To view my pre-writing for Proj 3, CLICK HERE.
To view my rough draft for Proj 3, CLICK HERE.
My Final Draft of Proj 3 is BELOW:
What is the Purpose of Art?
As a child my dream was to become a singer. I loved music and I loved singing; I joined the chorus at my elementary school in third grade which was the earliest I could. I loved music class at school, and my teacher recommended me for “music enrichment” where we learned how to play the violin as well as the piano. This was my first time learning to play an instrument, and while it was really difficult it was also extremely fulfilling. Even outside of school, music was so ingrained in my life: the theme songs of TV shows like iCarly and Phineas and Ferb that I watched after coming home from school that I still catch myself humming occasionally to this day, the Taylor Swift and Kelly Clarkson CD’s that I would play over and over again on my little blue CD player alone in my room, writing down the lyrics as I listened. I would listen to country music with my best friend even though I could never understand the appeal, and even now that we have long since stopped being friends, I am always reminded of running around with water balloons in her backyard in the middle of summer whenever I hear certain songs. To me, music is such a large part of my life and I truly wouldn’t be the same without it. I have heard songs that made me cry, such as “Once More to See You” by Mitski, and songs that made me want to dance, like “Typa Girl” by BLACKPINK. Some songs make me think of old friends or significant others, or specific moments in time. The way that music has been able to evoke such powerful memories and emotions from me is both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time; something as simple as a mixture of sounds can change your life. There are so many things an artist can convey through music and I believe it is one of the most diverse art forms. Music portrays all of the feelings of the artist, which to me is the most important property of art. Because music and all other forms of art already encompass the thoughts and emotions of their artist, it does not have to attempt to have a certain significance or meaning; art should reflect whatever the artist wishes it to reflect.
Art allows so much room for the artist to express themselves as well as groups of people, particularly those who are marginalized. Ravi Rajan expresses his belief that “Those who make art — good art — have a responsibility to advance individuals and communities who have been historically marginalized and underrepresented by amplifying their stories, by building a culture that reflects their true reality or, perhaps most powerfully, by giving them a platform to speak for themselves” (Rajan). Rajan believes that giving artists the opportunity to be political is incredibly important and proves beneficial to the quality of their art, as well as the effect it has on society. By making art that is political, artists are changing the way in which we see and experience the world. Creating more diversity in art is something that can be not only done by creating new art, but also by amending historical pieces of art. One artist who has used this method is Titus Kaphar, who creates new renditions of historical paintings that aim to highlight marginalized people in these works of art. Kaphar explains that “I want to make paintings, I want to make sculptures that are honest, that wrestle with the struggles of our past but speak to the diversity and the advances of our present. And we can’t do that by taking an eraser and getting rid of stuff” (11:14).
He doesn’t want to erase the history of these old paintings, but rather create something new with them to amend their meanings and highlight those who have long been brushed aside. What Kaphar is doing is political art, and I believe Rajan would consider him a “good artist” by doing so. Both Rajan and Kaphar emphasize the importance of magnifying the voices of those less heard and trying to bring about more diversity in our society through art. By creating paintings, music, and films that highlight marginalized groups, it will provide more opportunity for understanding of this diversity and how integral it is to our society.
There are no requirements for making art. As an artist, what medium you choose and how you choose to express your emotions through art are entirely up to you. If there were strict guidelines for what you could and couldn’t create, we would not have a lot of the beautiful works of art we have today. Some people, such as Nina Simone, may argue that “An Artist’s duty is to reflect the times”. While I understand Simone’s idea, I propose that all artists are already reflecting the times whether or not they are trying to. All of the things people are thinking and feeling are reflected in their artwork through music, paintings, dance, or film. Some artists, such as Titus Kaphar, do wish to include politics and social justice in their artworks. Kaphar proclaims that, “I want to make paintings, I want to make sculptures that are honest, that wrestle with the struggles of our past but speak to the diversity and the advances of our present” (11:12).
While Kaphar is an artist that is reflecting the times, that is simply his choice when making his artwork. However, this isn’t something that should be expected by all artists of any artistic medium. By placing a “duty” onto an artist, their work is restricted, which would produce work not reflective of the times but instead reflective of their disdain at having their art broken down into their “duty”. Artists do not have to consciously work towards making something reflective of the times: the products of their work will be indicative of the times regardless.
Another artist that chooses to “reflect the times” is the Irish rock band U2. One of their most political songs is titled “Sunday Bloody Sunday” from their 1983 album War which describes the feelings of hopelessness felt by bystanders during the 1972 incident named “Bloody Sunday”. This tragic massacre occurred in Derry, Northern Ireland, when “British soldiers shot 26 unarmed civilians during a protest march”. This incident was one event in a series of conflicts called “The Troubles”, also known as the Northern Ireland Conflict. It began due to the discrimination of the Catholic/nationalist minority by the Protestant/unionist majority. The U2 song is from the perspective of those witnessing the effects of war while not being personally involved in it. The lyrics allude to watching the news and witnessing the damage of this tragedy but feeling a sort of powerlessness or helplessness about it. Also, the repeated “How long, / how long must we sing this song? / How long? / How long?” further shows that even witnesses are tired of war and conflict and are tired of feeling helpless to stop it. “How long?” must people try to stop needless wars before real change happens?
The reception of the song was surprisingly positive. The band expected backlash and even thought they might be in danger for writing such an overtly political song, however the song became somewhat of a “rebel anthem”. The song became popular not just in their home country of Ireland, but also in the Netherlands and the United States. The lyrics’ ability to apply to a variety of political incidents likely contributed to its popularity. “Sunday Bloody Sunday” is an example of art that reflects the times, and since reflecting the times and specifically the Bloody Sunday incident was the intention of U2, I believe the song is also an example of artists reflecting whatever they want to reflect in their art. U2 makes songs that are political, but they also make songs that are not, and neither should be considered more or less “art” than the other.
Art does not have to be political to still be considered valuable. Plenty of painters, musicians, dancers, and filmmakers make works of art that either have some meaning that isn’t political or that is simply aesthetically pleasing. For example, a popular genre of music is love songs, and often these songs are not political but still show a message and express what the artist wished to express. Ravi Rajan argues that, “All good art is political. This adage doesn’t simply declare that an artist, through their work, is taking a stance; it reveals to us that art attempting not to be political ends up endorsing the status quo and is, therefore, still political” (Rajan). Rajan is expressing that he believes that if art tries not to be political, that in itself is a political act. However, why would it matter if art is political in order to be good if Rajan believes that all art is political to begin with? I believe that some art is political while some art is not, but it is up to the viewer to decide whether or not they believe the art is “good”.
As a consumer of art, I do tend to enjoy music that evokes certain emotions from me. While they aren’t always political, a lot of the time the songs that really make me feel something have some sort of political or feminist message behind it. That is why if I were to write a song to reflect the times, I would try to make it political. Specifically, I would base it around the struggles of transgender people and how American society hates to see people living the way they want to when it doesn’t align with the typical white, cisgender, heterosexual, Christian, lifestyle that Americans often view as the “standard”. Recently, there have been many bills proposed (and signed) that limit the rights of transgender individuals. Although same-sex marriage became legal almost a decade ago, this country still is not accepting of those who identify in the LGBTQ+ community; rather they are directly oppressive. These new bills restrict the rights of transgender people to receive gender-affirming medical care and punish the medical professionals that would give them this care. I think this issue of America (as well as other countries) oppressing a marginalized group of people who are not hurting anyone by living the way they wish to is indicative of the current times. As political songwriters, U2 would likely have some thoughts about the discrimination of marginalized groups in today’s society. If I could ask U2 a question, I would ask if any songs or art from other artists about injustice or the marginalization of groups influenced them to write “Sunday Bloody Sunday” or if it was only the event that sparked it. I might also ask why they wrote the song a decade after the event took place, and whether they still felt the helplessness that they seem to have felt during the time Bloody Sunday took place. U2 are still making political songs, such as “Get Out of Your Own Way” and “American Soul” from their album Songs of Experience released in 2017. Although it isn’t necessarily an artist’s duty to reflect the times, U2 are making songs that reflect the times and are therefore making music that showcases what they wish to reflect.
