Is art as political as artists? – Forward

Does this child find anti-war in Picasso’s Guernica, or is it something else entirely?Provided by Getty Images

Written by Mila Fox May 17, 2024

At a Seder this spring at a protest camp at Yale University, students wrapped their arms around each other and swayed. “If we build this world with love, God will build this world with love,” sang the students gathered around a painted sheet on the Seder table.

The lyrics are from the Hebrew folk song “Olam Chesed Ibaneh,” composed by Rabbi Menachem Krediter, who wrote the song for his first son’s naming ceremony in 2002. But he was furious about it, despite Crediter’s own long history as a progressive activist. Watch his songs being sung at pro-Palestinian protests. In an interview with the paper, he said students were “exploiting a message of love and support for Israel” to obscure the anti-Semitism he believes is at the heart of the pro-Palestinian protests. He said he uses songs about peace.

In a statement responding to creditors, the group organizing the seder, Yale University Jewish Association for a Ceasefire, said the song meant to them that “Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace in a world built on love. He said he was imagining “the future.” They said they were undaunted by creditors’ opposition to their cause and “respected” their own interpretations of the song, but reaffirmed their support for Olam Chesed Ibane.

Arts such as paintings, music, books and movies are part of a culture war swirling around Israel and Gaza, which has steadily gained momentum since the October 7 Hamas attack and Israel’s subsequent response. There is. Concerts have been canceled and art has been damaged by protesters, all part of a fight over the political meaning and value of art.

Art has always had an uneasy relationship with political messages and practicality. Does it depend on the art itself or on the artist’s intention? Or is it something else entirely?

Has the political message of art ever become clearer?

Banksy’s graffiti “Anger, Flower Thrower” in Bethlehem, West Bank.Provided by Getty Images

Much art is explicitly political and aims for a clear message. It’s hard to miss the point of Whitney’s work at this year’s Biennial, which spelled out “Freedom for Palestine” with flashing lights, but it actually took museums a while to notice. Guerrilla artist Banksy has painted graffiti in Bethlehem and Ramallah, with images of doves in military vests and militants wearing kaffiyeh throwing bouquets of flowers. These works also appear to be making clear political statements, both in terms of their placement and content.

But often it’s not so obvious. Pablo Picasso created numerous anti-war paintings, including his masterpiece Guernica. Earlier this year, protesters brought Palestinian flags to demonstrate in front of the work to underscore its message, and another artist used the image in his own work depicting the horror of Hamas’ October 7 attacks.

But even a work like Guernica, which today is probably best known for its anti-fascist message, is not about war at all if you haven’t heard of it or read the helpful wall writing. You may not think it is. Cubist works are full of not only horses and faces, but also abstract shapes, shadows, and disembodied arms holding lanterns. In fact, at the time Picasso was criticized for the ambiguity of his work.

artist identity

Artists can’t always control the impact of their work, but their identity can still shape their message. When the 2017 Whitney Biennial featured a painting of Emmett Till mutilated in an open casket, what the artist intended as an indictment of anti-Black racism turned into a symbol of it. It was considered. Protesters witnessed white artists co-opting black pain to create spectacle. The fact that this was not what the artist intended does not change the message the audience received from it.

This incident is similar to that of Matisyahu, a Jewish reggae artist who writes songs about peace. His anthem “One Day” is clearly a song about peace for everyone, in the literal sense of the word. Nevertheless, since the outbreak of the war, artists have canceled numerous concerts. He is Jewish and a Zionist, and because he performed at the March for Israel in Washington, D.C., this November, some listeners today interpret his music as supporting war. ing.

For the seemingly avid user of a list of author positions on Israel, supporting authors identified as pro-Palestinian and preventing them from reading books by alleged Zionists, the actual content is of little value. It doesn’t matter. It is completely defined by the author’s identity and social media posts.

The Works of Jackson Pollock: No. 31, 1950.Courtesy of Getty Images

Who gets to say what a particular work of art means has been debated throughout history. For example, the ideas evoked by staring at Jackson Pollock’s splatter paintings are as abstract as the works themselves. Many people who walk into the gallery have no idea that Pollock was part of the Abstract Expressionist movement or that he was steeped in Jungian psychoanalysis, and they use that lens to understand his art. I don’t even try.

But you don’t need to be a Swift steeped in Taylor Swift’s dating history to appreciate the power, color, and movement of his work, just as you can associate Taylor Swift’s breakup ballad with him. You don’t need that information to understand. I grew up singing classical choral music, most of which was written for the church, and even though the lyrics glorify Jesus, I still find myself deeply moved by requiems and masses. I will remember. Is there something wrong with my relationship with this music?

Seeking clarity in abstraction

Yet people are hungry for instructions about which concerts to attend and which to protest, which books to read and which to condemn, which art is morally and politically good and which is bad. It seems like it is. Since October 7th, a list has been circulating showing which celebrities, influencers, authors and actors will be canceled depending on their political affiliation. People want simple, clear answers. It is easy to understand if there is a willingness to summarize the art itself based on the opinion of the creator. But that goes against the essence of art.

“There’s only one text for Hamlet, but everyone who sees the play will see a different Hamlet. And every time they see Hamlet, it’s different,” says New York Magazine art critic Jerry Saltz. wrote in a 2018 article about how to become an artist. “This is true of almost all good art. It is always changing, and every time I see it anew I wonder how I could have missed it before. Now I finally see it! Until next time you reorganize your thoughts.”

Perhaps the artist has passed away and is unable to determine what it “really” means, and their own lives are far enough away from ours that we have no direct access to their work. If you can touch it, it may be easier to accept the mutability of your work. But today, many artists are actively using their art for political purposes and trying to tell audiences what it means.

Last month, a number of authors withdrew their works from consideration for the PEN America Literary Awards. They argued that the organization was not doing enough to protect Palestinian writers.

Although the prize was canceled and the prize money donated, they succeeded in making a political statement, but the impact was not necessarily about the novel itself, but about the book’s sales and fanfare. This book may earn these authors brownie points from pro-Palestinian book lists and praise from certain corners of the internet, but it has no direct relation to the artistry of their work. If there is a relevant political impact, it is related to proving that it is more profitable for authors to issue statements in support of the Palestinians, and perhaps encouraging more authors to do the same. are doing. However, the content of the book itself has not been changed by the author’s personal political actions. Anyone can declare them to be the best of the year, whether they’re good or not. And indeed, these titles made it onto PEN America’s public list of finalists.

In an article about the debate surrounding a new public art installation that included a female figure, Seph Rodney, a former senior critic at Hyperallergic, writes, “The art scene is all about the soft power of art and how it can move the public’s emotions and inspire the public.” “We often confuse it with the forces that guide our actions.” He addressed the statue in the New York State Supreme Court. Action, he points out, “is something that humans do, not inanimate objects.” Artists can take political action, but art itself cannot do it.

Still, their art can have political impact. It can be inspirational and make people question new things and reach new understandings through empathy and emotion. And art can give artists political influence. After all, the PEN America boycott would have had no impact at all if PEN hadn’t given artists a public platform. It’s a powerful and complex combination of forces.

But art still has a life of its own. The artist, like the individual observer, cannot control it. Of course, you can also show people new interpretations and encourage them to look deeper or from a different perspective. You can reject other people’s interpretations of your work or change your own. But ultimately, we can’t control what other people think about the meaning of art. A pro-Israel song could become an anthem for pro-Palestinian protesters. After all, perhaps there is no contradiction there.

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