Painting and the Evolution of the Film Industry Week Four
Paintingand the Evolution of the Film Industry
WeekFour
Inboth London and France, the display of Sara Baartman is exploitativein nature. In London, she was displayed as an image of fascinationwhile in France she was displayed in a sexual manner. The display inLondon and France differed in that the London display of Sara had anaspect of racism while the display in France focused more on hersexuality. The displays share a similarity in that both express hersexuality and consider Sara Baartman like an object. The display ofSara Baartman reflects today’s cultural stereotypes whereby manywhites consider the African culture as backward. Besides, many peopleconsider individuals of African origin as subhuman.
Popularforms of entertainment in the pre-film age included Vaudeville andBurlesque. Vaudeville was a theatrical performance, which engaged thefears and expectations of the watching audience. It was very popularand attracted a large audience. Besides, it featured a number ofgreat performers of that time. In most cases, the performance wascomical. In the same vein, individuals who attended such theatricalexhibitions sought for comedy and drama(Perlmutter, 9-10).Burlesque, was another popular form of entertainment. In particular,it was in musical form though with a great element of jokes.
WeekFive
TheAnglo-American movies had a bias in portraying Pancho Villa and byextension the Mexican people. Anglo-American movies portray PanchoVilla as a bandit, which is untrue. In all cases, Pancho Villa isportrayed as a bad person. This prejudice served the purpose ofcleaning America’s image in the US-Mexico conflict. However, FelixPadilla stepped in to demystify the biasness. In the film “LaVenganza de Pancho,” Felix portrays Villa as a hero who fought forthe interests of Mexicans. In this backdrop, we can tell thatPadilla’s audience supported the revolution that Pancho Villapushed for. Besides, Padilla’s audiences consider Pancho Villa as ahero.
Einsteinand Vertov’s approach towards montage have differences andsimilarities alike. According to Einstein, editing is the cornerstoneof filmmaking. An example is in the film "BattleshipPotemkin."In the Odessa scene, Einstein uses several shots to show the crowdthat is running away from the approaching army. On the other hand,Vertov did not believe in editing and argued that every decision thatby the director made amounted to montage. Einstein and Vertov havesimilarity whereby both of them embraced optimism, an element thatcharacterizes the spirit of the Soviet in the early years of the 20thcentury. For instance, both artists strayed from conventionaltraditions to experiment other modes of filming.
WeekSix
AmericaTropical was controversial as it expressed the oppression of theAmerican imperialism. The depiction of this oppression prompted thescheme to paint it over. The painting stood as a challenge to thepolitical class. At first, David Siqueiros’s commissioning of theoutdoor mural was to portray the wealth of tropical America. However,he ended up painting the crucifixion of an American Indian on across. The American Eagle caps the crucified American Indian. In thepainting, Siqueiros intended to attack the United States imperialismwithin its territorial boundaries. The painting was significantbecause it promoted his sociopolitical ideals and motivated activistsof his time.
Jamieson’smural commemorated Marian Anderson’s concert by emphasizing on thecivil rights movement, which fought against racial inequality.Jamieson’s mural honored the contribution of Marian Anderson in thefight for the rights of African Americans. Jamieson chose toemphasize the fight against racism. He emphasized on this aspectsince there was widespread racism during that period. Besides, themoment marked the beginning of using the public act to push forsocial change.
WorkCited
Perlmutter,David. AmericaToons In: A History of Television Animation.Jefferson: McFarland, 2014.
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