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  • Essay / The Negative Influence of Visual Arts in Wartime

    Visual arts have existed for many centuries. In fact, these arts date back to the very beginning of civilization. They date back to the Paleolithic period, when artists used cave paintings to express the feelings and emotions of the people of that era. These attractive works of art have been used in different ways throughout history. Art has been used to depict and bring out negative feelings towards war and other forms of political violence. The tactic of influencing people through art has become very popular nowadays, especially when it comes to the theme of war. The opinions of other citizens in the United States and other countries around the world have become heavily dependent on visual arts, such as propaganda. Visual arts arouse in people a sense of anxiety and anguish, rather than relief from wars and other political violence. Often when people see a work of art, they see a beautifully painted picture or a beautiful photograph. This mindset is not how artists view themselves and their work. Artists don't create their art just for decoration, many artists use political and social issues to inspire their paintings and images. “Art can vividly reflect the opinions and concerns of society; art is also often seen as a political forum. Artists often include political or social issues in their works. (Bagtas) Pablo Picasso had a great impact, as a painter, on people's opinions. Many of his paintings have sparked opinion and criticism around the world. During the Spanish Civil War, a small town was bombed by opposing forces. These forces wiped out a small town, one of the oldest in the Basque province, named Guernica (Fred 27). Picasso felt that what was done at Guernica was written in the middle of paper......NARA. Internet. November 29, 2011. www.archives.gov/exhibits/powers_of_persuasion/it's_a_womans_war_too/its_a_woman s_war_too.html>.Picasso, Pablo Guernica. 1937. The Reader. Lafeyette: Pearson Education, 2009. 428-29.Print.Picasso, Pablo. "Guernica - Pablo Picasso - WikiPaintings.org." WikiPaintings.org - the Encyclopedia of Painting. Wikipaintigs. Internet. November 29, 2011. .Scott, Jill. “Photograph and forgiveness.” Queen's Quarterly 113.4 (2006): 606+. Academic OneFile. Internet. November 15, 2011.Shahn, Ben. “Powers of persuasion”. The National Archives and Archives Administration. Internet. November 29, 2011. “War Story.” Indianapolis Monthly 28.7 (2005): 55. MasterFILE Premier. Internet. November 8. 2011.