Ethics and Moral values in art

Many people love art for the freedom it provides through expression — it is often said that “a picture can paint a thousand words.” With many mediums at an artist’s fingertips, the creative possibilities are endless. Art can be produced around any subject matter, but it is debatable whether some topics shouldn’t be permitted. With such liberty, should there also be moral responsibility?

“Myra” by Marcus Harvey is an interesting example of blurred lines within ethics. This large painting was created in 1995, resembling a greatly magnified version of a photographic image. The woman displayed on the canvas is Myra Hindley (the person held accountable, as well as her husband, for The Moors murders). The victims consisted of five children, which the painting boldly comments on through thousands of tiny handprints, layered to portray one big visual. These small handprints are reminiscent of an “innocent child”, which the artwork consciously juxtaposes through the large canvas portrayal of the “depraved world of adults”.

Understandably, this is a very controversial piece with much to be said about it. Some people support it, describing it as the single most important painting in the show: “a very, very cathartic picture… It is an incredibly serious and sober work of art that needs to be seen.” Others saw it as glorification and were angrily provoked, causing the press and public to comment before the opening of the exhibition: “Myra Hindley is to be hung in the Royal Academy. Sadly it is only a painting of her”.

This is of course only one example, but clearly demonstrates the diversity of thought. Morally dubious artworks have always been, and will always continue to be produced. Due to differing opinions, people will always have dissimilar views regarding what is and isn’t acceptable to be published. Personally, I do believe that it is appropriate for the artist to consider their audience and what they are publishing in the world. There is a fine line between art that handles a sensitive subject matter to spread awareness, or to just glorify and promote disturbing matters. Ultimately, an artist is still a human being and a part of the social, moral world. This would therefore suggest that actions as either an artist or ordinary human is not to be exempt from following the same guidelines or moral scrutiny.

[ Sources:
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myra_(painting)
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moors_murders]

Within the period 1545 — 1554, Benvenuto Cellini produced the bronze sculpture of Perseus with the Head of Medusa. The work was commissioned by the second Florentine duke, and the sculpture is still located today in the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, Italy. The work displays the mythological story of Perseus beheading Medusa, a Gorgon who turned all those in her gaze to stone. 

Within the sculpture, Perseus is demonstrated to be exceptionally strong and powerful, unsurprisingly due to his demi-god nature. This is evident through several elements, such as: Perseus being sculpted as very muscular, the use of bronze and marble, rich subtleties, the confident stance, the structure of the statue looking down on the person beneath etc. It is also notable that this depiction of a man would have been especially familiar in the unequivocally patriarchal society of the time. Since there was inherent pressure for men to perform to a particular standard, they had to maintain their reputation of being masculine and a confident provider. With all these variables considered, Cellini’s fundamental rationale for the statue was to not only convey the Greek tale of a strong hero, but also display the political intent: the decapitation of Medusa addressed the Republican experiment, while the snakes represented the contradictions in the city, threatening democracy. With regard to such a message being communicated and the patriarchal expectations of the era, this bold display of Perseus was exceptionally fitting.

Sources:
- Art History lesson notes.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseus_with_the_Head_of_Medusa
- https://www.italianways.com/perseus-with-the-head-of-medusa-a-masterpiece-of-mannerism/

Art History #11 — Female Identity // 22.12.20

Proppedis a superlative self-portrait by Jenny Saville, first displayed at her degree show in Edinburgh in May, 1992. The painting displays an exposed woman adjusted on a high stool in front of a mirror, with the words “If we continue to speak in this sameness — speak as men have spoken for centuries, we will fail each other” facing towards her. The combination of vulnerability, independence and message within this portrait demonstrates Saville’s intention to diminish several propositions: society’s toxic beauty standards, sexist ideals, and the relentless male convention of female nudity (with a specific focus on cultural aversion to corpulence).

In the artist’s words, “I’m interested in the power a large female body has – a body that occupies a lot of physical space, but also someone who’s acutely aware that our contemporary culture encourages her to disguise her bulk and look as small as possible”, her paintings present the viewer with a dichotomy; there is an intense sense of vulnerability that permeates Saville’s subjects, and yet their large size belies this impression of fragility. The portrait is ultimately painted in such a way to counteract these stubborn stereotypes and ideals — Saville is successfully able to promote inclusitivioty and interrogate prescribed notions of beauty. Additionally, for a young woman, at the time, to insert herself into the male canon of nude paintings was highly audacious. It was extremely rare for women to paint the female nude with such candour, and they instead simply painted their subjects clothes. Saville’s intentions of carving out a space for herself in a very male dominated field is clear, especially since the primary subject in early works is herself — there is significance to this choice. Her work, therefore, would not only have been influential through its inherent message of body acceptance, but also due to her bold denial of sexist rules. She reinvented society’s expectations in several ways, and in doing so suggested a more feminist, fair viewpoint.

Sources:
- Art History lesson notes.
- https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/the-groundbreaking-self-portrait-that-launched-jenny-savilles-career