ENTRY 21- ART

Language 4 Entry Nª 21


ART USED TO INFLUENCE AND LIE TO PEOPLE

I used to think about Art as a painting or a sculpture an artist makes in order to reflect his interior self, to show agreement or disagreement with a political system. I know that Art is part of the humankind since prehistoric times, such as the paintings on the cave’s walls. It had some mysterious, magic power to make their hunting abundant. The dictionary says that Art is :::”paintings, drawings, and sculptures that are created to be beautiful or to express ideas. But it does not say that people uses Art for other things apart from beauty.
Last week I was looking for an interesting programme on television, because I couldn’t sleep, and a documentary about art called my attention. It was on a new channel, called Encuentro. I was really surprised to listen a research on how people have used Art along the times as a means to get something from others. Art giving them power in ancient times and as a powerful strategy to cheat and to lie to people in modern times.
This function of Art was new to me. I never thought about the important function of art in a people’s life. Art, after all, isn’t as useless and valueless as many people think, because many intelligent people have learned how to make it useful to get what they want. I was tempted to change the channel on the television, but as I saw that Stonehenge was involved, it called my attention again.
Stonehenge is a mysterious place and scientists have given it a lot of explanations for its construction. Some say it functioned as a clock to mark the seasons for crops, others that it was so perfect a construction that the first ray of sun could enter at a certain point on the 21st of June , others that it was a temple were the druids gathered to prepare their magic drinks. Now there’ s another explanation derived from a recent discovery that some archaeologists have made near the site. They have found a skeleton and a pair of gold rings used to braid men’s hair. Those who made the documentary take this fact as a starting point to treat Art as a means to give power to a leader. This man may have come from central Europe and he had the figure of a great leader, he was big, his garments were rich, his weapons were important and the two golden rings on his hair may have been used as a symbol of power, gold was a symbol of prosperity and power. Scientists say that that man could have been the first to improve his appearance as a sign of power and to transmit his leadership, his dominance over others, perhaps he was the chief of a tribe.
It seems that since ancient times image played an important role in achieving power and inspiring credibility among the people depending on a chief, a king or a queen. They were so smart to find in Art the way to build up the impressive image they wanted, to be known in the remote parts of their kingdoms because they could not be there in live, they asked an artist to make a picture or a sculpture to be taken there representing the image they wanted to transmit. This is said about Alexander the Great. His empire was so large that he couldn’t be everywhere, so he found the solution in Art. He sent everywhere his image, showing decision, power, strong character and beauty.
The greatest leaders such as Queen Elizabeth II was pictures with rich dresses and jewellery and an important crown to show her country and colonies her power, and to make them believe she was there, as Alexander did. Many pharaohs had paintings on walls and sculptures so big that transmitted their great power to their subjects. They also used many jewellery made of gold to impress their people and to show gold as a powerful image, giving importance to them.
Augustus put special emphasis on his public image, his appearance to impress people in a different way. He was shown in his sculptures humbler and nicer than he really was. He began to change the way he combed his hair, he made it more plain to appear as any common man, trustful and without arrogance. He dressed like a general with a military waistcoat but with a robe covering his legs, he did not carry a sword, he had his right hand up in an attempt to address his people, and he was represented without crown and on bare feet to give the impression that he was a peaceful man. But in his real life he was all the contrary, he was a dictator, he was not nice, he was arrogant and had feasts with lots of food and fun while the people were hungry. He had produced his image just to cheat on people, and lie to them making them and all his empire believe what he was not.
Nowadays leaders as those from ancient times use the power of Art to impress people and to lie to them by creating a false image, with the advantage that nowadays they have a great allied on technology and what is more they have their own personal assessors, who advice them what to wear, what gestures to do, what to say or not to say, their attitudes are well appreciated to win elections if they kiss a poor child and other tricks. Actual leaders may not wear a crown or gold jewellery like the ancient ones but they are as smart as them in using Art to influence on people.