Friday, July 6, 2012

FILM 9: Civilization/Collings




Collings discussed a wide range of art history so that each of Goya’s and David’s paintings could be given a proper background and meaning. Each of these artists was heavily influenced by the time period they were a part of. Collings uses this to create a comparison of the two and how their art was influenced by their surroundings. I also think using the wide range of art helped give a better understanding of why the artists painted what they did. His point was to explain why each piece of art was painted and what emotion or event in history sparked that inspiration.

Collings used a little bit of comparing and contrasting, as well as history to tell his story. His film travels through the Enlightenment, Renaissance, and French Revolution. This allowed the viewer to understand what was going on behind the artwork. He went into detail about why David painted the images he did and how Goya differentiated from that. This was different from any other story teller because none of them compared and contrasted two different artists. Collings did not use reenactment, which was a first for the films as well. All of the films that used reenactments seemed to put me in the right mind frame for the paintings, which I liked, as opposed to Collings’ film. I thought the best story teller so far was Greenaway. I liked the way he picked one film and went into great detail what mysteries were behind it. I also liked his use of reenactments the best. He mock-interviewed the people in Rembrandt’s life and it really made the painting come to life for me.

I think the image from my generation would be something depicting the use of technology. I believe technology dictates our everyday lives. People rely on their cell phones and computers more so than they do on their personal relationships with others. I think it would say that our current civilization is dominated by the images people put up of themselves on social media and also that our civilization could not live without the use of technology. It would not be a good message and I feel that it is only going to get worse. Although there are certain technologies that are being put to good use, i.e. medical advancements, pollution control, etc. there are more that are simply being overused.

Was Collings use of compare and contrast effective? Why or why not? 

2 comments:

  1. Amanda, again I really how well you explain your answers! I feel like even those who have not seen the films would be able to grasp the important concepts of the films. I would suggest you add more pictures to break up the text, otherwise excellent work!

    I really liked Collings compare and contrast method for this film. I find that I learn best visually, so seeing the differences in the paintings makes it easier for me to see different aspects of each painting.

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  2. I liked Collings compare and contrast method too. It definitely helped visualize the differences and also kind of break down the information so it was easier to retain. I am also a visual learner so it appealed to me as well. This was one of the easier films to get through and I think this method was the reason for that.

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