Existentialism in Art - 1204 Words

Existentialism is highly regarded when it comes to artists and artwork. Sartre is a well-known prominent advocate in the post war period. Sartre wrote essays about artists work which helped viewers translate philosophy into visual art and by doing this viewers are able to understand the reasons behind the artwork and along with the understanding comes a deeper appreciation for the art. If man is unexplainable it is because we make ourselves so if he is â€Å"indefinable it is because at first he is nothing† (Sartre) he must create who he will be.( www.theartstory.org) Sartre spoke these words to the artwork of the post war period. Jean Dubuffet and Wols art work is able to address the coexistence of mind and body on which humans need. Ponty believes that art does not have to be perfect and symmetrical its science does not have to be exact as long as it captures the eye of the observers than it has done its job correctly. Existentialism in art is for the artist to be completely free with every stroke of the hand. The art of the artist is dependent on the time and place in which the artist is born. Following the first and second World Wars, the decades of fighting and relentless political turmoil it comes as no surprise that a philosophy that invokes man, the individual’s existence at its core had such an extensive following. This is why existentialist art flourishes after times of war because people want to express their feeling of freedom and the importance of the individual.Show MoreRelatedExistentialism As A World View1086 Words   |  5 PagesI view Existentialism as a world view. Rejecting the social institutions that cover up the realities of the world, Existentialism calls for the developing of individual values based on what the follower feels is important in his or her life. Just as the empty-holed person refuses to follow the others in filling the hole, the Existentialist chooses not to surround him or herself with religion, political id eologies or meaning for the world as many others do. As a world-view, Existentialism is bothRead MoreShakespeares King Lear vs. Tuesdays with Morrie1495 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Existentialism was in part a reaction to modernism, but its roots can be traced to ancient philosophical traditions ranging from Zoroastrianism and Judaism, Buddhism and Platonism (Flynn). The essence of existentialism is authenticity of experience, asking the philosopher to undergo deep introspection. However, existentialism is perhaps most famous for its probing questions about what Friedrich Nietzsche called the tension of the soul, (2). Known colloquially as existential angst, the tensionRead MoreExistentialism And The Beliefs Of The Movement1454 Words   |  6 PagesPalahniuk that is a good summary of existentialism and the beliefs of the movement. Existentialism was a turning point for society and literature that advocated the expansion of the minds of authors and their readers so we could improve our thinking to be more enlightened and free. The movement sparked much alternative thinking to allow our society to grow into what it is today and without it people would most likely be more close minded and less free. Existentialism was a very influential movement withRead MoreA Concrete Human Existence, And The Conditions Of Such Existence1689 Words   |  7 Pagesperception of art and music; heavily influenced by the idea of human worthlessness. Literature- Existentialism, though it had been present since the 19th century, came of age in the mid-20th Century. This was largely through the scholarly and fictional works of the French existentialists, Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus and Simone de Beauvoir. The heavily influenced post WWII movement spurred up a whole new way of thinking. Sartre made the movement popular in that he defined â€Å"Existentialism† and wroteRead MoreChapter 30 Thought And Culture During World Wars And Totalitarianism971 Words   |  4 Pagesfailures. However, two things that changed in which most people neglect is thought and culture. After the world wars, the thoughts of the enlightenment were over and the thought of existentialism started to take over. Even the art started to change to the point where Dada (a.k.a. nothing) starts to become the major art form. After the World War, culture and thought started to drastically change. To show how it changed over time, we must start with the years after World War I. After the war, manyRead MoreSartre s Views On The Moral Choices895 Words   |  4 Pageswho makes his claims based on a combination of two philosophical traditions – existentialism and phenomenology. Sartre himself is an atheistic existentialist. He summarizes his claims regarding existentialism with three words – anguish, abandonment, and despair (25). In this paper, I will talk about Sartre’s definition of existentialism, its relation to essence, Sartre’s views on the moral choices and how they relate to art. Sartre makes the claim that all humans start at the same place. He says weRead More The Rise and Fall of Existentialism1287 Words   |  6 PagesThe Rise and Fall of Existentialism   Ã‚  Ã‚   Existential literature often focuses on the personal journey towards existential awareness. Common themes in existential works, such as alienation and confrontation with death, often lead the anti-hero towards a climactic choice that defines whether they have reached true understanding. The themes within existential literature are reflected from the world at large, and the works themselves are a metaphor for a grander shift in Western philosophy. Read MoreEssay about Existentialists in the Television Show Spongebob Squarepants852 Words   |  4 Pageschef at the Krusty Krab, a fast food restaurant run by a greedy crab named Mr. Krabs. Spongebob’s neighbor and co-worker, Squidward Tentacles, has a very cynical view of life, constantly complaining about Spongebob and praising the clarinet and other arts. Across from Spongebob lives his best friend, Patrick Star, a starfish known for little intelligence and extensive sleeping. Most episodes, he and Spongebob act on a new idea which leads to various consequences. Sandy Cheeks, a squirrel from TexasRead MoreThe Life of Jean-Paul Sartre847 Words   |  4 Pages Existentialism could be defined as a philosophical theory that focuses on the individual person being a free and responsible person who determines his or her own development through acts of will. Existentialism is a thesis that has been discussed by some of the greatest philosophical minds ever to live. Minds such as Kierkegaard and Nietzsche all had their own view on what existentialism was and major impact on the development of this thesis. Each of these philosophies played a hugeRead More Hopeless and Absurd - Existentialism and Buddhism Essay1536 Words   |  7 PagesHopeless and Absurd - Existentialism and Buddhism Perhaps the most telling symptom of existentialist philosophers is their ever-divergent theories on the fundamental characteristics of human life and their steadfast refusal to assign an explicit meaning or reason to our existence at all. Contrary to criticism which therefore labels the movement cynically nihilistic, existentialism justifies life with reasoning similar to that of Zen Buddhism. Specifically, the notions of hopelessness and absurdity