In this session we will focus on art that responds to specific conditions in the world of the artist. You might choose an individual artist who has a body of work devoted to a particular issue, such as Kara Walker whose work often responds to the misery of American slavery, or Chiura Obata who depicts life in the camps into which Japanese Americans were interned. Or you could look at a particular situation that inspired multiple artists. Picasso responded to the Spanish Civil War with “Guernica.” What other artists created art based on that conflict? Diego Rivera, Jose Orozco, and David Siqueiros were all muralists who had a deep social message. Did you see the latest exhibit of Jeffrey Gibson a Native American artist? How about George Grosz expressionist art depicting the Weimar Republic? You can include photography on this subject if you wish. Please avoid propaganda. Focus rather on how artists grieve, celebrate, or try to change the world around them. We will also include a trip to the new LACMA exhibit and will explore the exhibit’s thematic, non-chronological concept.
