Blanton Alternative Assignment

Blanton Field Trip Alternate Assignment

(for those who do not go on the field trip)

Working individually, complete both of the following requirements:

1. Create a work of art (visual or otherwise) that reflects Karl Marx’s views. You might consider particularly his thoughts on how human beings get turned into objects in a capitalist society. Accompany this work of art with a one-page typed (double-spaced) explanation of how your artwork expresses Marx’s views. You should use details from the work of art as textual evidence, and explain how these details support your claim. Do not treat Marx’s views in a cursory manner; explore beyond the surface level, and include as much in-depth analysis as possible.

2. Illustrate one of your recent dreams with a work of art (painting, drawing, etc.). Your artwork should translate the symbolism from your dream, including the connotations of these symbols—was the tree from your dream, for instance, terrifying or peaceful? What did it represent? Your artwork should employ Freudian ideas about the unconscious, the ego, the superego, and the id, in order to make some significant statement about the way that the human mind works. You may alter your dream if you like, and in fact will probably have to do so.

After creating your illustration, write a one- to two-page statement explaining what it says about the workings of the mind, and how Freud’s theories come into play in it. Reference details from the painting as textual evidence. Do not speak impressionistically: “This painting feels dark,” or “This statue seems as if it is about to take flight.” What about the colors/size/arrangement of objects/lines in the painting makes it feel dark? What aspects of the statue’s stance/clothing/body make it seem as if it is about to take flight? Additionally, explain how the details that you reference support the claims that you make about your work of art.

Bonus (optional, of course):
Choose a portrait (picture of a human being) painted by a modern artist of repute (someone painting after 1917, whose works have been displayed in a major museum). What does this portrait say about the way that we view human beings in a modern world? As expressed in this portrait, what limits do we see placed upon the abilities of men to make decisions about their own lives? These limits may be internal or external. They may involve man’s desires, man’s physical conditions, the biological makeup of the human brain, or other factors. Write a half page to a page.