External Sources of Inspiration(Jeff Barnard)

In this week’s reading, it talks about everyday things that inspire artists to create art pieces to make a statement towards a certain subject matter. For example, Scott Grieger commented on corporate brainwashing when he saw a student of his carrying around a Nike shoe box and compared the “swoosh” symbol to a Swastika of the Germans in World War 2. I found that to be interesting because it seemed like quite a reach just to say something like that because if I had seen that, I would have thought he was just carrying other things in there. But I do notice how Soda is highly marketed on TV as something that better than water when it actually is bad for your teeth. That’s something external that I see as art worthy and a possible idea for a project in the future.
Culture was another topic for this reading, in which things like religion, politics, and the certain countries became the inspiration for art. An example would be when Chris Ofili made a piece feature a black woman who had a little bit of breast showing and looked sensuous and was meant to be a version of the Virgin Mary. This made an uproar in the political world as well as the religious world as well because of its unique perspective. I get that the Virgin Mary is a sacred person and is important to the community but it’s not like he was making a negative statement about her. Besides if you look at the time she was around and the place where she was born and lived in, she’s wouldn’t be white. So wouldn’t the art of the past be wrong as well about her image in religious works.
In conclusion, I feel the point of this reading was to show us that there is just as much inspiration in the world as there is in ourselves. We can find things laying in the street or in a office buildings a get inspiration to make a statement with our art. We can also use the culture we live in as a source of inspiration because of its rich complexity. This article also points out that there will be opposition to some art because of the subject matter, but that it should not force you to stop. I think that, as an artist, you have to be willing to put yourself out there and not be afraid to express your viewpoints. Freedom to express ourselves was given for a reason and should be used to its full potential.