Wednesday 25 June 2014

The Meaning Behind the Meaning (2) - Live! CalArts (Coursera)

It's time to post another assignment from the course Live!: A History of Art for Artists, Animators and Gamers by California Institute of the Arts aka CalArts on Coursera (MOOC), which had been ended last month. The course was about 9-weeks long and taught by amazing Jeannene Przyblyski.

For more information about the course, check out: https://www.coursera.org/course/livearthistory


Required Assignment 2: The Meaning Behind the Meaning

Choose a work of art that interests you. Consider it as an allegory of contemporary times, whether it is or not.
In the space below, write that allegory as an essay or narrative of 300-600 words.
An allegory is "a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one." (Source: Oxford English Dictionary)



Visone (1977) by Mauro Mari, aka "Maris"

Visone (1977)

painted by Mauro Mari, aka "Maris"


This beautiful abstract painting, Visone (Vision) by Maris, captures my immediate attention with his great composition and his full attention to detail. The artist might have totally different allegory for this one, but here is what I can conceive and would like to convey.

The contrast of darker red, orange, green and yellow tells a deeper story of world in which we live in. The tone of red which also resemble as blood describes the time of distress, hate and anger. The time of crime, violence and bad economy. The time when you can just see negativity all over the place and our emotions are running high. Everything seems dark, as we passes through those tough times. But this tunnel of distress is not going to be end in distress. People who fight and struggle in those times, will see the light of the bright future.

As we travel the tunnel of distress, we found some hope in between in a form of strips and scars of yellow, which are breaking the tunnel. It's a motivation to keep us going and make us fight for what we believe in. The tone of red is now changing to the darker orange, as we are reaching closer to the end of the tunnel. But reaching closer to the end will not be as smooth and simple as we think. We see it's been covered with grayish black outlines which resemble death, grief and more suffering, which is the ultimate sacrifice which one should get through it to survive.

One who struggles through those darker times will find himself closer to the better times. As we can see the opening of the world with yellowish gold tone. We can see some hope of peace and harmony as it eases into green, fighting and struggling at the same time. A shape of phoenix like structure wrapped around the tunnel's end, symbolizing as our awareness to reach that goal we desire. We should let ourselves challenged enough to know that we are capable enough to break-through those chains of sorrow and move forward and towards the yellow light which promises us the brighter and positive future.

In this cycle of ones' life, one must vision that the life's roller coaster ride will not be as pleasant as it is for others but with the awareness and strength we can shape the life we wanted to live in. Nothing is impossible. Even reaching the better future doesn't mean there will be no more tunnels like that. In every hard times we live internally or externally will make us stronger to reach our imagined better future.

Artist website: http://mauromaris.wordpress.com/
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