Destructive Art See the attachment for the work
Destruction of Art
As we have discussed in class so far, there is little that does not fall under the umbrella definition of art. Whether it is the paintings by Michelangelo, sculptures of powerful rulers, photographs of landscapes, your grandmothers tchotchkes (or small array of knick knacks), Beyoncé music videos, yet another holiday themed Rom-Com movie, psychedelic Grateful Dead posters, an original boy band song about how awesome it is summer is here and how you are going to party your way through it, etc. art is all around! While some art survives the course of history, such as Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, others fade from memory. This fade is the result of a number of circumstances. In some cases artists become forgotten due to their average and unexceptional art. In other cases art becomes lost, as with Vincent van Gogh’s Poppy Flowers, or destroyed. Below you will read about one of the most famous, and horrific, examples of the destruction of art and cultural history.
Read the following article about famous works of art that have been destroyed for various reasons: https://mic.com/articles/83317/8-incredible-works-of-art-destroyed-by-humans-being-idiots#.u6throOzI
Read the following article on the Bamiyan Buddhas. Stop reading when it gets to the backstory of the author: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/west-and-central-asia/a/bamiyan-buddhas
Watch this video on the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas in March 2001: https://www.nbcnews.com/video/flashback-the-destruction-of-the-buddhas-of-bamiyan-409457219869?v=railb
After reading the information and watching the video on the Buddhas, respond to the following questions:
What was your response to the article and especially the video on the Bamiyan Buddha? How did it make you feel to learn about, and see, its destruction?
Why do you think the world was so horrified and shocked by the events?
Do you think the destruction of art is bad? Why?
Scenario Activity
I want you to image that you and a handful of your friends/family (roughly 5 others) are all villagers in a town that has a beautiful, old church in the town center. The church holds great importance to the town. Many marriages have begun there. Many children have been christened there. The architecture is solidly constructed, and its style is considered historically important. Every old bench and window has a plaque that names a prominent family who donated or restored it. The stained glass in the windows was crafted so long ago that the methods and materials used to make it are obsolete. Monuments to civic organizations or to citizens killed in wars are in the church. The church contains art and other priceless objects that are of extremely important value to the cultural history of your town. The art is by a famous artist from history that once called this place ‘home.’ The art is irreplaceable – one of a kind. The objects are also irreplaceable. They are made of materials that are rare and unusual. They have important connections to townspeople of many years ago; their descendants still live here.
And today, there is a serious problem that you and your fellow townsfolk must solve:
An invading army has destroyed the peace and quiet of your town. It has set up headquarters inside this church, and appears to be intent on occupying it indefinitely. Sounds that townspeople can hear from outside the structure suggest that the army within cares nothing for the building or the objects inside it. You fear that priceless things have already been damaged – perhaps beyond repair. Time is running out – for the safety of the town, and especially for the safety of the town’s cultural artifacts.
What do you do?
Do you send in members of your civic militia to roust out the enemy and risk their lives?
OR
Do you bomb the church and not risk any life, but loose the church and its valuable objects?
There are these two options to choose from AND you can only choose one. No ifs, ands, or buts, and no twisting the scenarios or finding loopholes.
I want you to pose this scenario and the above two options to 5 other friends/family members. Ask them what they would choose and why. Record and write down their answers and turn those in for your homework. Also, write down what the majority vote between these 5 individuals was.
There is no right or wrong answer for this question, but what we can agree on at least is that art is important and hold significant cultural value, but the question is, is art worth risking life? I want you to write down how you would have voted in the above scenario and why. Your response must be at least 300 words.
