlier observed screaming.

Conclusion

What is a human being? A human being is an advanced animal characterized by an erect carriage, articulate speech, and superior intelligence as compared to any other creature. Question 5

Introduction

The sunflower seeds, which were handmade from porcelain and are a great artistic expression are a reflection of the current economic and cultural change.

Analysis

Nature. Ai brings out the impression of nature by picking on the sunflower seed and creating replicas of the seed from porcelain.

Culture. Culture is emphasized through Ai’s use of Chinese craftsmen to create the patterns and paint all the porcelain made sunflower seeds. He intends to share the Chinese culture with the rest of the world.

Conclusion

How is beauty created by human beings? Beauty is created through developing of an understanding of the various aspects of aesthetics in each context that one may be in and thus incorporating such factors in weaving patterns that would appeal to the people in specific context.

Question 6

Introduction

The piece of art at hand reveals the emergence of Chinese culture out of the cocoon in which it was initially embedded in the global setting.

Analysis

Nature. Ai uses a rocky wall with a face drawn on it and Chinese words written on it to show the Chinese culture to the world. The small green plant on the lower right side of the picture is an indication of the growth of the culture and its incorporation into the global network, just like the plant grows into the world.

Culture. The aspect of culture is brought out through the use of Chinese wording and the face of a Chinese man to communicate the origin of the picture.

Conclusion

What is art? Art is any form of creative establishment that is meant to appeal to an understanding of one’s surrounding and to establish a connection between individuals and various entities of life.