related artworks

[_OwO_]

Hello everyone!
I was wondering if people had suggestions of artworks based on empathy, morality, "going against oppressors" or "search for/discovery of the truth"?

Thank you!! 

[angewina_naguen]

Hey, _OwO_!

Those are some really broad themes so I'll try my best to narrow it down with some artworks that I can think of off the top of my head. It would be really helpful if you could provide perhaps even one artwork you might like to use so I can find some similar ones  At the moment, I've got some suggestions for empathy and oppression which you can have a look at but none of them are suitable, just provide me with some more details on what you are looking for 
Suggested Artworks

Empathy
- Pablo Picasso's Massacre in Korea and Guernica generate empathy from audiences. His paintings depict victims of war suffering and in agony to stimulate empathetic reactions during political upheaval.
-Mary Cassatt's Emmie And Her Child and Baby's First Caress capture moments of motherly love and affection. In a Realist style, the artist showcases the empathy that women innately have and demonstrate in their maternal pursuits.
- Rembrandt's The Return of the Prodigal Son is a gorgeous, religious painting that shows how powerful empathy is and forgiveness can be. The gesture encourages audiences to also empathise with the prodigal son and view his return not as a burden, but as a miracle.

"Going Against Oppressors"
- Ai Weiwei is literally just the embodiment of this phrase. Every artwork of his that I have studied is politically infused so I would highly suggest exploring all the different works he has produced out there and choose one that best aligns with your argument  Some of my favourites are Descending Light, Sunflower Seeds and Dropping of the Han Dynasty Urn which are more abstract representations of political oppression.
- Another alternative is  Eugène Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People which is a famous artwork that was painted in commemorating the July Revolution in France. It depicts how revolution is empowering and allows for people to overcome adversity with strength.

Hope this helps! 

Angelina 

[liladh]

 Hi _OwO_!

For your ideas of "people/person being rejected from society" and the censorship of information, as angelina_naguen said, Ai Wei Wei's artworks and concepts work perfectly with your theme.

In addition to the artworks suggested by Angelina, I reccomend looking at his works "Study of Perspective", in particular "Tiananmen Square" which illustrates the ability of the artist to act as an activist, with Wei Wei defying the Chinese government and resulting in his labelling as a “threat to harmonious society” and time under house arrest, drawing parallels with your theme of rejection from society.  This work expresses his attitude of contempt towards state power and  cynically opposes the Beijing government’s censorship of the media and refusal to discuss the Tiananmen Square massacre, ideas which you could explore in detail.

Another one of Wei Wei's works, if you really wanted to explicitly focus on "light" symbolism, would be "Chandelier", a restored Han dynasty lamp installation at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. I saw this work there around 2 years ago and it is incredible! For this, you could discuss themes of the Chinese cultural revolution, this work, through light symbolism, reflecting on the future of Chinese culture and tradition by subverting and remaking a traditional piece in a modern framework, the lights symbolising the hope and future for China even though a dictatorship prevails there.

Another artist who would work really well with your ideas is Kurt Schwitters, a German dada artist from the 1920s. Schwitter's works reflect the shifting economic and military paradigms of post-war Germany and the Weimar era, his works, in particular "Picture of Spatial Growths" encapsulating societal materialism, loss of culture, increasing materialism, censorship by the Nazi government and the rejection of "degenerate" artists from German society. You could relate these themes to your ideas of censorship and focus on WW2.

I used both Wei Wei and Schwitters in my essay in my HSC exam and they are two artists with very profound and in-depth themes which you will be able to really study in detail!

Hope that this can be helpful, good luck!! 
(and if you need any more info on Wei Wei or Schwitters then feel free to message me!)

[angewina_naguen]

Hi _OwO_!

In addition to the artworks suggested by Angelina, I reccomend looking at his works "Study of Perspective", in particular "Tiananmen Square" which illustrates the ability of the artist to act as an activist, with Wei Wei defying the Chinese government and resulting in his labelling as a “threat to harmonious society” and time under house arrest, drawing parallels with your theme of rejection from society.  This work expresses his attitude of contempt towards state power and  cynically opposes the Beijing government’s censorship of the media and refusal to discuss the Tiananmen Square massacre, ideas which you could explore in detail.

Another one of Wei Wei's works, if you really wanted to explicitly focus on "light" symbolism, would be "Chandelier", a restored Han dynasty lamp installation at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. I saw this work there around 2 years ago and it is incredible! For this, you could discuss themes of the Chinese cultural revolution, this work, through light symbolism, reflecting on the future of Chinese culture and tradition by subverting and remaking a traditional piece in a modern framework, the lights symbolising the hope and future for China even though a dictatorship prevails there.

Another artist who would work really well with your ideas is Kurt Schwitters, a German dada artist from the 1920s. Schwitter's works reflect the shifting economic and military paradigms of post-war Germany and the Weimar era, his works, in particular "Picture of Spatial Growths" encapsulating societal materialism, loss of culture, increasing materialism, censorship by the Nazi government and the rejection of "degenerate" artists from German society. You could relate these themes to your ideas of censorship and focus on WW2.

(and if you need any more info on Wei Wei or Schwitters then feel free to message me!)

These are some brilliant suggestions! If you wanted to compare two artworks for one artist, definitely consider Descending Light and Chandelier! They have similar themes and both literally “illuminate”, with lights, the oppression of Chinese culture during the the Cultural Revolution with resurrected, modern sculptural installations. As mentioned by liladh, light is traditionally a symbol of hope so even though they “shed light” (can’t resist the opportunity to make a great pun) on the political upheaval in Chinese society, they also stimulate the ideas of hope and prosperity that Weiwei aims to instill.

I also think Schwitters would make a fantastic artist to look at since he draws from your elected context and looks at censorship. Just remember that your whole essay doesn’t have to solely focus on a certain time period! For example, you could explore the depiction of war and its political ramifications in art over time. Possibly consider having a classic artwork such as Liberty Leading the People, as I suggested earlier, compare that to Schwitters’ works, like the awesome one liladh recommended, on the Nazi regime and then having a contemporary artwork/s with Weiwei! This could make your discussion more interesting, you’ll also have diversity of forms (painting, collage and sculpture) and you can include all the ideas you wanted to explore (triumph over oppressors, rejection from society/censorship and light symbolism in political art).

I hope this helps! All the best with your essay writing 

Angelina