Investigating Quotes

'Cultural products are the all time favourite playthings of the powerful, tossed from wealthy statesman such as Gauis Cilnius Maecenas, who set up the poet Horace in a writing estate in 33 B.C.., and from rulers like Francis 1 and the Medichi family, whose love of the arts bolstered the status of Renaissance painters in the sixteenth century. Through the degree of meddling varies, our culture was built on compromises between notions of public good and the personal political and financial ambitions of the rich.

• What do you think is communicated by the quote.
  The wealthy and powerful control culture, they control the art we create because we are the suppliers but they are the buyers and we must always be controlled by that relationship. The word 'compromises' is very important here as what I feel the quote is trying to express is that as artists we need to find a compromise between creating art for the 'public good' and creating art which sells. To create art that sells you must appeal to the buyer therefore you must appeal to those with money in order for you yourself to survive and make a living. We live is a capitalist society and so we must operate in one in order to survive. This is hard for an artist who may want to make art that shocks or disgusts, often good art is that which challenges people, shakes their confidences in their way of life and makes them reevaluate the way they live - this art is not exactly the kind of art you want hanging on your wall is it? But it's art that serves this notion of 'public good' most important messages that ought to be expressed are ugly, poverty, disease, war. These also happen to be themes which very often are the fault of the rich and powerful in our society or criticise their lifestyle and if you yourself were one of these elite then why would you buy work criticising yourself? Herein lies our problem, in Renaissance times the only people rich enough to buy art were the rich, an artist is hardly going to invest his time his expensive oil paints and stretched canvas, painting a political rebellious piece against the bogeousie if he wants to eat - instead he is going to paint commissioned portraits of the rich. What I think this quote is trying to address is the balance in culture of art which furthers the public good and art which was funded and commissioned by the rich and powerful

• How does it fit with the overall theme? The quote relates directly to the subject of culture, as we can see by the first scentence a reference to 'cultural products' has been made along side examples. The quote concerns itself with the control of culture and suggests how culture has been created in terms of the rich and the ruling classes.

• Define highlighted key terms using research - linking to potential examples.
  
  cultural products - Intangible products: an oral tale, a dance, a sacred ritual, a system of education, a law. Perspectives—the philosophical perspectives, meanings, attitudes, values, beliefs, ideas that underlie the cultural practices and products of a society. They represent a culture's view of the world. Maecenas- Gaius Cilnius Maecenas was an ally, friend and political advisor to Octavian as well as an important patron for the new generation of Augustan poets, including both Horace and Virgil. Medichi- an Italian banking family, political dynasty and later royal house that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century status- the position of an individual in relation to another or others, especially in regard to social or professional standing renaissance - a period in Europe, from the 14th to the 17th century, regarded as the cultural bridge between the Middle Ages and modern history. It started as a cultural movement in Italy in the Late Medieval period and later spread to the rest of Europe, marking the beginning of the Early Modern Age compromise- a. A settlement of differences in which each side makes concessions.
  

  b. The result of such a settlement.
  public good- the benefit or well-being of the public.
  

  "the frequent conflict between the public good and private interests"

• Locate two images that you think could relate to that quote. How do they exemplify the argument within the quote?
  
  Portrait of a man, 1632, Rembrant
  
  I feel this image Rembrant painted of one of the 'elite' sums up the quote very well. the book 'ways of seeing' by John Berger talks about the struggles Rembrant faced in the sense that he had to make a living and take money from the rich who commisioned him, but he also wanted to express his own opinions and feelings in his work and not cater to the bogeousie.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Ahmed and family, Olivier Kulger, 2014
  I've included this image of Kugler's as a form of counter argument, Kugler creates work that certaintly does not benefit the personal, political or financial ambitions of the rich. His work like the piece on the left focuses on refugee camps, often his subjects are the working class, the underclass and the oppressed or minorities. as kugler is a succesfull illustrator he is an example of a counter argument to this quote. However the work on the left was (I beleive ) commisioned by the guardian which still brings up the question of is there an outisde adgenda to this work coming from the corporation rather than the artist themselves. When working for a client there is always a question of control of content and message, how is this work to be used? how is it to be displayed?
  
  
  Is there a counter argument? not all art caters towards the rich and powerful, if there exists succesful art which criticise the powerful and the ruling class then can this quote be said to be accurate? however we must consider that these pieces of work may just be exceptions to the rule. sucessful work existing which criticises the rich and powerful does not debunk the claim that a vast amount of culture is controlled and curated by the wealthy.
  The creation of the printing press in Victorian Britain meant culture could be mass produced which meant it became affordable which meant it became accessible for the proletariat - thus there was a shift from culture being controlled by the rich and powerful and a move to the beginnings of pop culture.