VISUAL IMAGERY: DOES IT MATTER WHAT IT PORTRAYS AND WHO CREATES THAT IMAGE?

Anita Kirchen

DESCRIPTION: Second only to the human form, the landscape dominates visual art, presenting not only – and not always – a view of land, sea, sky, or city, but also a sense of place. Although we are privileged to look through the eyes of the artist, that vision is not always entirely photogenic or picturesque. How can abstraction create an awareness that reaches beyond the pictorial to affect our intellectual and sensual responses? While women artists have been active since Roman times, it is in the last two hundred years that they became part of the Western art world. With changes in social attitudes toward women and work, and cultural acceptance of non-European artists, the question then arises as to how the art world adapts to, and accepts more diverse participation. The power of images to communicate ideas not only permits artists to indulge in social critique, but also to communicate subtle and subversive ideas. Throughout history, visual art expresses politics, power, and dissent, sometimes telling us what to believe and at others merely asking us to think. Modern art sometimes portrays European cultural norms as questionable and modern progress as both stimulating and dangerous. From the Italian Renaissance through the Baroque, Western art transforms from relatively realistic representations to images distorted with passion and excitement. As always, these visual shifts reflect European society’s struggle to adapt to a changing world, both politically and geographically. A simple comparison of the statues of David sculpted by Donatello, Michelangelo, and Bernini demonstrates this transformation.

FOUR LECTURES:

1. As Far as the Eye Can See – Painting Landscapes
2. Finding their Voice - Women Artists in 19th and 20th Centuries
3. Modern Ideas - Political Expression in Visual Art
4. Contemporary Art in the 16th and 17th Centuries

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Dr. Anita kirchen received her Ph.D. in Comparative Studies from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) in 2003, following studies in Art History and Women’s Studies. She has been teaching at FAU, FAU’s Honors College, and Palm Beach State College since 2000, and often presents lectures to community organizations.