Artist's Connection to war: Connect post

    The concept of art created as a reaction to war is very interesting to me because I am particularly compelled by art that induces emotion. I think depictions of pain and suffering are some of the most emotionally provocative pieces of art that can exist.  The two readings I did relating to artists reaction to war and grief were really compelling to me because They focused on two very different wars and the art that was produced out of the metaphorical ruble of those two wars were also very different. Pieces from Spanish artist Francisco de Goya (which were done in response to the French and Spanish War) are very emotional and raw and reflect more of the internal feelings and the effects of war on the individual, as it were, whereas the work of Jacob Epstein (created in response to WWI) are more abstracted and provoke thoughts about the process and development of war itself.
       I think the questions that both these articles raise in relation to one another have to do with context and how it affects what sort of art is created during these extremely harrowing moments in history. The issues of subject and medium can come into play because they play a huge role in the response the audience will have to the art. The feeling of the work can be completely changed by the type of medium the artist is working in and what type of specific marks are being made. In addition, the depiction of graphic violence is often extremely provocative and is a deliberate choice by the artist, as opposed to abstract or symbolic work. So clearly there are infinite ways that pain and suffering can be conveyed as we see in both the readings, which I find very interesting.