How and why visual artworks make for effective visual socio-political statements and arguments?

Art is an expression. There are different types and forms of art where people can express and tell what they want and what they know and feel. Aside from expressing oneself feelings, each work is created because there is a purpose, whether to inform, entertain and persuade. Some forms of artworks maybe confusing at first look where artists create based from different perspectives. It’s not eye-catchy just like portraits of nature and heroes where people can easily identify and recognize. But what artists want to convey is that, an art must be seen in different angles and should take various interpretations. 

The role of art in sociopolitical aspect is that it helps depict truth and make people relate what really happened and/or the experience. Like Picasso’s Guernica, an artwork depicting the suffering during Spanish Civil War. In just few minutes, hundreds of people were massacred. Picasso chose color of black and white as an aura of a newspaper that he might saying that his painting is a news or such the current event. He used the style of cubism wherein this technique are effective for creating visual arguments. Every detail is informative and even a single drop has it’s own meaning. Various visual artworks when seen in public could earn different perceptions/views. This will deal on how a certain individual reacts as what he seen on a picture. If it is contradictory to others, then this will play out on their minds and they will seek details until they meet halfway. These assumptions implicitly connect the claim to the evidence. Artists manipulate symbols placed on their art so that people would easily reflect what’s on the picture itself.

Artworks such as paintings and murals therefore plays a part on socio-political level of the society including how and why a certain event happen. It’s just an example of indirect form of communication wherein through an artwork, messages are conveyed. Not a depiction of reality but a portrayal of truth. The main goal of a certain work is to gain empathy and appreciate the overall image associated with hidden meanings that everyone could understand.

By: Renzy Lenchico