Contemporary Art in a Consumer Society
Contemporary Art in a Consumer Society
Society has many influences that dictate the way a population will interact with one another, one of these influences is consumerism. Consumerism is the consumption of goods and services by society and how these products affect the society they reach. Society can be heavily influenced by consumerism. This is prominent throughout social environments; such as the media, television, advertising, etc. This high level of saturation and influence is represented through art. Often artist creations are derived from society and how the society functions and interacts with these influences. Contemporary art raises many questions as to the reasoning behind the artist’s creation. Some questions to keep in mind are: How society views consumerism through contemporary art? How is society represented in contemporary art? How does society influence contemporary art? An analysis of consumerism in art can be made from observing particular pieces from such artists as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Tom Wesselmann, Jeff Koons, Barbara Kruger, and Takashi Murakami, to name but a few. Turning the focus to Jeff Koons, who uses consumer objects in many of his pieces. One piece in particular; Hennessy, The Civilized Way to Lay Down the Law, 1986. This painting is an oil ink on canvas. The painting depicts a couple in a dimly lit room, the man is sitting at a desk reviewing books, as the woman approaches with two glasses of Hennessy and is leaning over the man’s shoulder and offering a glass to him. In the top left corner of the painting there is a quote that reads “Hennessy the civilized way to lay down the law” and in the bottom right corner is a promotion that reads “the world’s most civilized spirit”. The painting is essentially an advertisement for Hennessy, which is a consumer product, and in this ad we can observe several subtle nuances that portray social activities. The painting describes a setting in which people are interacting with
Society has many influences that dictate the way a population will interact with one another, one of these influences is consumerism. Consumerism is the consumption of goods and services by society and how these products affect the society they reach. Society can be heavily influenced by consumerism. This is prominent throughout social environments; such as the media, television, advertising, etc. This high level of saturation and influence is represented through art. Often artist creations are derived from society and how the society functions and interacts with these influences. Contemporary art raises many questions as to the reasoning behind the artist’s creation. Some questions to keep in mind are: How society views consumerism through contemporary art? How is society represented in contemporary art? How does society influence contemporary art? An analysis of consumerism in art can be made from observing particular pieces from such artists as Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Tom Wesselmann, Jeff Koons, Barbara Kruger, and Takashi Murakami, to name but a few. Turning the focus to Jeff Koons, who uses consumer objects in many of his pieces. One piece in particular; Hennessy, The Civilized Way to Lay Down the Law, 1986. This painting is an oil ink on canvas. The painting depicts a couple in a dimly lit room, the man is sitting at a desk reviewing books, as the woman approaches with two glasses of Hennessy and is leaning over the man’s shoulder and offering a glass to him. In the top left corner of the painting there is a quote that reads “Hennessy the civilized way to lay down the law” and in the bottom right corner is a promotion that reads “the world’s most civilized spirit”. The painting is essentially an advertisement for Hennessy, which is a consumer product, and in this ad we can observe several subtle nuances that portray social activities. The painting describes a setting in which people are interacting with