Introduction
Introduction
By looking at art from the 19th century we can get an inside look at the response that cultures had to technology. Not only does the artwork from this time period capture a lot of reaction from new domestic technological advancements, but there is also a response to foreign technology. By analyzing what was circulating in the market we can get a sense of what objects or aspects of the painting are of importance for this topic. How the audience and subjects in the artwork are interacting with the objects in the artwork give us an idea of how their society at the time interpreted the technology. Additionally, the way the artist expressed these ideas in their style and medium can leave further clues to how these technologies changed their way of thinking.
Author Beatric Joyeux-Prunel comments on the importance of the circulation market when discussing artwork in terms of it's original context at the time it was being shown. In her introduction of the article Circulation and Resemanticization: An Aporetic Palimpsest, she starts off by emphasizing the importance of circulation and how artists can be looking at several different mediums, time periods, and geographical locations and the changes of the meaning when an artist interprets other culture's artifacts or products.
"The identification of changes in meaning requires that we account for not only the trajectories of objects, actions, discourses, and reception practices, but also for the historical, social, and cultural vectors that underpin circulation at any given time; to this extent, the study of resemanticization is anchored in the methods of transnational art history and cultural transfers. (Joyeux-Prunel, 2017)"
When looking at the content of the artwork especially the objects and the interactions with the objects or technology at play we are looking more from the point of view of the original audience and artists. Beatric Joyeux-Prunel also touches on the subject of looking at artwork with the wants of interpreting it from the works original intentions as something that is relivant but also incrediably difficult. To do so requires an attempt to completely strip away your cultural lense and understand how the viewer of the 19th century was engaging with the artwork. Joyeux-Prunel mentions that the several different factors that go into our understanding of the work including how long we engage with the picture and how we view the piece (ex: photography, touching, viewing original artwork, reading a critic of artwork, ect.)
The ways that artist change their style, subject, and work from looking at different technological influences show use how their thought process is shifting due to new advancements in their cultures and society. An artwork is a record of an artists' problem solving. We use technology to help us solve problems, and often start to shift our way of thinking to fit the technology we are using. In modern times referred to as computational thinking. Breaking down how an artists' way of thinking is changing gives us a look into how technology is affecting their culture.
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