Informative Speech on Art Communication
A. Gain Attention The most famous quote that people associate with art is “A picture paints a thousand words”. Although this is a quote widely known, I would say that the quote “Painting is a blind man’s profession. He paints not what he sees, but what he feels, what he tells himself about what he has seen” accurately describes the essence of art. B. Arouse Interest Art is an outlet for self-expression and creativity. Through the use of paintings many artists have created works that have become known throughout the entire world. And why are these paintings so famous? visual aid: Andy Warhol, American Gothic, Guernica, The Persistence of Memory, The Last Supper, The Scream) * Complexity * Controversy C. Thesis Statement. Without a doubt, art is a form of communication that allows one to express what they cannot accomplish through the use of words. D. Establish Qualifications Through the art history course that I took here at Seneca Valley and the extensive research that I have done I have discovered many ways through which art can communicate a message that the artist wants to make public.
E. Forecast Organization and Development There is a form of communication called aesthetic communication and this is what the messages given through the form of art are. They are creative representations of an artist’s ideas, perspective, views, and values through the use of various symbols, colors, and methods. Through these uses of art, the artist creates meaningful works, whose purpose is to invoke a response from the audience. There are hundreds of examples of paintings that have had huge effects on society.
There are paintings which have captured history and the values during a certain time and there are paintings that have made a social commentary on the time of creation. BODY A. Through the use of symbols, many paintings convey messages that might mean different things for different people. Visual aid: and Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s soup. What are these artists trying to say? Symbolism of melting clocks, ants, and the fading painting: Andy Warhol’s symbolism of the soup cans: humor, poking fun at the traditional painting of the fruit bowl, repetition.
One might not immediately derive this from looking at the painting. Some might even criticize it because they don’t understand the message. All these things might mean something different to someone from a different culture. What you are exposed to ultimately influences your thoughts and perceptions on a subject and artists do count for this. They know that there are differences in the way that people see their paintings. They embrace this. Everything is not always black and white in the world of art.
Although many art historians analyze paintings for years and years, sometimes in some cases, we may never know the entirety of the message that the artist wanted to convey through the painting. These two paintings attempt to tell a story through the use of these symbols B. Paintings have also become a way to capture history in the making. They were used before photographs and now, some paintings are the only things we have to rely on for knowledge about certain ancient cultures. “It is said that art is a way of communicating that which is within to those who are on the outside. The artists who capture these moments in history, obviously found it necessary that they paint it. They want to show the world an event, a person, or a place that has extreme significance to them. Take for example, Pablo Picasso’s Guernica. This painting was a response to the devastating events which took place in Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. The painting shows severed head, mutilated animals and bodies, and overall suffering. Through this painting Picasso made a comment on how war and fighting ultimately leads to suffering of innocent beings.
This painting clearly shows his anti-war views and his promotion of peace. Francisco De Goya’s painting: Tres De Mayo Shows French soldiers being executed for defending Madrid. The way that it is portrayed in the painting, you can obviously tell what Goya thought about this event. He felt the need for these martyrs to be remembered. He valued their lives and wanted justice for what the French had done. This is also a way to communicate what took place on that day and through these horrible images, the painting can be interpreted as a call to arms, to defend Spain.
Going back to symbolism, the stance of the man in white says a lot about Goya’s view. He has a Christ like stance in the painting, which shows that Goya believes that he is a martyr. He is someone sacrificing himself for his people. C. Paintings are also used to make social commentary on beliefs or issues that we face in the world. One of the most famous paintings that reflects a time in history is American Gothic. This painting has been taken to be a satire of the MidWestern life and way of thinking during the time that Grant Wood painted it.
This painting is widely used to show current social issues and the people in the painting are usually replaced with what the current culture believes is the standard. In those times this painting reflected the simpler life, but the meaning is unknown. Many believe that he was being satirical, poking fun at the innocence of the Western life and the simplicity. The title also seems to be satirical as well, “American Gothic”. The Gothic movement was most certainly not American and he might be making fun by comparing adding this gothic architecture to the surrounding all American scene in the painting.
Andy Warhol’s The Last Supper Series: One painting in particular features an outline of the last supper painting and brand names plastered all over the painting. This is a comment on our society today and our obsession with materialistic things, comparing it to the times of the last supper makes our obsession seem even more dramatic. The painting is also a comment on the excessive advertisements in our society today. BIBLIOGRAPHY http://www. brainyquote. com/quotes/keywords/painting. html
