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Art as a way to raise awareness

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     Art is often eye-catching. This is often intentional to brighten up a space, to advertise, or to raise awareness. Something people began to realize is that once you have people's attention, you have a ready-made audience for what you are really trying to say. Whether it is to raise money or to educate, art can be more than just what it looks like.  Public Artworks Waiting for the Climate Change, made by Isaac Cordal in Nantes, France, 2013         To reach the largest amount of people, street art is usually your best bet. Isaac Cordal seems to think so, as he made this piece and its companions in public areas. He uses water to set the stage for sculptures that represent politicians' lack of action to combat climate change. Like this, they look like they are still debating while ignoring the true and present problem which is the water rising around them. Seeing something like this while you are walking around makes you question the motive...

Art and Word War I

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World War I was a historic war due to its magnitude, publicity, and aftereffects. The destruction of both life and property was near-unheard of. It destabilized major parts of Europe both in society and the borders of the nations that made it up. Like most major upheavals, how people reacted to it was reflected heavily in their art.  Dadaism ABCD , made by Raoul Hausmann in Berlin, Germany, 1923 One of the responses to the horrors of war was a move to draw away from tradition, even to reject it entirely. Traditional art was disregarded in favor of something entirely new and theoretically untainted by the ideals that led to the war. Instead of a painting or sculpture, artists like Raoul Hausmann made collages of photographs to convey a message. The symbolism is heavy in this piece. The artist's face takes center stage with the letters ABCD appearing to be in his mouth, perhaps a representation of speech. The use of lines forms a triangular shape pointing to the left with the face i...