Intersection between Art and Politics - Essay Example

Intersection between Art and Politics during the French Revolutions of 1830 and 1848 The French Revolutions of 1830 and 1848 marked significant transformations in the political and artistic landscape of the nation. The 1848 Revolution in Paris is so iconic since its processions instigated similar uprisings across Europe that later changed politics and governance of the entire region. Ideally, the primary precursor of the 1848 revolution was that the July Monarchy failed to cater for the needs of the lower class in the society thus causing them to revolt against the authorities. In France, the problems were a bit escalated as food shortage was coupled with recession and massive unemployment elements that led to political discontent that culminated in an uprising. Unlike the previous regimes the July Monarchy provided a reprieve for the artists who had been marginalized during past editions of the Salons that were marred by widespread nepotism and conservatism in the manner in which the jury made its selections. The July Monarchy withheld the mandate of the jury for the Academy, and all artists were free to showcase their paintings at the Salons. The move resulted in more than five thousand artists showcasing their works at the Salon. However, the event was characterized by mediocre pieces of art thus affirming the point that the abolishment of the jury was not a suitable solution for the Academy (Eisenman, Stephen and Thomas 256). In a move to curb the deteriorating quality of the pieces that are showcased in the Salon the Republican government reorganized the Academy and the members of the Salon would be elected by the artists instead of being chosen by a team of academicians. In essence, the July Monarchy bestowed democratic power on the artists to choose the individuals they deemed suitable to oversee the operation of the Salon (Eisenman, Stephen and Thomas 261). It is prudent that the events from the 1830 Revolution had shaped the political scene in France, and some sense of democracy and self-rule was emanating from the rulers. The fact that artists were allowed to elect their people to the jury that oversaw selection to the Salon manifested the political maturity that the July Monarchy had undergone. That notwithstanding, the Constitution of the July Monarchy under which Louis Napoleon took over leadership of the county prescribed that the term of the president will be subject to a one-year term of four years that is not renewable. Practically, the laws were keen to do away with the dictatorship that had marred the nation for years and open a new window of political free will whereby power emanates from the people and is owned by the people of France. Owing to the changes that the July Monarchy installed on the Salon the next episodes of the Academy demonstrated massive improvement in terms of both quality and the scope of ideas that the artists showcased. Consequently, the subsequent editions of the Salons were characterized by an increase in the number of artistic paintings that demonstrated the impact of the 1848 Revolution thus instilling some sense of realism to the industry (258). Jean Louis Ernest Meissonier was among the notable artists to present historical paintings at the Salon that depicted the effects of the 1848 Revolution. The memory of Civil War is a painting that he made of a scene from the July Days that he experienced first-hand. The painting depicted a street in Paris where cobblestones had been dug up in readiness for the construction of barricade. Government troops had toppled over the structure and killed all the rebels on scene pilling up their bodies on the rubble. A similar artistic impression was presented by Delacroix’s painting that was dubbed Liberty Leading the People. Delacroix’s painting had the impression that an ideal revolution is worth the sacrifice of a few individuals. In essence, he implied that for any noble political milestone to be achieved some people have to sacrifice their lives for the rest to enjoy a better future. Paradoxically, the two artists presented nearly similar artistic impressions but they provided varied or rather contrary explanation to their paintings. Meissonier’s painting brought out the idea of senseless killings and the tragedy that culminated from the 1848 Revolution whereby Frenchmen turned against their fellow countrymen. The two pieces of art depict the contrast between the 1830 and the 1848 Revolutions. The July 1830 revolution was glorious in nature since it was quick as it merely lasted three days, and it was bloodless. Contrary, the June 1848 uprising was characterized by widespread bloodshed but from a pragmatic perspective it transformed the political and cultural perspective of the French people (Eisenman, Stephen and Thomas, 260). It is worth noting that Meissonier’s work articulated some sense of realism since he focused on the present ramifications in society as opposed to other conventional artists that dwelled on the past with their paintings emphasizing the classical and romantic genres. In the year 1846 prior to the 1848 Revolution, Charles Baudelaire a journalist and poet made a review of the Salon event. In his review, he applauded the aspects of romanticism that was prevalent in the French art culture during that time but at the same time he criticized Classical and Romantic artists since a significant portion of their work was premised on past events thus ignoring the current trends in society. Baudelaire challenged artists to embrace realism by expressing the contemporary aspect of life in its current state and improving the overall quality of their artistic work (Eisenman, Stephen and Thomas 232). Further, he challenged them to shun nudity and allegory in their artistic expressions and embrace the concept of realism by portraying the current issues in society. Ideally, the French culture had been ingrained the classical and romantic genre for many years. The emergence of contrary opinion to romanticism and classicism was a testament that of the impact of the 1830 Revolution on the political and artistic perspective of the French people. Charles Baudelaire marked the birth of realism in the French art culture as he introduced new insights of dealing with the current affairs in the society through art and culture. According to Baudelaire, instead of portraying artistic pieces of naked people or people in the ancient regalia artists should ponder to make paintings depicting the modern man in a suit and leather shoes to enhance the spirit of realism in art. Daumier and Grandville are some of the earliest proponents of realism in the art (Eisenman, Stephen and Thomas, 227). The July Monarchy was extensively portrayed in the artistic works of Daumier as he presented the political and social shifts that France was experiencing during that time. For instance, Worker and the Bourgeois and Freedom of the Press are iconic pieces of art that Daumier came up with that depicted the positive changes that the July Monarchy introduced under the leadership of Louis Philippe. For a long time, freedom of expression for the press was curtailed, and the French people were denied their right to information since only what the deemed correct would be passed on to the people. However, the July Monarchy embraced democracy and granted the press freedom to disseminate information without any restriction. Ironically, press freedom was retracted through the September laws that were passed by the July Monarchy. Notably, the government expanded public education and all citizens regardless of their social class were able to access quality education. The move increased the literacy levels of the poor working people thus making them enlightened on their civil rights as citizens. In that light, the poor and middle-class citizens become politically enlightened and were often involved in a conflict with the government as they demanded their rights. Expansion of education increased the interest of the middle class and poor working people into politics since they wanted to influence the manner in which the government was run in order to improve their standards of living (Eisenman, Stephen and Thomas, 230). Rue Transnonain is yet another artistic piece by Daumier that expressed the outrage a majority of the French people had concerning the suppression of the 1834 labour uprising in Lyon. Ideally, after the events of the 1830 Revolution the citizens especially the working poor become enlightened on their civil rights and thus they were ready to engage the government in making their demands known. From a political perspective, it is prudent that France has grown politically since the workers would be allowed to hold peaceful demonstration whenever they felt their rights were violated. However, the democratic maturity of France as a nation after 1830 was not elaborate enough since at some instances the government would engage in uncouth operations that undermined the rights of its people. Daumier’s images were political in nature evidence of the effect of the two revolutions in the art and culture of the nation. A majority of the artists developed an interest in realism to highlight the issues in society. It is prudent to note that increased democratization as well as the emergence of realism culminated to the invention of photography since increased demand for the images was evident as they sort to engage realism with the contemporary world (Petra ten-Doesschate 265). Works Cited Eisenman, Stephen, and Thomas E. Crow. Nineteenth-century art: a critical history. Thames & Hudson, 2007. Petra ten-Doesschate Chu. "The Revolution of 1848 and the Emergence of Realism in France." Nineteenth-Century European Art: 250-252. Read More