As a response to our recent discussions regarding the French Revolution, I have chosen to spotlight the death of the GomBurZa as it reminded me of the function of the death of Marat. The monument in the picture was made by Solomon Saprid and the film clip is from the movie Bonifacio: Ang Unang Pangulo (2014).

Padre Gomez, Burgos and Zamora were known to be in the forefront of the fight against the discrimination that Filipino priests were experiencing during their time, as Spanish friars are more favored by the government meaning that these Spanish friars basically have a hold on every aspect of the state due to their connections. In comparison to Marat, the deaths of these priests were shown to the public in order to evoke fear among those who try to walk the same paths as them that wish to undermine the current system in the Philippines. They were killed by the use of a garrote, which is one of the worst ways to kill someone during that time. 

Just like the death of Marat through the words of T.J. Clark, many people hold the death of the priests close to their heart, as it sparked the new propaganda movement to take its course, which aimed to overthrow the Spanish colonizers and their ways out of the country for good by exposing the heinous crimes that they have committed. Most of the country’s national heroes see them as the fuel for their convictions, and the most notable one meaning Jose Rizal. But in my observations, since Filipinos are well-versed in the event, we still have this sense of nationalism whenever we encounter depictions of the three priests. This just means that even in art, death emanates the same weight of influence just as how it probably was for the people who witnessed it first hand. In relation to this, it means that this piece of art is also extremely powerful because it is capable of becoming a political tool within itself as a subject.

It shows that as frail human beings, we value life the most, as it is universally experienced. I think that it is the feeling of fear that drives us to express our sentiments towards these things, since the fragility of life is more explicit than ever in situations like this. It makes us want to do something for it to not reach a point wherein we are already in the same position as the dead, and at the same time, there might even be instances wherein one wants to be part of the good side of history to get the same admiration as those of the martyrs. This is how art works as propaganda. It is very powerful as it can touch the very core of what makes us humans in the first place and it also invites us to contemplate our actions. 

Hannah Höch, Cut with the Kitchen Knife Dada through the Last Weimar Beer-Belly Cultural Epoch in Germany, 1919

I have chosen this Dada photomontage or collage entitled: “Cut with the Kitchen Knife Dada through the Last Weimar Beer-Belly Cultural Epoch in Germany” made by Hannah Höch which features the fragmentation of life in Germany during 1919, wherein the ill effects of World War I were prominent: there are a lot of political disagreements, there was war happening within the country, and people are feeling anxious in general. That is the reason why the art piece seems disheveled as it expresses what the artist was experiencing through the use of magazines and newspaper clippings published during that time.

In Walter Benjamin’s work, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,” he has expounded on the idea of aura through the use of mechanical reproduction and also put forth the politicization of aesthetics in response to the aestheticization of politics. The dada art movement is an example of the politicization of politics as it tries to criticize and break the barriers formed by those who hold power, asserting dominance over censorship and other cultural ideals.

The chosen art piece takes away the presence of deep contemplation that is present in the art forms of the past, and it’s aura has dissipated as well as an image of the photomontage that it was originally, and by being a collage, the piece is also a reproduction of the events of the time, capable of having its own experience. The title itself is reminiscent of the act that Benjamin was trying to bring about, which is the act of cutting through the political chaos of the time. The piece can actually be cut into 4 quadrants, and in clockwise, the first show political figures, including William II (the last german emperor) that is mostly tampered over by other figures which pronounced the artist’s despise over their rule, the second contains the dadaists and the blacked out map of where women were allowed to vote (since Höch is known to be considered as a “New Woman”--a precursor to the movement of feminism in the country), the third exhibits what “dada” is to express that it is something more than just an art movement, and the last shows masses of people to invoke a sense of reaction--for people to be outraged, be more involved in the happenings within society by challenging the existing system within it.

Höch’s work has encapsulated what Walter Benjamin wanted to create as well, because it is also a form of emancipation from the problems of society, and it readily uses itself as a device for new functions, especially in politics, as it criticizes, and fragments life in order to revolutionize.

The artwork that I have chosen features an image of a puppet which signifies the idea of control and limitation. I have chosen this for this week’s journal because it is relevant with Plato’s belief in terms of ruling a state. Even though Plato views art as an imitation of the ideas in the world of forms, he still subscribed to dancing with respect to the roots of music, mathematics and the cosmos because of the fact that it promotes the idea of unity or harmony.

Harmony is the key concept in Plato’s propositions because it promotes how the society can become the very best form of itself if it only follows the strict laws that govern them, and for its people to fulfill the roles that they are supposed to do. Plato thinks that this is the only way for a society to develop, as it takes away the power of thinking for oneself, or to explore other ideas that are deviant of what the state provides. That is the very reason why he wanted to censor art, because it gives ideas that could potentially change the minds and emotions felt by its people and would hinder the society from functioning properly, since one is not doing his/her job well. 

In relation to that, dance is important for Plato as it promotes harmony. By dancing, people learn how to become disciplined and in good health, and this is used to an advantage by the state to keep the cogs of the city going, as if an individual rebels against it, the state would not flourish. 

To discuss the artwork that I chose, it is clear that the people that are enjoined in this certain society are like puppets, because the strings that make them work are the roles in which they are subjected to. Each of these people are molded to be a certain type of person due to the educational system that was implemented to them which started when they were younger. It restrains the things that they want to do, and it even takes away the characteristics that make them unique, which I found to be very problematic. 

It was only partially raised that the idea of dance can be turned into something more sinister in terms of its use in politics, and the thought never crossed my mind until then. This shows that even if things look good on paper, it does not mean that this system would work in real life. Trying to hold back people from the certain emotions that make us feel things is very cruel, and the fact that it was taken away means that certain areas of the society would not function as well, as it is the very core of what makes humans ‘humans’ in the first place. Living like puppets and pushing humans to conform would not only be an act of oppression, but it would also take away the heart of the society itself.

In-Shadow: A Modern Odyssey (Animated Short Film) by Lubomir Arsov [Original Youtube Link]

For this week’s journal, I have decided to focus on Adorno’s Minima Moralia as it talks about the most prevalent problem that our society is facing today, and that is how human beings become subjected to the helms of a mechanical system (capitalism) that is ran by those who have the most monetary power in the world. Commodities then have became the very center of our economy, as companies are constantly producing more and more things even if it went beyond the people’s demand for the sake of getting profit, and for keeping those in power in the very same position. This process then took away what makes us “humans” in the first place.  It extracts the authentic intentions of an individual to another, and we tend to only take what benefits us and disagree when it does not, making our relationships ‘transactional’ to the point that the objects that we tie ourselves to are coercing us to abide to this synthetic system that creates the very division between the wealthy and normal people within the society, making this political. Our environment pushes us to engage in barbarity and encourages us to be more selfish, and it is sad to say that we act as if this is still okay.

The art piece that I chose is a video called “In-Shadow: A Modern Odessey” which underscored what Adorno was concerned with regarding the prescence of our isolation from the real things that matter. The video showed that our identities are now puppets of those who rule the society (the ones who have big businesses, the people who TRULY rule the world) and that the commodities (gadgets, content, clothes, enhancements, movies etc.) that they produce are means for them to nit-pick what they want to share to the rest of society to inflict a false sense of reality and to produce fake happiness from people, thus hiding the darkness that looms above us that were generated by them in the first place, while keeping the gears of their system going, and it even encourages us to take on the same path as them.

We are trying to fill the void of our hearts with discontent by being engulfed to principles of these economic objects by seeing wealth as a definite end, but we need to be reminded that this does not make us human. It takes us away from the very freedom that we are willed to enjoy in this lifetime. 

The video emphasized the need of an “enlightenment” for us to break free from the fetishization of the commodities that affect us in our daily lives; quoting C.G. Jung: “…One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.” It is indeed true that a single person would not be able to make sufficient changes to the world by being conscious, but the only way for us to wake up from this nightmare is to be critical of it.

This week’s discussion about Michel Foucault’s interpretation of the Las Meninas made me realize the importance of unearthing the hidden figures that are not being represented in our society. These hidden figures are the ideas that create seemingly miniscule contributions to the history of human beings but as Foucault noted, have in fact created the very cultures and ideologies that we subscribe to ‘till this very day, which then contributed to how our society is ordered. 

The artwork that I chose features a broken magnifying glass which signifies how we should shift our view to the different perspectives that are available to us from those of the sovereign, just like how Velázquez let us experience through his painting, while also expressing the different interpretations that the painting can produce. By taking the role of the spectator, we are able to find and examine the different rules and the set of knowledge that reigns over us within and outside the government, up to how we live life on a daily basis and how it affects us and how we function as a society. This then will expose the effects of the continuous centralization of power—which is also the very source of knowledge of a society at a particular point in time.

Foucault’s use of the word “archaeology” interests me because it isolates what was previously established in order to understand it and takes history’s ongoing theme of focusing on a particular subject (the source of power or a sovereign) and setting it aside over the discourse of our history. By doing so, we will be able to unlock new truths because we are already seeing what makes up the episteme of our time, and we will be able to question its process and refine it to create a better future. I also realized that the sovereign usually is the one who is far from reality, so how are we able to just leave the act of governing to just one entity if it has not experienced what the minorities have experienced, and how can it solve problems that consists of the varied populace when it can only account to one and often old and inapplicable perspective?

The garnered insight from this “archeological” process will eventually shed light on the unrepresented entities that can change the status quo. We must open ourselves and accept that there is no definitive way to express and solve issues, and that the power that the multiplicity of representation holds can eventually lead us to equality. The rules of power must always be welcome to criticism and change because history, and the discourse within it does the same. It is impossible to live in a world wherein we are locked and grounded on something superficial because each and every one of us deserves the freedom to have a place in this society and a voice to be heard.

I chose this work by Suzanne Marie Leclair as a response to this week’s lesson about the Allegory and Effects of Good and Bad Government not just because the painting shows a symbolism of both sides of the government featured in Lorenzetti’s work, but also because the mirror signifies the truth, obstruction and most importantly, self-reflection. I chose a work of art that includes the theme of “reflection” in it because the thing that stuck out to me during our discussion was the fact that the rulers of both the good and bad government (their ways of life) reflect those of the people and the land that they govern. Those who lead hold the responsibility to become the very model for their society. The rulers must reflect the virtues necessary for running a good government free from prejudice and injustice, and according to our lesson, this is also the reason why Lorenzetti’s work was commissioned by the Council of the Nine in the first place—for them to be reminded of the responsibility of not subscribing to tyranny in the heart of their rule to keep Siena in the best possible condition.

The scary and unhinged reflection of the man in the mirror symbolizes the fear that the council had in terms of ruling the city. The fact that the Council of Nine are subject to change after two months only shows and says more of what the moral values of people are; meaning, that they do not trust those in power due to human impulses. This fact solidifies that as human beings, we are readily inclined to indulge in temptations such as corruption and violence. There was an active sense of suppression to these acts in the fresco, and the man in the mirror can represent that loud option to commit something that is looked down upon in society. The same thing can also be said about the oppressors at this time as most people are already living the realities of the bad government, and the reflection in the mirror shames those leaders who create fronts to deceit their own people. Our country is resting upon the false promises of those who rule us, and little by little, we get to see the effects of Lorenzetti’s Effects of the Bad Government come to life. That being said, us being flawed human beings can ultimately lead us to blindly subscribe to what gives us a kind of “fake” liberty, so we must be able to discern what we deserve in the time of oppression.

Good rulers links themselves to whom they govern by extending the virtues that they uphold, so the people of their society are able to live a harmonious life, free from the penchants of false hope because the surroundings to which they operate are free from evils. A good government must be able to give the needs of its citizens, most especially their freedom, for the people are supposed to be the number one priority of a governance and not just their own whims, for the people of the state must always be involved in the process of erecting a good government.