Bernini's David Research Paper

War has always been an unfortunate part of our society and civilization. War will sadly and undoubtedly be with us as long as we exist. However, the portrayal of war for many centuries gave a sense of patriotism and romanticism. Then the invention of the camera changed how humanity perceived war in the late to mid 19th century. And all of a sudden, images of war became of shear violence and destruction. The violence in these images would play a significant part in the social and political standpoints of war in our nation.

Paintings are different than books or movies because they allow you to create your own thoughts and interpretations rather than telling you what you should think. This allows creative and different takes on an original piece of art.The Surrender, a painting by Joseph Griffith, was published in October of 2006. It features two sides in what appears to be a war. The left side is occupied by the epitome of American icons and showcases the American flag, while the left side contains, not only enemies of America, but “bad guys” from classic movies surrendering with a white flag. This painting can be interpreted as labeling popular American icons as heroes, showing the change in society’s change in what they consider a role model.

In Otto Dix’s “Shock Troops Advance Under Gas”, Dix presents the brutality of war for everyone to see. From the barbed wire snagging a troop’s arm to the gas masks, this work illustrates true horror. Dix’s illustration of war helps display that war truly is not something to write home about with pride. Thus, I present the argument that war is not something to be patriotic over, and it is not something we should be thanking the troops for. They are brave individuals, but the duties they perform are not – they are the product of cowardly nations. The purpose of this paper is to convey my personal feelings towards this work, war and how it is not the answer, and tying in my visit to the McNay Art Museum back to aspects of war.

Christ Hedges, war correspondent and Pulitzer Prize winner, in a chapter titled “The Destruction of Culture” from the book War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, asserts that in war a state’s interest is in the extermination of discordant peacetime culture. Hedges asserts his claims that war transforms art, writing, and literature, that people, in disbelief of the consequences of war, favor a myth, and that the state manipulates education and media to reinforce their narrative. Meanwhile, he uses first-hand personal experiences and historical evidence to demonstrate these effects of war. Hedge’s goal is to expose that ugly nature of war in contrast to our natural glorification of it in our perceptions of history in order to propel the cause

An artist's job is to interpret, and express the aspects of life in a creative fashion. War has played a big part in shaping our human history, and many artists have portrayed their feelings about art through paintings, and even monuments. Whether it be to show; the joy of victory, the sorrow of defeat, or to educate the public on the gory realities of war. Art about war can also show us a great amount of history of the kinds of weapons that were used at the time. It is necessary for artists to interpret, and criticize all aspects of life; even ones as tragic as war, It can make the public more aware of what goes on in times of war.

The idea of war has been around for centuries and yet humanity is still doubtful as to what causes us to be so engaged in war. Could it possibly have anything to do with the feelings and emotions that come along when dealing with an actual war? In “The Ecstasy of War”, Barbara Ehreneich argues that war brings such powerful and uplifting feeling that it seems to resemble a religious experience. War exposes a lot about human nature and why despite the destruction caused by war, we still manage to participate. It is important to understand the origins by acknowledging the repetitive and compulsive behavior that arises in human beings at war. By changing the perspective on war, humanity can begin to take the first step to freedom. I will examine

The Austrian-American architect Friedch St. Florian made use of symbolism and the rhetorical appeal pathos in the Freedom Wall, at the World War II memorial museum in Washington, DC. These strategies aid those who are descendants of the military troops understand the sacrifices made in World War II, and pay homage to those who lost their lives and those who sacrificed for America’s victory. In the Freedom Wall, Friedch St. Florian makes use of symbolism by making the stars represent the thousands of lives lost in World War II.

Unfortunately another reality is that as more Isis supported bad things happen then more single stories about Islam being the root of this problem will be made. It is horrible such ugly factors in society can shape such an awful perspective about innocent people who did not shape those factors. Looking at this source is a grief giving experience, which the author communicates well in this art. The author excels at capturing the moment when Nathan Crillo died and how the statue at the war memorial looks. The author puts a blank space at the side to emphasize the sense and understanding of the emptiness and grief that was felt. The statue of the soldier reaching his hand out symbolizes how Nathan Crillo will now be a part of the many soldiers who lost their lives for the Country. In the drawing of Nathan Crillo, only half of his body is depicted reminding us he is no longer alive but he will still exist in our memories. The overall message the author communicates is that Nathan Crillo is a fallen hero and there will be grief for his death but no matter what he will always be

War is not one of the most pleasant images this world has seen. Usually it is regarded as one of the most

War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning, written by the talented author Chris Hedges, gives us provoking thoughts that are somewhat painful to read but at the same time are quite personal confessions. Chris Hedges, a talented journalist to say the least, brings nearly 15 years of being a foreign correspondent to this book and subjectively concludes how all of his world experiences tie together. Throughout his book, he unifies themes present in all wars he experienced first hand. The most important themes I was able to draw from this book were, war skews reality, dominates culture, seduces society with its heroic attributes, distorts memory, and supports a cause, and allures us by a

Tremendous technological advance and tremendous slaughter leave an artistic waste land of atrocity, emasculation and pointing posters used to manipulate the public into recruiting men to join the military around the globe. Skilled illustrators in America, less inventive but artistic allegory’s in Canada and France and plain typography in Britain leave many artists busy with supporting the war effort. On the outskirts of war were a contingency of international peoples with little means and a negative view of European culture and war that chose to defect to Switzerland where they created the art movement known as Dada.

They congregate in this square (dimensions: 787 feet x 1,115 feet; 240m x 340m) whose vast expanse so impressively symbolizes the universal embrace of the Church.

Throughout history, ideals such as heroism and patriotism as well as concepts such as war and violence, have acquired different connotations. During the 19th century, they had a positive connotation. With the occurrence of revolutions war and violence was justified under the ideals of patriotism and heroism. During the 21st century, society began to was in the process of developing a more sophisticated view. The century was even more violent than the 19th century with conflicts such as the world wars and in particular the Vietnam War. Yet they were no longer were justified outright by ideals. America, for example, began to question its involvement in the Vietnam War for a number of reasons. Two artists, two centuries apart,

In the fallout of the first Great War, which had plagued European society for four long and brutal years, many were left to question the purpose of their existences. Stemming from the monstrously large number of casualties during the war, the mood left those whom survived to wonder how reason and logic could have started the conflict. For many people, a sense of alienation was stirred up who found the possibility of rejoining a society, which had not only allowed but prolonged such a catastrophe, to difficult. As society was adapting from war, so too were the artists and their respective movements. One such movement formed during the tumultuous years was reacting to the heighten fears of war called Dada. It is from the Dadaist movement in

“We will glorify war—the world’s only hygiene—militarism, patriotism, the destructive gesture of freedom-bringers, beautiful ideas worth dying for, and scorn for woman” . They believed in war as a cleansing agent and focused on motion in time and space, simultaneity of views and political movement – because many of them believed in Fascism.