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Cold War - The Other Side

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  Cold War - The War of Artistic Influence (The Other Side)      In the last blog, I highlighted the influence of the Cold War on art - specifically the Western perspective in which Western governments, especially the United States, sought to fund artistic movements that represented core beliefs in the freedom of expression and ideology (link to the last blog if anyone is interested -  Western Cold War Art Blog ).  In this blog, I will focus on the opposite end of the spectrum - a war of propaganda and influence entails two sides of the story. The USSR (Soviet Union) sought similar influence and control over the geopolitical landscape that emerged following World War II. The USSR and the United States both sought to gain societal influence, which influenced artistic movements throughout the Cold War.       Contrasting the Western-sponsored abstract expressionism movement was an Eastern European/USSR-backed socialist realism movement  ( UC San Diago ) . Socialist realism was largely con
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Cold War - The War of Artistic Influence

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  Cold War - The War of Artistic Influence      The CIA was known for funding and promoting abstract expressionist art under the premise that liberal creativity counters the rigid/cold style of social realism expressed by Eastern Europe; this rivalry stems from the war of ideological differences and influences commonly referred to as the Cold War  ( Apollo ) . Though called the "Cold War," conflict and military intervention were a common feature of the era including historically significant conflicts such as those by the USSR in Afghanistan and the United States in Vietnam. Frequently, the intervention of one state led to the support and funding for the opposing group in the region; this mentality spilled over into social and cultural ideology, including perspectives and approaches to art.       Cultural wars have been a fundamental aspect of international politics since the later half of the Second World War when the Museum of Modern Art was mobilized for the war effort; the
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World War One Art

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  Tunnellers by Christopher Richard Wynne Nevinson        Christopher Richard Wynne Nevinson was an English painter who lived from 1889-1946; this era of early modern history was composed primarily of significant international instability as the World Wars took over the focus of nearly all states throughout the world. Christopher Richard Wynne Nevinson was largely inspired by the onset of World War I and the dark times humanity faced in the wake of modern war techniques, including chemical weapons and trench warfare ( Art as Influence and Response: A First Look at *World War I and the Visual Arts* - the Metropolitan Museum of Art ) . Nevinson joined the Friends’ Ambulance Unit and tended both French and English wounded soldiers and served as a volunteer ambulance driver until his health forced him to stop, though he would continue to volunteer and participate in war efforts as much as possible from home  ( Tate ).      Tunnellers was painted by C.R.W. Nevinson in 1916; it features a (
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The Romantic Era

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 The Romantic Era - A Comparison of Art Forest path near Spandau      Forest Path near Spandau by Carl Blechen was a landscape romanticism painting completed around 1835 ( “Forest Path Near Spandau, 1835 - Carl Blechen - WikiArt.org” ) . Carl Blechen was born July 29, 1798, and died on July 23, 1840; he was a professor of landscape at the Berlin Academy of Arts starting in 1831 ( ART at Berlin ). His unique outdoor paintings utilize styles that border on the edge of  both  romanticism and realism, though this particular piece focuses more heavily on romanticism.         The Forest path near Spandau was completed  during a  time of  struggle for Blechan. He increasingly experienced mental health issues and fought heavily with depression; this struggle led to his leave of absence starting in 1836, just after the completion of this painting ( ART at Berlin ). The heavy use of deep colors and longing for light expresses a romantic style of conveying emotions through lighting and movement.
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