Assignment 4: Max Horkheimer-The Cabinet of Dr. Calgari

“Self-awareness in contemporary society is directly connected with belonging to some collectivity: to an age group or vocational group, and ultimately to the nation. The divergence between individual and group that is now disappearing continues to show up among stunted individuals, criminals, and people who can assert themselves only by opposition to everything else.”  Max Horkheimer  Feudal Lord, Customer, and Specialist.

Max Horkheimer was born on the 14^th February, 1895 in Stuttgart, Germany.  He was a director of the Frankfurt School and very influential in most of the social and cultural research in line with the understanding of capitalism. He was a philosopher and social scientist. He was greatly influenced by Karl Marx works even though he analyzed the contemporary society in his own way. Some of his books are: Dialectic of Enlightenment  (in 1944 when he collaborated with his colleague Theordor Adorno), Towards a New Manifesto, Eclipse of Reason in 1947, Critique of Instrumental Reason, Between Philosophy and Social Science among others. He did a great job trying to enlighten society how working class are only part of the production process that would never be a tool for the social change needed. And he thought, only great ideas and theories could liberate society. He died in Nurremburg, Germany on July, 7, 1973.

I think his ideas could relate to the film we screened and to today’s mass culture.  The film “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” depicts the exact character of Caligari when Max Horkheimer said in his quote that “stunted individuals, criminals, and people who can assert themselves only by opposition to everything else.” This is true in a sense that, Calagari epitomizes himself as those criminals in the society who do not really recognize their sense of belonging to particular community, and could harm others without even thinking about the consequences of their actions. Such people are almost always impeding the progresses of its community or even nations at large. We saw how Caligari was conniving with Cesare to achieve their diabolical agendas knowing that such social vices as killing or murdering would only cause social stagnation and put fear among citizens of that particular society. But they both never cared even when they were seriously causing chaos and mayhem to the place they were known to belong.

     And in today’s mass culture, Max Horkheimer ideas or quote can still relate.  For instance, when people in a particular association, company, community, or society see themselves us one people, there is always harmonious living amongst them and there is a sense of responsibility in coming together to defend themselves. They see themselves as one people with common purpose. Typical example of the nation coming together was the recent ‘Boston Marathon bombing’ that saw the police and military officers going after the bomber/fugitive.

  

ASSIGNMENT 3: SIDDHARTHA(1922) Hermann Hesse

SIDDHARTHA'S (1922); Hermann Hesse's novel

"But let me say this one more thing: I have not doubted in you for a single moment. I have not doubted for a single moment that you are Buddha, that you have reached the goal, the highest goal towards which so many thousands of Brahmans and sons of Brahmans are on their way. You have found salvation from death. It has come to you in the course of your own search, on your own path, through thoughts, through meditation, through realizations, through enlightenment. It has not come to you by means of teachings! And—thus is my thought, oh exalted one,—nobody will obtain salvation by means of teachings! You will not be able to convey and say to anybody, oh venerable one, in words and through teachings what has happened to you in the hour of enlightenment! The teachings of the enlightened Buddha contain much, it teaches many to live righteously, to avoid evil. But there is one thing which these so clear, these so venerable teachings do not contain: they do not contain the mystery of what the exalted one has experienced for himself, he alone among hundreds of thousands. This is what I have thought and realized, when I have heard the teachings. This is why I am continuing my travels—not to seek other, better teachings, for I know there are none, but to depart from all teachings and all teachers and to reach my goal by myself or to die. But often, I'll think of this day, oh exalted one, and of this hour, when my eyes beheld a holy man".

MY INTERPRETATION OF THE PASSAGE

From Hermann Hesse’s reading, Siddhartha was making his point clear about the reality of the Buddha when he encountered him in his search to be enlightened. I think “enlightenment” as I understand from the reading is to get that level where you are considered pious, godly, holy, spiritual-uplifted, etc. That is the only way to get salvation. Because depending only on the scriptures and teachings wouldn’t get you there. Anyone who is willing to get Salvation should start with seeking, meditation, deep thinking, and so forth.

   He further stressed that, he never doubted the Buddha, and he re-assured himself that, the ultimate goal of every single being was to get to the point where Buddha had reached. It was a point of reaching an ultimate goal or achievement. And as he put it in his own word, “ The highest goal towards which so many thousands of Brahmans and sons of Brahmans are on their way.”  He also tried to explain that no one actually get that high unless he has made his own effort to look far and to search far. He believed anybody could be able to get there when they search on their own. To him, you should ignore the existing teachings, or the teachers of faith for answers about how to be enlightened. It is important to engage in self-thoughts, meditation, take a journey on your own to find the answers.

    According to my understanding of what he was saying, Buddha teaches many people to live righteous and avoid all evil. But the highest goal any man or being could reach was to keep on searching. That was the essence of his journey to find answers, to find the light and be uplifted.

    

WHY I CHOOSE THE PASSAGE 

I chose the passage because it was interesting to note what Siddhartha’s thought about one’s reaching Salvation. I tried to compare that analogy to both Christianity and Islam. It is like saying that, the scriptures; both the Koran and the Bible are not enough to get you to close to God, and that your going to Sunday church or going to mosque for prayers and to listen to preachers are still not enough unless they are followed by a thorough thoughts about life and death, meditations, righteousness and avoiding all sort of evil. That I found interesting in Siddhartha’s expressions about the Buddha or the Buddhism and how they get their Enlightenment or Salvation. That was why I chose this passage.

Part 2 - Artists, Movements and Styles in Modern Art

                                         

                                                   

                                              

                                 Dada - Art and Anti-Art (1916-1922)

MAN RAY (1890 - 1976)

' cadea (Gift) 1921 ( Flat Iron with Brass Tacks )

Man Ray (born Emmanuel Radnitzky) on August 27 1890, in Pennsylvania. He was an American Modernist Artist in Painting, Photography, Assemblage, Collage, and Film. He spent most of his life in Europe, in France to be precise. His movements were; Dadaism and Surrealism. He died on the 18th of November 1976, in paris, France. 

INTERPRETATION OF THE PIECE

It looks so simple to give a clearer meaning to the dadaism theme behind it. The object is a flat iron with its surface pierced and fixed by an erected nails or tacks. The color is dark or black. The meaning of it can be attributed to the unpleasant social conditions at the time that had just gone contrary to the accepted norms, standards, or beliefs of the society in question. It was created to make mockery of the status quo, and to say that social conditions had been deviated from the basic direction they were supposed to have gone. Flat iron with the brass tacks at the center, had been used by Man Ray in a metaphoric way to say that, social conditions of the time had been misplaced and could no longer save the purpose it stood for. Thus, a flat iron saved the purpose of ironing, but no longer in that usage, and so as the society in that same context.

GEORGE GROSZ

GEORGE GROSZ (1893-1959)

'The Pillars of Society' 1926 (oil on canvas)                 

This is an artistic painting of George Grosz's dadaism expression that portrays the social injustices of the bourgeoisie. As he calls his painting, ' The Pillars of Society,' it tells you that top classes have the enormous advantages. So he was able to show the faces of the middle/ ruling classes to the public, and the hypocritical activities they are indulged in. As he himself put it, "Man has created an insidious system - a top and a bottom. A very few earn millions, while thousands upon thousands are on the verge of starvation”. 

Here you can see what he was trying to show to the public. He asserted that the top are the corrupt ones, and they created a system to help only themselves, left the many more section of the population to suffer or starve. The painting shows an officer holding a cup of wine or alcohol,  a political party leader, a press mogul, a judge or lawyer, a militia with a gun in the left hand and a stick on his right hand. He gave a good facial expression to tell their hypocrisy, corruption, double standards and other negative acts to the German public. He used bright colors, and put them in a confine place or room.

NEW YORK DADA

FRANCIS PICABIA (1879-1953)
'Love Parade' 1917 (oil on cardboard)

Francis Picabia was a French painter, and came to the U.S. mostly after the world war 1, when the continent had become a place for new exiled European artist and had started showing interest in modern art. His works were mostly cubism. He first visited New York in 1913. He wanted to promote Modern Art in this country, so he sometimes went back and forth Europe and America. 

The idea behind his ' Love Parade Portrait' was to show the connection that had started to exist in the American industrial society, where machines had become part of our everyday lives, or our inner souls. As he stated in a New York Tribune, The machine has become more than a mere adjunct of life. It is really a part of human life...perhaps the very soul...I have enlisted the machinery of the modern world, and introduced it into my studio.” 

I think he did well to create in his portrait a bond that exist between human being and machines at the time. I like the simple colors he used, and I noticed that the middle of this painting have the ' LOVE SIGN' to emphasize the name he gave to his painting.

MAX ERNST

MAX ERNST (1891-1976)

'The Chinese Nightingale' 1920 (photomontage)

Max Ernst was a German born, and his birthplace is Buhl, Germany in April 2 1891. He was a painter, sculptor, graphic designer, and a poet.  He was among the pioneers of Dada Movement and Surrealism. He died in Paris, France on the April 1st 1976.

I see the dada of this photo collage to symbolize a mystery and horror. It is like a fish and human hands in one depiction. I can also see a weapon, a bomb-like in this collage. It portrayed something fearful and horrendous to the people/society. According to Max,  it signified 'the systematic exploitation of the chance or artificially provoked confrontation of two or more mutually alien realities on an obviously inappropriate level - and the poetic spark which jumps across when these realities approach each other'. 

I think he was using his poetic expression to say that there was an alien/strange creature, that looks horrifying. Maybe the technology of the time that brought bombs, and other weapons.And perhaps he was saying these weapons are deadly, dangerous, ugly, and catastrophic. And trying to warn people to be mindful of these dangers. He did that in a satiric manner.