Louvre, Paris
Brief History
12th century fortress.
Renaissance - converted into a palace.
French Revolution (1789-1799) - opens as a public museum.
World War II - removed/hid artwork.
1989 - glass pyramid by architect I.M. Pei.
French Revolution:
Make political allegiances visible
(magic lanterns, clothes, paintings)
How does contemporary society make political allegiances visible?
(clothes, architecture, music videos, social media, artwork,
"magic lanterns" (advertisements))
Magic Lantern
Oil lamp and lens to project images pained on glass plates onto a screen. Today we use slide projectors.
Popular 19th century.
Invention of motion picture cinematography in 1880's
ends magic lantern.
Ephemeral. Not permanent.
Can only experience for a short amount of time.
From Princeton University Library. A lot more to see. Link
here.
Follow link below to view
contemporary light projections:
Allegory
A story, poem or picture (image) that can be interpreted to reveal
a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.
What are contemporary examples of allegory?
Allegories in the movies:
Allegories in movies and literature:
Pixar's family-friendly robot love story "Wall-E" (2008) is also a scathing commentary on our society's infatuation with comfort and technology. In that future world, humans are shapeless blobs incapable of supporting their own weight, carried along in floating chairs and speaking to each other only through glowing screens. It's a frightening vision made even more frightening by the fact that it's not all that unbelievable. Of course, consumerism is a subsection of the larger theme of capitalism, which is itself often fodder for movies.
X-Men
The "X-Men", a popular series in both comic books and movies, has always been an allegory for minorities. Its themes of prejudice and empowerment speak to any oppressed group, but it has repeatedly been linked with the gay rights movement. Mutants are often hard to identify from their appearance, so they have to choose whether or not to "come out" to their family and friends, often in fear of being rejected for their otherness. In an iconic scene from "X2" (2003), Bobby Drake (aka "Iceman") tells his family that he's a mutant. Reflecting the sentiments of many parents who wish their children could just "be straight," Bobby's mom asks: "Have you ever tried...not being a mutant?" In "X-Men: First Class" (2011), when a CIA-agent discovers that his scientist friend/coworker Hank McCoy is a mutant, Hank responds: "You didn't ask, so I didn't tell." Other plots from throughout the series, including the registration of mutants and the development of a "cure", have profound meaning for the LGBT community.
Childish Gambino, This Is America, Music Video
Allegory
Attack on Titan, Manga
Truth Leading the Republic and Prosperity by Nicolas Courteille, 1793.
Allegory.
Diogenes.
[dahy-oj-uh-neez]
Searching for the truth with a lantern.
Painting above is 1780's.
Liberty Leading the People by Eugene Delacroix, 1830.
Delacroix watches fighting in Paris (July Revolution, Second Revolution)
French Republic needs an image (first revolution), (compare to US using George Washington).
Replace all images of monarchy.
Marianne - Challenges history of male authority/monarchy.
Less threatening than a male.
Profile - alludes to rulers shown on coins.
She is an allegory - pictorial device to visually communicate a political idea.
Exposed breasts symbolizes power and strength, bare feet, in motion.
Also nursemaid, sustainer of new life.
Part goddess.
Aphrodite
17th century, Copy of 2nd century CE
Power of nudity, female rivals male nude
Seal, France, 1848
Statue of Liberty dedicated in 1886.
Spikes - 7 continents and oceans.
Jacques Louis David, 1748 - 1825.
Death of Marat, oil on canvas, 1793, 65" x 50".
[ma-RA]
Storming the Bastille, July 14, 1789
[ba-steel]
