20th Century Death Portrayal in Art Essay

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The 20th century was a time period lasting from January 1, 1901 all the way through December 31, 2000. Commonly known as the modern era, this century was nothing less than contemporary in every aspect throughout the world. Art in itself has always been a widely known and incorporated feature around the world since the beginning of time. As centuries came and went, eras within art and certain portrayals were heavily integrated and became best known as being used within certain centuries. From visual arts, to music, theatre, literature, and architecture, there has never been a dull moment. As modern as the 20th century was though, a very evident theme seemed to stand out among others within many forms of art. This was the portrayal of death. …show more content…
Her own pain being too great to depict, she projected it onto another woman's misfortune. The violent deed makes symbolic reference to Frida's own mental state and her own emotional injuries (Wood, 1998). Paintings and photography were not the only portrayals of the theme of death within this century though as other forms of art were just as much used. Comic strips and cartoons became a major art form within the 20th century. With all that was going on in the 20th century, a quick draw and a little shading was far from being unused. In 1960, Robert Minor drew “Pittsburgh”. This was a political cartoon in his attempt to display what was going on in the world at the time. The 60’s called for many strikes by steel and coal mine workers who were against their unsafe working conditions (Mayne, 2009). Pittsburgh displayed an authority figure striking a steel miner with a shotgun through his body in attempt to kill him. Robert Minor wanted to express his attitudes of how the workers were being treated and developed this cartoon as an attack on the government’s strike-breakers of the Miners strike.
Another cartoonist by the name of James N. Rosenberg was also well known for his artistic depiction of modern events that had huge effects on members of society. In 1929, he drew “October 29 Dies Irae (Days of Wrath)”. His attempt was to develop an expressionist nightmare through cartooning (Carry, 2008). This piece of art was developed based on
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