Interdisciplinary Works (ANSWERED)

QUESTION

Required Resources

Read/review the following resources for this activity:

Textbook: Chapter 15
Lesson
Minimum of 1 primary source (from artist)
Minimum of 1 scholarly source

Initial Post Instructions

For the initial post, select and address one of the following options:

Option 1: Choose a work to discuss from one genre that interprets a work from another genre.

Include the title, artist, and description of both works.
Examine how the artist of the second work captured the subject or story of the first.
Support your point(s) with a statement from the second artist that discusses the influence, reasoning, or interpretation of the original work on the second work.

Click on the following link for examples:

Link: Examples

You could choose a specific artwork influenced by a literary work and how the artist captured the subject or story. (Examples: Salvador Dali’s Mad Tea Party and Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland; Pablo Picasso’s Don Quixote and Cervantes’s Don Quixote de la Mancha)
You could choose a literary work influenced by an artwork and how the author captured the story. (Examples: Picasso’s The Old Guitarist and Wallace Steven’s “The Man with the Blue Guitar”; Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Anne Sexton’s “The Starry Night”)

Option 2: Choose a work that is interdisciplinary (incorporates two or more disciplines), such as Hamilton from our lesson this week.

Include the title and artist(s).
Examine the genres that are intermingled to create the work.
How effective is the blending of genres in the work?
Why do you think the artist used different disciplines in the work?
Support your point(s) with a statement from the artist and one from a critic.

Option 3: Choose a work of art from any genre that depicts or tells the story of a real life event from any time period, such as The Consecration of the Emperor Napoleon and the Coronation of Empress Joséphine on December 2, 1804 by Jacques Louis David.

Include the title and the artist and some background of the event.
What is the relationship between the work of art and the event?
Did the artist depict the event accurately?
Does the artist make changes regarding the event? If so, why do you think the artist made these changes?
Examine the artist’s message in the depiction.
Support your point(s) with a statement from the artist.

ANSWER

Interdisciplinary Work

Option 1

**Artist: Pablo Picasso (1881–1973)| Title: Don Quixote| medium: Pen and ink image**

Don Quixote is an abstract sketch depicting Don Quixote sitting on his horse, Rocinante. The image also shows Don’s squire Sancho Panza sitting on his donkey (Dapple), the sun, and several windmills. Picasso’s image is inspired by Cervantes’ novel (Don Quixote de la Mancha). The novel features Don Quixote’s Knighthood quest inspired by the chivalric romances he had read in books. After his first failed adventure, Don Quixote hires Sancho Panza to accompany him on the second expedition for glory and fame.

In the painting, Don Quixote is sitting tall and towering over his squire, Sancho. In contrast, Sancho, while sitting on his horse, is looking up at Don Quixote. This representation accurately depicts the relationship between Don Quixote and Sancho as it was in the novel. Don was the master, while Sancho was the servant. The painting also shows Quixote wearing a Mambrino helmet and carrying a shield and lance. Although the Mambrino helmet was depicted as nothing more than a basin in the novel, the lance and shield represent Don’s perceived Knighthood.

The sun is shining bright in the painting, creating the impression that both Don Quixote and Sancho are hot, weary, and tired. Desandrio (2021) believes that this imagery symbolizes the characters’ weariness with their quest. Other critics believe that the windmills in the background depict Don’s mental state. Desandrio (2021) believes that Picasso included this windmill scene in the painting to acknowledge Don’s mental health issues. Other critics believe the image’s dark objects also symbolize Don’s mental issues. Goncharova & Glazunza (n.d.) said, “Picasso portrayed with dark elements, that which absorbed the mind of the protagonist …. The horse, as an independent figure, windmill, land – all this found an unusual transformation in the thoughts of the hero.”

However, Bayliss (2006) reveals that Picasso refused to recognize a correct interpretation of his work. Picasso said, “Sure, they’re symbols. But it isn’t up to the painter to create the symbols. . . . The public who look at the picture must see in the horse and the bull symbols which they interpret as they understand them” (Bayliss, 2006). This statement from Picasso gives us the liberty to interpret his work as we deem right.

Option 2: Lion King

Genres used in the Artwork

Lion King is an animated musical drama play created by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff. The film combines theatre, music, visual arts, and dance. The film derives its narrative from Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet. It is also characterized by choreography with various dance scenes and African-inspired songs with western instrumentation (guitars, keyboards, flutes, etc.). The musical typically featured singing, dancing, masks, puppets, and props. The graphic and visual creations were based on African culture, art, and landscape.

Blending Effectiveness

The blending of the genres was effective because it enhanced the dramatic experiences. For example, the filmmakers use music to communicate emotions and intensify moods. For example, the song, I Just Can’t-Wait to be King creates a cheerful atmosphere and playful theme. Other songs in the film are used the same way: each corresponds to a character’s personality or the emotion trying to be expressed. Also, most of the film’s songs are African, which resonates with the film’s setting.

Reason for using different disciplines in the work

Bouderbala (2022) believes the filmmakers used different disciplines to bring fresh experiences to an already established story. She quotes a movie critic saying:

“This phenomenon allows producers to borrow ideas to enlighten an established story model or to make content adjustments to cater to the needs of a different audience, but it also creates a need to adapt, repackage or transform an existing product to make it more appealing to different viewer groups” (Bouderbala, 2022). The phenomenon being addressed in the above quote is transculturation.

Jeffrey Silver, the film’s producer, indicated that 13 crew members traveled to Africa before the film was shot to ensure their work was rooted in reality (“Lion King,” 2019). He said, “… went out in search of every animal, waking up at dawn, shooting until dusk, recording rhinos and lion and zebra, studying the gait of the animals, their grazing patterns, their movement patterns” (“Lion King,” 2019). The filmmakers first appreciated the African savannah and incorporated this experience into a play well-known by Western audiences. This approach confirms that the artists’ wanted to create a new artistic experience for their viewers.

Option 3

Title and Artist

Artist: Jacques-Louis David| Title: Death of Marat| Year: 1793| Medium: Oil in Canvas

The figure bleeding in the image is Jean-Paul Marat, a French revolutionary stabbed to death by Charlotte Corday.

Relationship between Artwork and Event

Marat was murdered because of his radical political ideologies. This image tries to depict the moment after Marat was murdered. The artist includes the paperwork and ink at this moment to signify the link between Marat’s work and the murder.

Depiction of Event

The artist does not depict the event accurately. Marat was lying in a bathtub tending to a skin disease when Corday severed his carotid artery (Beaumont, 2018). However, there is no violence in the painting: Marat’s throat is uncut, his wound is clean, and the blood on his body is just enough to stain the water and sheets in which he lies. Instead of a painful and horrifying look, Marat’s face is calm with a serene smile.

Changes made Regarding the Event and Justification.

David downplays the actual real historical event by removing all concrete murder details. The artist does this to honor Marat’s work. According to Beaumont (2018), Marat’s followers, including the painter, viewed him as a saint committed to the Revolution. These perceptions inspired the artist to confer Marat as a beatific martyr in the painting. By removing murder details in the painting, the artist encourages viewers to focus on Marat and what he is doing.

Artist’s Message

The artist uses symbolism and the allegorical nature of the painting’s composition to communicate Marat’s martyrdom. In his hands, Marat holds a paper and pen, symbolizing his journalism that inspired many revolutionists. He was not working at the time of his murder, but the author makes it appear so because he wants his viewers to connect his work with his death. Beaumont (2018) reveals that when the painting was unveiled, David cried to the assembled viewers saying, “Oh despair! Our indefatigable one is dead… you will tell those who called him bloodthirsty that Marat, your cherished child, never caused you to weep.” This statement proves that the painting was an honorary artwork created to celebrate Marat.

References

Bayliss, Robert. (2006). What Don Quixote Means (Today). Comparative Literature Studies, 43(4), 382–397. https://doi.org/10.1353/cls.2007.0010

Beaumont, H. (2018). War, Literature & the Arts: an international journal of the humanities / Volume 30 / 2018. War, Literature & the Arts: An International Journal of the Humanities, 30(1). https://www.wlajournal.com/wlaarchive/30/BEAUMONT.pdf

Bouderbala, F. (2022). From Disney’s The lion king to Michel Ocelot ‘s Kirikou and the Sorceress : The use of African culture between westernization and authenticity. Research Gate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/360424021_From_Disney%27s_The_lion_king_to_Michel_Ocelot_%27s_Kirikou_and_the_Sorceress_The_use_of_African_culture_between_westernization_and_authenticity?enrichId=rgreq-5669fe0aa94b6c9193fd4ab797d860d6-XXX&enrichSource=Y292ZXJQYWdlOzM2MDQyNDAyMTtBUzoxMTUyNzUzOTQyNDI5Njk2QDE2NTE4NDkzNjUwMjg%3D&el=1_x_2&_esc=publicationCoverPdf

Desandrio, J. (2021, October 31). Don Quixote and Pablo Picasso. The Collector. https://www.thecollector.com/don-quixote-works-of-pablo-picasso/

Goncharova, N., & Glazunza, I. (n.d.). Description of the painting by Pablo Picasso “Don Quixote” – Picasso Pablo. En.opisanie-Kartin.com. Retrieved September 29, 2022, from https://en.opisanie-kartin.com/description-of-the-painting-by-pablo-picasso-don-quixote/

Lion King production team went on African safari to “keep it real.” (2019, July 24). The New Paper. https://tnp.straitstimes.com/entertainment/movies/lion-king-production-team-went-african-safari-keep-it-real