Discussion 2: How much outside is too much?
I never have been one who is interested in art except for the little Doodles that I do. while I can look at a piece of art and say wow that's pretty cool, I always like to hear the story behind it for it to be significant. for example, certain art pieces were hidden across the world during World War II so that the Germans couldn't destroy them, and they were hidden due to their cultural significance and great importance to Christianity and other religions. stories like that give the pieces a much more significant meaning because it allows you to get into the headspace of the person who was making it at the time or the headspace of the people who saw it and appreciate it much more than I would.
the main thing that I took away from this module was that they're technically already some sort of capitalistic Market in Cuba for art. Interestingly enough, after reading the modules it is seen that that same capitalistic Market is already causing some problems in Cuba. this capitalistic Market problem stemmed from when Castro allowed artists to sell their art internationally because he was a very large proponent of spreading propaganda through art. This turned into a global market for Cuban-made paintings and art with a minimal domestic Market for such. this now means that most Cuban art and drawings are abroad and there some problems are starting to happen. the main problems discussed during the PBS video and the podcast were lack of materials, increased competition, heavy censorship, and being taken advantage of. since I want to get to my next point, I'll finish this off by saying that it's exciting to see a capitalist-style Market in Cuba and it's more interesting to see that people are already complaining about the problems that are caused by a free market economy. in other words, they're already getting a taste of capitalism, and some people like it While others don't.
now on to the more important part that was much more interesting. similar to my last discussion post, there were conflicting ideas surrounding art. One of which, which I said perfectly, is that people want to respect and love Cuban art but they realize that Cuban art is so prominent mostly because of Fidel Castro. in other words people are very proud of their Cuban art but they have to honestly attribute that amount of art to Fidel Castro due to his allowance of artistic freedoms to a certain degree. I can best equate this to Volkswagen Mercedes and Porsche. during World War II those three companies did not have the best reputations due to their activities on the Axis side but now are seen as normal and good companies relatively speaking. the similarity here between the car companies and the Cuban art is that they both technically stem from not-so-favorable histories yet are the pride and joy of the people who make them. I believe that as long as something is distanced and is not a full derivative with the intent of bringing back its history, someone should be able to create something utilizing that aspect. In other words just because it was made by horrible people or influenced, or stems from Evil people, just because you make something doesn't mean that it's evil. you wouldn't call every single person who makes art in Cuba a communist because Fidel Castro likes art, you would just call them an artist. I personally just found this the most interesting out of all the modules just because people want to respect and cherish Their art but want to distance themselves from the not-so-great past of it.
Questions:
Do you think it's worth trying to stifle the international market for art in Cuba or should they focus more on strengthening the domestic market in Cuba?
Should people embrace the history of Cuban art and Fidel Castro's influence on it or should they renounce it?
I think it was good that you mentioned how the art market was semi capitalistic in nature before the censorship. What do you think of the censorship that has been nearly implemented? I also liked the comparisons you made about how art is perceived as either good or bad based on some unfortunate events that take place in the country of origin. And the comparisons to the car companies. to answer your question, I think that people should embrace the history of Cuban art and to acknowledge that Fidel Castro wanted art culture in his country. Even though he pushed for propaganda, socialist ideas, and may have censored people I think it's safe to say that his aspirations for a culturally diverse country became a success because as we have learned Cuba has an array of artistic styles.
ReplyDeleteHi Connor!
ReplyDeleteI like your takes on historical revisionism and art.Regarding your first question, I think strengthening both is important given the economic situation in Cuba. More investment and money is needed in the country and if art is the way to do that then that is a plus. Regarding your second question, I believe it is a nuanced situation. Fidel Castro has done horrible things, however it is important that this history is acknowledged instead of destroyed. He should not be embraced or forgotton, but shown as a reality and be documented tastefully. It reminds me of the confederate statues here in the United States. They should not be destroyed, but should not be embraced either. They should be stored tastefully, like in a museum, where people can understand the attitudes behind their creation while realizing its faults.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your first question, I do not think Cuba is really in a position to stifle the market for any of its potential export markets. With the economy in the poor shape that it is, the Cuban government should focus on strengthening both its domestic market for art, as well as increasing international interest. As the demand for Cuban art has and always will be present, working on expanding it would receive positive feedback domestically and internationally as well which will only benefit the government.
As for your second question, I believe the history of Cuban art should be fully embraced, no matter the influence Castro has had on it. In fact, it is especially relevant to understand the influence of Castro when looking at Cuban art history because some of the art will undoubtedly be making a commentary for or against political movements of the day. Therefore it is essential to embrace and understand the role politics play in the creation of art.