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A New Romantic Theory of Expression

Jenefer Robinson

in Deeper than Reason: Emotion and its Role in Literature, Music, and Art

Artistic expression ‘is an activity of an artist that consists, roughly speaking, in the manifestation and elucidation of an emotional state of a persona in the expressive character of a poem, a ... More

Artistic expression ‘is an activity of an artist that consists, roughly speaking, in the manifestation and elucidation of an emotional state of a persona in the expressive character of a poem, a painting, a piece of music, etc., such that the work provides evidence for the emotional state of the persona and the persona's emotional state is communicated to other people (and also the artist himself) through the character of the work.’ (p. 270) Different works of art articulate emotion by emphasizing different elements in the emotion process. Representational paintings and poems can articulate the way the world appears to someone in the throes of an emotion, as in Caspar David Friedrich's Large Enclosure at Dresden or Keats' Ode to a Nightingale, or they can articulate more directly the thoughts and desires of a person in a particular emotional state. Paintings can also express emotions by the (e.g., violent or passionate) way in which they are painted or seem to have been painted. In addition, works of music and dance can enact the gestures, action tendencies, and behavior characteristic of a particular emotion.Less

Together Against The World: Self, Community, and Expression Among The Artists of Edendale

Daniel Hurewitz

in Bohemian Los Angeles: and the Making of Modern Politics

In the 1920s and 1930s, as the film industry left for other neighborhoods, a group of writers, painters, sculptors, and printers settled in their wake among the hills of Edendale. Contrary to the ... More

In the 1920s and 1930s, as the film industry left for other neighborhoods, a group of writers, painters, sculptors, and printers settled in their wake among the hills of Edendale. Contrary to the common belief that Los Angeles was devoid of an art community before the 1950s, Edendale artists constructed a community for themselves around the passion of artistic expression. Within their community structure, the artists grappled with many questions about how much and in what way the artist could strip life down to its fundamentals and convey those through art. In doing so, they framed a discussion similar to the arguments about the continuity of sexual desires and the relationships between those inner desires and external behavior. Although the artists did not focus entirely on desire, they wrestled with the related task of expressing the artist’s “essence”—an “inner self” which they saw as constituted by feelings and psychological constructs. This formulation of essence is more than sexual and gendered behavior, but it shared the notion that an interior truth about people spoke the most about who they were. This chapter discusses the questions of expression and politicization. It discusses what is meant by being an artist, and the meaning of art, representation, meaning, and social responsibility. These questions provide a glimpse into the importance of the inner life, its validity and significance in the broader political and social context. As the 1920s and the 1930s emerged, the answers to the artists’ questions shifted increasingly toward an inner self more publicly revealed and a society more directly engaged. They began to argue that the life of emotion and desire did matter, was worth expressing, and had relevance to the entire world.Less

Financing and Production

Shweta Kishore

in Indian Documentary Film and Filmmakers: Practicing Independence

Focusing on documentary financing, two forms of organisation appear, an institutionally managed and a private self-managed mode of production initiated in response to the chronic lack of production ... More

Focusing on documentary financing, two forms of organisation appear, an institutionally managed and a private self-managed mode of production initiated in response to the chronic lack of production support for documentary from the industry and public sectors. Filmmakers take concrete actions to resist an instrumental framing of documentary film under a range of social functions and communication discourses in an ongoing struggle for artistic expression. Independence becomes visible in a series of tactical adaptations where standardised media practice is displaced by the formation of cooperative social alliances, the reduced significance of capital in the production process and non-monetary rewards. These re-worked practices implicate the mode of documentary inquiry, textual aesthetics and political position taking to render possible the expression of representational and semiotic concerns within institutional production environments.Less

The Two Masks

Thomas McFarland

in The Masks of Keats: The Endeavour of a Poet

In Byron's poem Childe Harold, we observe how the poem's persona refers to himself as ‘Nothing’. It is made apparent that the soul of this poet accounts for a lot more than merely nothingness, and in ... More

In Byron's poem Childe Harold, we observe how the poem's persona refers to himself as ‘Nothing’. It is made apparent that the soul of this poet accounts for a lot more than merely nothingness, and in fact the opposite — a more intense being. On another note, Milton, who expresses his thoughts regarding how a good book serves as the ‘precious life blood of a master spirit’, somehow asserts how the master spirit only becomes such when a good book is already composed. Although it is not explicitly pointed out in his statement, Milton, like Byron, implies that coming up with some concrete artistic expression masks a poet's nothingness. In this book, we analyse John Keats's two different masks — the Mask of Camelot and the Mask of Hellas.Less

A Cognitive Account of Aesthetics

Francis Steen

in The Artful Mind: Cognitive Science and the Riddle of Human Creativity

This chapter asks the question: Why is it that only human beings spend time and effort to produce and acquire aesthetic experience? The chapter focuses on the rote of juxtapositions, bisociations, ... More

This chapter asks the question: Why is it that only human beings spend time and effort to produce and acquire aesthetic experience? The chapter focuses on the rote of juxtapositions, bisociations, and blends in human cognition, and proposes that symbolic abilities are a critical basis for these kinds of mental operations. Symbolic juxtapositions force further juxtapositions of correlated emotional responses, which are presumably independent of the logic of symbolic juxtaposition. These symbolic juxtapositions can thereby induce emergent and highly novel emotional experiences. In art, we recognize two key elements: an extraction from direct instrumental communication, and a duplicitous logic of representation. Consistent with their being capacities that require considerable training and cultural support to develop, there is wide individual and cultural variability in artistic phenomena. Yet despite this cultural boundedness and a fundamental break with biology, there is surprising species universality as well. Even though artistic expression does not “come naturally”, as does language and much social behavior, it is essentially culturally universal in some form or other.Less

Introduction

Clarence Bernard Henry

in Let's Make Some Noise: Axe and the African Roots of Brazilian Popular Music

This introductory chapter discusses the theme of this book, which is about axé music and the African origins of Brazilian popular music. The book examines how sacred themes, imagery, and symbols from ... More

This introductory chapter discusses the theme of this book, which is about axé music and the African origins of Brazilian popular music. The book examines how sacred themes, imagery, and symbols from Candomblé religion, music, musicianship and culture have been appropriated in Brazilian popular music and Afro-Brazilian culture. It also explores the sacred/secular connections of black religious and artistic expressions in Brazil with African and other African diasporic areas where West African àsé has spread and been nurtured. This chapter discusses the philosophy of young Afro-Brazilians called “let’s make noise,” who create vibrant drumming ensembles and participate in different social organizations.Less

The Spiritual Geography of Greenwich Village, 1912–1920

in Bohemia in America, 1858-1920

Between 1910 and 1920, Greenwich Village in New York City became increasingly synonymous with Bohemia. In 1913, Hutchins Hapgood declared that “the New Bohemia...is an attitude of temperament ... ... More

Between 1910 and 1920, Greenwich Village in New York City became increasingly synonymous with Bohemia. In 1913, Hutchins Hapgood declared that “the New Bohemia...is an attitude of temperament ... whose geography is a spiritual geography.” Hapgood associated this New Bohemia with Greenwich Village. This chapter examines what remains of the most legendary of American Bohemias. Despite being identified with Greenwich Village, the Bohemian “spirit” promised to defy geographic boundaries. In Greenwich Village, many of the trends pioneered by earlier American Bohemias became a reality. The Village negotiated between art and life, capital and labor, women and men, the modern and the genteel, the spiritual and the commercial. It also popularized new forms of artistic expression, political activism, and “free love.” Because of Greenwich Village, Bohemia became an essential part of bourgeois life.Less

Protestants and Hollywood at the Crossroads

William D. Romanowski

in Reforming Hollywood: How American Protestants Fought for Freedom at the Movies

This chapter shows that in the early 1930s Protestant leaders sought a national policy that was not aimed at curbing artistic expression, but at opening the market for movies of high moral and ... More

This chapter shows that in the early 1930s Protestant leaders sought a national policy that was not aimed at curbing artistic expression, but at opening the market for movies of high moral and artistic quality. They were convinced that guaranteed exhibition gave the studios less incentive to produce high-quality films and restricted independent production. Legislation curtailing block booking, they believed, could correct this, and also remedy Hollywood’s perceived lack of artistic integrity by restoring a free market. The Federal Council’s entanglement with the MPPDA had impaired its leadership, however. With Protestant relations in jeopardy, Will Hays bolstered his alliance with Catholics, inviting them to help draw up a new Production Code in 1930 in what was a visible sign of the erosion of Protestant power.Less

Twentieth-Century Egyptian Art: The Pioneers, 1920–521

Williams Caroline

in Re-Envisioning Egypt 1919-1952

This chapter integrates important topics into the mainstream of early twentieth-century Egyptian history. It gives a general overview of 1919–52 visual artistic expression, which depicts how painting ... More

This chapter integrates important topics into the mainstream of early twentieth-century Egyptian history. It gives a general overview of 1919–52 visual artistic expression, which depicts how painting and sculpture were critical to the articulation of a national image. It also provides valuable insights into the cursus honori of Egyptian artists during these years, who emerge as truly international figures. Artistic pioneers of the 1920s and 1930s viewed Egypt in ways distinct from the orientalists who preceded them. In the process, they established Egypt as unique among Arab countries. By also examining 1940s approaches expressing the subjective, psychological world of the masses, this chapter demonstrates Egyptian artists' intensifying social concerns toward the end of the monarchy, rendering the visual arts a key barometer of societal dynamics.Less

The History of Obscenity, the British Novel, and the First Amendment

Geoffrey R. Stone

in Subversion and Sympathy: Gender, Law, and the British Novel

Novels of the eighteenth century often treat sexuality in highly explicit terms, by the standards even of our own time, and certainly by Victorian standards. This chapter addresses the topic of ... More

Novels of the eighteenth century often treat sexuality in highly explicit terms, by the standards even of our own time, and certainly by Victorian standards. This chapter addresses the topic of sexual explicitness, looking at the role of law in regulating artistic expression in our period. It argues that we tend today to think of a legal doctrine of obscenity as quite natural, regardless of whether we like the doctrine as it exists. However, the doctrine did not exist at all until the eighteenth century and did not have any real bite in English law until the publication of John Cleland's Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure in 1748. The chapter traces the origins of the obscenity doctrine in English law in order to show, among other things, that it was not a meaningful part of either English or American law until well after the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was enacted. Looking at the nonregulation of highly explicit literature by law informs us about our legal concepts, past and present.Less

Tradition Transcribed: The Rhapsody for Violin No. 1, the Politics of Folk-Music Research, and the Artifice of Authenticity

David E. Schneider

in Bartók, Hungary, and the Renewal of Tradition: Case Studies in the Intersection of Modernity and Nationality

This chapter discusses the influence of peasant music in Béla Bartók's compositions, particularly his First Rhapsody for violin and piano. It explains that by studying peasant music Bartók sought ... More

This chapter discusses the influence of peasant music in Béla Bartók's compositions, particularly his First Rhapsody for violin and piano. It explains that by studying peasant music Bartók sought purity, a place free of the corruption of modern life in which aesthetic discussions often replaced artistic expression. He believed that the study of peasant music and peasant life created a vision that lent him strength to withstand the political storms that surrounded his work.Less

The Frontier within, Part II

Abe Kōbō and Richard F. Calichman

in The Frontier Within: Essays by Abe Kōbō

In this final essay, presented in this chapter, the text discusses the notion of the “frontier within” in relation to urban society. The theme of “frontier within” focuses on the question “What are ... More

In this final essay, presented in this chapter, the text discusses the notion of the “frontier within” in relation to urban society. The theme of “frontier within” focuses on the question “What are we human beings?” When we inquire into the nature of our society, status quo and present, a sense of security of everydayness (in which today appears like yesterday and tomorrow appears like today) pervades us. We then gradually extend the continuum of everydayness until we finally enter the framework of the state. Upon encountering the state, however, the particular sense or perception one has is that it possesses a different level or character than such frameworks as family, native hometown, society, or school. The texxt also considers the phrase “stateless person” as a notion of transcending and negating national borders, how money has created a certain universality of value, and how the Jews were confined within the ancient traditions of urban society. Finally, it talks about writing and style, artistic expression, shared sensibility, and agrarian society.Less

The Minor Machinery of Animal Packs: Becoming as Survival in Spiegelman’s Maus

Corry Shores

in Graphic Novels as Philosophy

This chapter demonstrates how one of the most striking features of Art Spiegelman's Maus are the characters' cartoon animal forms: Nazis are cats, Jews are mice, Poles are pigs, Americans are dogs, ... More

This chapter demonstrates how one of the most striking features of Art Spiegelman's Maus are the characters' cartoon animal forms: Nazis are cats, Jews are mice, Poles are pigs, Americans are dogs, Brits are fish, the French are frogs, and Swedes are deer. However, his purpose was not to sanitize or “banalize” the Holocaust. Rather, the implementation of the animal forms serves as a shockingly evocative device that attests to the power of graphic novels as a means of persuasive communication and artistic expression. The chapter shows how a people's “becoming animal” is not something that degrades them, but is rather an instance of their having admirable skills at survival in trying circumstances.Less

Introduction

Steve Zeitlin

in The Poetry of Everyday Life: Storytelling and the Art of Awareness

This book explores the poetry of everyday life and relates it to folklore, with the objective of helping the reader to maximize their capacity for artistic expression. It asks how we can tap into the ... More

This book explores the poetry of everyday life and relates it to folklore, with the objective of helping the reader to maximize their capacity for artistic expression. It asks how we can tap into the poetics of things we often take for granted, from the stories we tell to the people we love, or the sports and games we play. It considers how poems serve us in daily life, as well as the ways poems are used in crisis situations: to serve people with AIDS, or as a form of healing and remembrance after 9/11. The book also looks at the tales and metaphors of scientists as a kind of poetry that enables us to better understand the universe around us. It includes a section dedicated to art in the human life cycle and explains the author's own conception of “the human unit of time.” Lastly, the book suggests ways to tap in to the artfulness and artistry of our own lives and how to find audiences for your work, to share your vision with the world.Less

Proust through the Fold of Memory

Jessica Wiskus

in The Rhythm of Thought: Art, Literature, and Music after Merleau-Ponty

This chapter discusses the problem of depth as intimately connected with the question of artistic expression. It illustrates how Marcel, the narrator of Proust’s A la recherche du temps perdu, not ... More

This chapter discusses the problem of depth as intimately connected with the question of artistic expression. It illustrates how Marcel, the narrator of Proust’s A la recherche du temps perdu, not only wonders at the visual depth of the realm in which he is immersed but presents his ability to imagine visual depth as a metaphor for another—a play of the mind as it strives to negotiate the depth between perception and memory. This latter capacity is the one that must be developed for the writer, in contrast to the painter, and it is this realm of internal depth—a dimension revealed as if the mind itself operated as a kind of interior stereoscope—that serves as a principal theme throughout the Recherche, which is a project entirely undertaken according to a depth structure.Less

That Age

Yang Mu

in Memories of Mount Qilai: The Education of a Young Poet

This chapter ponders on “that age”—a period of artistic expression in the author's life, which coincided with the tensions of the fifties, especially the conflicts that arose during that period. The ... More

This chapter ponders on “that age”—a period of artistic expression in the author's life, which coincided with the tensions of the fifties, especially the conflicts that arose during that period. The fifties was a threatening time—a “severe and destructive age” wherein freedom of expression was necessarily limited, yet the author had, within this period, agonized over a more coherent framework for his own artistic expression. Where he had once turned to beauty, as a young man, he could now also see the ugliness in the world, and realize with some dismay that he himself, and not so much his poetry, that had entered maturity.Less

Creole Talk: The Poetics and Politics of Argentine Verbal Art

Ana C. Cara

in Creolization as Cultural Creativity

This chapter discusses the conversational phenomenon that occurred in Argentina, the “hablando en criollo” (voicing creolity), and the host of creole verbal art genres that flourished in Argentina, ... More

This chapter discusses the conversational phenomenon that occurred in Argentina, the “hablando en criollo” (voicing creolity), and the host of creole verbal art genres that flourished in Argentina, the “Creole Talk.” It explains that the two play a significant role in the cultural and political negotiations and the artistic expression of everyday verbal exchanges and literary texts in Argentina. The two are also intrinsically interwoven, despite their distinctiveness, as they form a local and coded discourse that is used by the Argentines to refer to everything that is something creole.Less