Axe d’étude 1 : Art et contestation

Art as a form of protest and activism

Works of art can be acts of defiance and used as a form of protest. Most artists question the way things are but some artists also see themselves as activists whose role is to bring about change. Art can thus be used to raise awareness of social or political problems and spark a debate. Protest artists include writers, painters, photographers, film makers, singers and musicians.

Literature as social protest

For example, The Grapes of Wrath (1939) by J. Steinbeck is often described as a "novel of social protest". The novel, set during the Depression, tells the heart wrenching story of a family of migrant agricultural workers who are forced to leave Oklahoma for California.

Music and the Civil Rights Movement

During the 60s, protest songs, such as Bob Dylan's Blowin' in the Wind or P. Seeger's Bring Them Home, were an integral part of the Civil Rights Movement, the counterculture and the opposition to the War in Vietnam. American folk singer Pete Seeger, who rose to fame in the 60s is even described in his New York Times obituary as "a catalyst for social change".

Contemporary protest art

A street artist like Banksy has drawn attention to the plight of refugees and the absurdity of Brexit among other topics.

British film maker Ken Loach in one of his latest films Sorry We Missed You denounces the evils of the gig economy.

Different perspectives on the role of art and artists

Art as social engagement

Pete Seeger believed that music serves multiple purposes in society. According to him, "One of the purposes of music is to help you forget your troubles ; another, help you learn from your troubles (some do), and, some will help you do something about your troubles."

Ken Loach described his films as social mirrors, stating "It's holding a mirror up to the world we live in." This perspective emphasizes art's role in reflecting and examining society.

J. Steinbeck in The Grapes of Wrath highlighted social inequality and its consequences: "…when a majority of the people are hungry and cold they will take by force what they need."

Art as detached creation

In contrast, James Joyce presented a different vision of the artist's role in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. He wrote: "The artist, like the God of creation, remains within or behind or beyond or above his handiwork, invisible, refined out of existence, indifferent, paring his fingernails."

What Joyce means is that an artist is, like an indifferent observer, only concerned with his artistic creation.

Vocabulaire anglais - français

Expressions de protestation et sensibilisation

Ce vocabulaire couvre les termes essentiels pour exprimer la contestation, sensibiliser le public et dénoncer des situations problématiques.

Expressions descriptives et contextuelles

Ces termes permettent de décrire des situations, des émotions et des contextes spécifiques dans la langue anglaise.