Art is Not Content
Summary
TLDRThis video explores the impact of context on art perception, using Van Gogh's 'Wheatfield with Crows' as an example. It discusses how adding elements like music or changing the title can alter the artwork's meaning, emphasizing the importance of visual literacy and the need for a focused discourse on art in the digital age.
Takeaways
- 📽️ The video is sponsored by Mubi, a curated streaming service offering a collection of exceptional films from around the world.
- 🌾 'Wheat Field with Crows' is a famous painting by Van Gogh, characterized by a menacing sky, an unforgiving field, and crows that evoke a dramatic feeling of unreality and extreme emotion.
- 🎨 The painting uses complementary colors, a restrictive color palette, and the impasto technique, showcasing elements of post-impressionism.
- 🖌️ The thickly applied paint and violent brush strokes contribute to the painting's emotional intensity and dramatic atmosphere.
- 🧠 Information about the context and background of 'Wheat Field with Crows,' such as its creation during Van Gogh's final weeks, can significantly alter the viewer's perception and interpretation of the painting.
- 👀 Art appreciation involves finding commonality between the viewer and the work, situating oneself inside the landscape to comprehend the painter's gaze.
- 🔄 The meaning of a work of art can change with new information, technologies, and methods of analysis, yet the piece itself remains unchanged.
- 📚 Great works of art serve as self-contained visual maps that enhance our senses and awareness of different aspects of the human condition.
- 🔍 Analyzing works of art involves superimposing meanings based on symbolism, historicity, and aesthetic context, which is crucial for understanding the piece's true significance.
- 📺 The Cinema Cartography aims to refocus art conversations with three programs: The Cinema Cartography Canon, Camera Obscura, and Cinematic, each dedicated to deepening the understanding of film and visual arts.
Q & A
What is Mubi and what does it offer to its users?
-Mubi is a curated streaming service that showcases exceptional films from around the globe. It offers users a free trial for 30 days to experience a wide selection of carefully chosen movies from new directors to award winners.
What is the significance of the painting 'Wheat Field with Crows' in the video script?
-The painting 'Wheat Field with Crows' by Vincent van Gogh is used as a central piece in the script to illustrate the discussion on art perception, the impact of context on our understanding of art, and the transformative nature of art appreciation.
How does the script suggest our perception of art changes with new information?
-The script suggests that our perception of art changes when we are given new information about the artwork, such as the time it was created, the artist's state of mind, and the historical context, which can alter our interpretation and appreciation of the piece.
What is the role of 'Cinema Cartography' in the script?
-Cinema Cartography is a concept introduced in the script that aims to refocus the conversation around cinema and art, offering clarity and a deeper understanding of the medium through three distinct programs that explore curation, photography, and the history of cinema.
What are the three programs mentioned in the script that Cinema Cartography will present?
-The three programs are: 1) The Cinema Cartography Canon, focusing on the curation and discussion of masterful films; 2) Camera Obscura, examining the art of photography and its connection to filmmaking; and 3) Cinematic, which delves into the history of cinema to better understand its influence and legacy.
How does the script discuss the importance of context in art appreciation?
-The script emphasizes the importance of context by stating that understanding the historical moment, the artist's intention, and the circumstances of creation is as important in art as it is in language, allowing for a more objective and informed appreciation of the artwork.
What is the significance of the impasto technique mentioned in the script?
-The impasto technique, characterized by thickly applied paint, is mentioned as one of the elements of post-impressionism present in 'Wheat Field with Crows'. It contributes to the dramatic and emotional feel of the painting, enhancing the viewer's experience.
How does the script relate the concept of visual literacy to the appreciation of art?
-The script relates visual literacy to the appreciation of art by suggesting that through the exercise of visual literacy, we can evolve our awareness and comprehension of different modes of living and aspects of the human condition, allowing us to better understand and interpret art.
What is the role of the赞助商(sponsor)Mubi in the video script?
-Mubi, as the sponsor of the video, is highlighted as a curated streaming service that provides an ever-changing collection of handpicked films from new directors to award winners. The script encourages viewers to try Mubi for free for 30 days to experience a month of great cinema.
How does the script explore the idea of art being self-contained visual maps?
-The script explores the idea by stating that great works of art contain all their questions and answers within themselves, serving as visual maps that sharpen our senses and allow us to better understand the artist's intentions through stillness and observation.
Outlines
🎬 Introduction to MUBI and Wheat Field with Crows
The video begins with a sponsorship message from MUBI, a curated streaming service offering exceptional films. It then transitions to a detailed analysis of Vincent van Gogh's painting 'Wheat Field with Crows.' The analysis describes the menacing sky, the unsettling field, and the crows flying towards the viewer, creating a feeling of unease. The painting's dramatic use of colors and thick brush strokes are highlighted, emphasizing its post-impressionist style and emotional intensity.
🖼️ The Symbolism and Historical Context of the Painting
The video explores the symbolic meaning behind 'Wheat Field with Crows,' noting that it was painted during the last weeks of Van Gogh's life and is often considered his final work. This context influences how viewers perceive the painting, adding layers of emotional and symbolic depth. The discussion highlights how new information can change our understanding and appreciation of art, reflecting on the artist's mental state and the painting's elements like the crows, paths, and colors.
🎨 Corruption and Re-contextualization of Art
This segment examines how altering a piece of art, such as changing its title, adding sound, or attributing it to another artist, can affect its meaning and the original intentions of the artist. It discusses how Wheat Field with Crows can gain and lose meaning through different interactions and contexts, transforming from a Van Gogh painting to a digital reproduction or a video essay subject.
📜 The Importance of Context and Historical Understanding in Art
The video emphasizes the importance of understanding the context in which a piece of art was created, including its historical and aesthetic background. This understanding is crucial for accurately interpreting and appreciating art. The discussion highlights the necessity of maintaining high standards in art discourse, particularly in the digital age where misinformation can distort perceptions.
🎥 Introduction to the Cinema Cartography Programs
The video introduces three new programs from Cinema Cartography aimed at refocusing the conversation on cinema and art. 'Program One: The Cinema Cartography Canon' aims to curate and reaffirm masterful films within the canon of cinema. 'Program Two: Camera Obscura' explores the intimate connection between photography and filmmaking. 'Program Three: Cinematic Tech' delves into the history of cinema, tracing its development through different eras.
📺 Conclusion and MUBI Recommendation
The video concludes with an endorsement of MUBI, praising its curated selection of films from around the world. It specifically recommends 'Evolution of a Filipino Family' by Lav Diaz, an epic film that experiments with digital filmmaking and the concept of time. MUBI is presented as the perfect gateway to world cinema, with the offer of a free 30-day trial for viewers.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Mubi
💡Van Gogh
💡Wheat Field with Crows
💡Impasto
💡Post-Impressionism
💡Visual Literacy
💡Historical Context
💡Symbolism
💡Artistic Intent
💡Cinema Cartography
Highlights
Mubi, a curated streaming service, is introduced as the sponsor of the video.
The video discusses the concept of 'cinema cartography' for a month of great cinema.
The painting 'Wheat Field with Crows' by Vincent van Gogh is analyzed in depth.
The video explores the emotional and dramatic impact of van Gogh's painting techniques.
Elements of post-impressionism are identified in van Gogh's work.
The video suggests that the perception of art can change with new information.
The myth about 'Wheat Field with Crows' being van Gogh's last painting is debunked.
The video emphasizes the importance of visual literacy in understanding art.
Experiments are proposed to see how altering the context of a painting affects its perception.
The video questions the authenticity and meaning of art when it is digitally manipulated.
The concept of 'Cinema Cartography Canon' is introduced to curate and discuss masterful films.
The 'Camera Obscura' program is explained to explore the connection between photography and filmmaking.
The 'Cinematic' program is introduced to focus on the history of cinema and its forgotten roots.
The video criticizes the current state of online discourse on art, calling for a return to intentional and productive conversation.
The video announces upcoming programs and fictional works from 'Cinema Cartography'.
Mubi is recommended as a gateway to world cinema with a special mention of 'Evolution of a Filipino Family'.
The video concludes by emphasizing the importance of context in art and the role of 'Cinema Cartography' in providing clarity.
Transcripts
this video is brought to you by mubi
a curated streaming server showing
exceptional films from around the globe
try movie free for 30 days at movie.com
cinema cartography that's mubi.com
cinema cartography for a whole month of
great cinema for free
wheat field with crows the menacing sky
the unforgiving field a murder of crows
flies
as if startled reaching towards us the
path
seemingly leading to nowhere but let's
get closer
observe the yellow fields occupying
two-thirds of the whole composition
there are three different whining paths
leading to different directions
but the end is unseen above the field
the violent brush strokes of deep blue
announce a storm to come the paint is
thickly applied
there's a rapidness to the visible and
emotional strokes
that evoke a dramatic feeling of both
unreality
and extreme emotion
i don't really need to tell you this is
a vanguard painting
the complementary colors and the
restrictive color palette
the impasto technique there are elements
of post-impressionism taking place here
the elemental contrasts that become the
essential value of the image
the great unrest of the scenery
reflected in every element of the scene
the yellow field and the blue sky
pulling away from each other in a
violent dance
all this creates a disquieting feeling
the painting is closing you in
imprisoning you into its case
it's a fact of aesthetic that what we
see is affected by what we know
about what we see we might look into art
trying to find a commonality between the
work and ourselves
between our active vision and the
stillness of the painting at sight
we might try to situate ourselves inside
its landscape as to comprehend it
to apprehend the gaze of the painter and
make it our own
but let's do an experiment together
close your eyes
and listen to a few secrets about the
image you just saw
wheat field with crows was painted in
july 1890
in the last weeks of van gogh's life he
died in the very wheat fields portrayed
here
this is widely regarded as his swan song
his final gesture
now open your eyes as you gaze into the
painting
you notice that something has changed
the information presented to you
change your assumptions and it
metamorphize your appreciation
of every detail the luminescence of the
wheat fields
now not only suggests motion but it
might make you question the mental state
of the artist
the crows the sky the colors the paths
leading to nowhere
all elements have acquired a new
symbolic meaning
a dark undertone
the fact is that no one is really sure
if this
is indeed van gogh's last painting this
is a myth
already debunked by art historians but
your perception most likely change based
on the information i gave you
now it might even have changed again we
have new ideas
all the time as we mature as we gather
more knowledge
as we acquire new technologies and
methods of analyzing and dissecting
art and artist all new information
affects our perception and our
perspective but the great thing about
art
is that as we morph and twist the peace
remains still
looking back at us unchanged
this is because great works of art are
more than just aesthetically pleasing
objects
they are more than feats of human skills
more than a showcase of technical
ingenuity
they are self-contained visual maps that
serve to sharpen our senses
through the exercise of visual literacy
we evolve our awareness of ourselves
and our comprehension of different modes
of living
different aspects of the human condition
a work of art contains simultaneously
all its questions and all its answers
inside itself and because art is
ultimately a form of communication
all the artists intentions can usually
be recovered
through the stillness of observation if
one
only theirs to look closely
we can take this idea even further if we
return to
field with crows and dare to change its
surroundings
if we add a copyright free sat song
if we juxtapose sound bites to the image
how does it feel does it become less
authentic
[Music]
what if we just oppose a gif of someone
walking in those fields
what does that do to the meaning of the
painting does this averted
does it tarnish it does it become satire
what if we animated the scenery what if
we change the colour spectrum altogether
by corrupting the form are we corrupting
the piece itself
what if we add a text to it maybe change
the title to
a path to loneliness what if we
attribute this work to another artist
every original detail serves the purpose
of the piece by corrupting the rhetoric
around wheat field with crows we are
also corrupting
vangog's original intention even as we
speak over this painting
we're changing its meaning constantly
the uniqueness of the peace is being
broken
the painting now entered your space
surrounded by the objects of your
day-to-day life
it's now inside your mind while
simultaneously in thousands of others
wheatfield with crows is now gaining and
losing
all at once new and unique contexts
with each and every interaction this is
a van gogh painting
while simultaneously an episode of the
cinema cartography
a reproduction of a reproduction found
on google images
a collection of pixels on a screen a
digital file
zeros and ones
by analyzing works of art we are
superimposing meanings that cannot
always be restored or recovered
through an immediate glance meanings
that we imply and extrapolate
by analyzing energetic symbolism
historicity
an aesthetic context is as important in
art
as it is in language to gather context
about a piece of film
photography music or painting is to
relate the circumstances in which the
work was created
and conceptualized with its final result
to find the root of the message being
communicated
isolating it at the historical moment it
first came to life
r evokes in itself an objective quality
in both its meaning and its standards of
practice
beyond the barriers of our own
perception or knowledge
to gain visual literacy is to acquire
new modes of seeing the world
to learn how to separate the wheat from
the chaff as everyday works of art
are constantly being re-signified online
amidst the pollution of misinformation
the cinema cartography
is a space for clarity
fine arts were developed in times very
different to the present moment
the ideas techniques and possibilities
of art have since grown to extraordinary
new realms
and so the rhetoric around arts must
follow in the digital age
the discourse of all things including
art has become unfocused
the leading conversations don't consider
the objective truths of aesthetic
historical context technicalities and
utmost
the artist's intention this is guiding
art down a path of inaccuracy
with no end in sight
the cinema cartography hopes to refocus
the conversations
with the presentation of three programs
program one the cinema cartography canon
we believe in true curation of art this
means finding the top echelon of the
most masterful films
and reaffirming them as part of the
canonical discussion of cinema
the only way to be established within
the canon is for us all to fully
understand
not only the importance of a piece but
the context
to that importance the history the
filmmakers journey
is ingenuity all this comes before
our individual perspectives it feels
disingenuous to utilize this platform
as to only discuss the negative and
worst aspects
of the medium we adore so much and so
the cinema cartography canon
will spend an entire episode devoted to
each unique film entry
in ways that can also alter the
ubiquitous
and oversaturated video essay format
program 2 camera obscura the birth of
cinema
has been predated by numerous art forms
in which it took
influence to build its unique craft
however photography still remains
intimately connected with the art of
filmmaking for within it i held some of
the fundamental practices
of visual storytelling the format of one
theme
three photographers and five photographs
will help you gather new energetic tools
to impact your filmmaking perspective
camera obscura will examine the art of
photography
and elucidate upon the infinite
possibilities of narrative and thematics
exclusively found in the static frame
program three cinematic as we aim to
bring a more objective gaze into the
visual arts
cinema tech focuses exclusively on the
history of cinema
a timeline of the pre-genesis of cinema
through its most vital
eras and its forgotten bedrocks from
here we can better understand the
influence and legacy
that films and filmmakers have
experienced
not only to better comprehend what has
already been done in cinema
but everything there is and is yet to
come
the era of the video essay has passed
zenith
and though it has open avenues for many
exposing the much neglected necessities
in art
the space it inhabits like much of the
online discourse
has become suffocating we must persist
in maintaining the standards of the
greatest quality
amidst all walks of life particularly
art
for r has so much you can teach us with
these programs
we aim to return the conversation to an
intentional and productive realm
to a place where cinema and art are more
than just content
we're excited to announce more
programmes to come as well as our
fictional work
but for now let's take art into the real
world
where it belongs
we'd like to thank mubi for sponsoring
this video mubi is a curated streaming
service
an ever-changing collection of
handpicked films from new directors
to award winners from everywhere on
earth beautiful
interesting incredible movies and always
carefully chosen by movie curators
you can stream or download all of movies
movies
anytime on any screen any device
anywhere
right now a movie you can watch
evolution of a filipino family
by laugh diaz in his breakout film
lavdias chronicles the fall
and revival of a rural filipino family
an epic clocking in over 10 hours in
length
life diaz experiments with digital
filmmaking and the very concept of
time in cinema stretching the very
medium to its limits
a humanist tale expounding on the very
concept of what it means to be human
evolution of a filipino family is an
experience like no other
mubi is the perfect gateway to world
cinema and the only streaming platform
the cinema cartography
fully recommends you can try mubi for
free
for 30 days at mubi.com cinema
cartography
for a whole month of great cinema for
free
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