Message Art

A famous movie mogul is supposed to have pointed out that movies are about the box office, not social issues by saying, "If you want to send a message, call Western Union." (For those too young to remember, Western Union sent "telegrams" over wires strung coast to coast.) Today we'd say "If you want to send a message, pull out your phone." But truthfully, one of the prime functions of art is communication. Social and political commentary in art is in fact one of its major uses. 

Pablo Picasso, "Guernica," 1937

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) painted "Guernica," his massive (about 12'x26') protest against the genocidal bombing of civilians in the Basque town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. A Spanish ex-pat living in France, and a communist besides, he was enraged by the event and painted the work to fulfill a commission by the Spanish Republic for their World's Fair pavilion. It remains a wrenching indictment of man's inhumanity and the needless suffering of war. 

Francisco Goya (1746-1828) is another Spanish master who produced paintings in revulsion to the horror and inhumanity of war. His "May 3, 1808" was painted to memorialize the Spanish uprising against Napoleon, and produced several years later when the French had been driven out of Spain. In the painting, Spanish patriots are being executed by a French firing squad. The revolt against Bonaparte had failed and executions were widespread. The common man throws his arms wide, probably in defiance. 

Norman Rockwell, "The Problem We All Live With," 1964

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) is a painter/illustrator whose work was justifiably famous in the 20th century. Although his reputation was made from his often sentimental work, some of his paintings, especially toward the end of his career, came with messages that belied his reputation. In "The Problem We All Live With," he memorializes the first day of school endured by 6-year old Ruby Bridges in 1960 New Orleans. The image was published by Look magazine as a centerfold and continues to dismay many, especially with the prominent racial slur. 

Damien Hirst and his shark

In our contemporary era, message art is everywhere. Too often for my taste the message is in the title of the work. For example, the British artist Damien Hirst produced "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living," (1991) by pickling an enormous shark. While there is certainly a message in the title, without it one suspects, the impact would be similar. On the other hand, other artists have produced untitled works with powerful messages.

Banksy, fire and snow graffiti

Banksy, the so-far anonymous British graffiti painter is an excellent example. Most of Banksy's works are untitled, secretly-painted graffiti that contain a pithy point within the work itself. Unlike Mr. Hirst, there is no reliance on words to make a point when the images work just fine. In the graffito at right a child, delighting by falling snow, is about to catch a flake on his/her tongue. Around the corner of the shed we see a dumpster fire spewing white ash that has begun to fall like snow. Without a title, this image speaks volumes about humans polluting the earth, unknowingly polluting ourselves. To my eyes at least, the message is utterly clear.