Controversial Art

The controversy that really impacted me was Maya Ying Lin’s, Vietnam Memorial. It was interesting how the people who were against it interpreted the piece in a completely different way then Lin intended. But I loved her piece because it was different then any other monument or memorials in Washington. It made me appreciate a different type of piece of art.

I think the world wouldn’t appreciate art the same way if all artists conformed to the same predetermined standards. Like Lin, she didn’t conform to a standard that memorial’s should be raised above ground level and have some relation to the American colors and the flag. I think that if people were truly determined to make artists conform to certain standards, they would make it happen. They would find powerful people to see their views and get them to set standards for artists to conform to.

If this were to happen, this world truly wouldn’t be a “world of art”. I would see art as boring and all the same. I like it when artists create images that challenge the mind and push the buttons of those who don’t see it as a good thing. The only reason people really appreciate art is because of the diversity between every artist. As much as some people don’t like these differences, they still look at the art and have some type of opinion about it. The artists are still getting a reaction out of those people, even if it is a bad one and I think that is the artist’s ultimate goal.

Every controversy in this weeks reading made me appreciate art that much more. I realized that having diversity in art is what truly makes art. The images that really push the standards is what people appreciate because that challenges them to try to understand what the artist was trying to convey. When I watched the documentary about Lin’s memorial and saw how so many reacted badly, I felt really sad and irritated. I understand that at that point America was going through a lot of tough times, but someone was trying to remember the men and women who fought for our freedom. Lin wanted people to take a few minutes in looking at the memorial and giving appreciation to those who risked their lives. I don’t think that she had to put some sort of American symbol, like the flag, with her memorial because by just looking at the names on that wall and taking it in, Lin got the reaction/emotions she was looking for. She pushed the limits and in the end created a beautiful piece that had a lot of meaning to it. I love how the “V” shape represented America going in and out of the war. The black granite gave off reflections of those who looked at it, almost saying that your life is what these names fought for. It was a monument that people were able to look straight at rather then up at. It almost mesmerized people because of the many names on their, but it also made them appreciate everyone on there. Although Lin’s piece was a controversy, I see it as a brilliant way to push the so called standards of art and challenge the people’s minds.