The "Charged" Image

The painting by Edvard Munch titled “ The Scream” is an emotionally charged image painted in 1893, and is said to be one of the most recognized paintings in all art. This painting acquired iconic status in popular culture during the late 20th century comparable to the iconic status gained by other recognizable paintings such as the Mona Lisa and American Gothic. The Scream has been used as book covers, in advertising, and cartoons. Perhaps the most famous spinoff of this work of art is the Halloween mask inspired by the painting which shows up every year in the costume aisle.

When Edvard Munch was asked how the painting came to be he was quoted as follows: “I was walking down the road with two friends when the sun set; suddenly, the sky turned as red as blood. I stopped and leaned against the fence, feeling unspeakably tired. Tongues of fire and blood stretched over the bluish black fjord. My friends went on walking, while I lagged behind, shivering with fear. Then I heard the enormous, infinite scream of nature.”

What I find interesting about this painting is that Munch felt nature was screaming (the color of the sky was attributed to the ash from a volcanic eruption in Europe). If Munch felt nature was screaming in 1893, how much more would he have felt nature screaming over a hundred years later? We’ve had tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes and floods of magnitude force the past few years alone. I think nature is screaming even louder today because of the pollution and poison mankind has dumped upon her the last hundred years.

Besides Munch feeling that nature was screaming, he himself felt he was in turmoil and going mad. The angst that comes through this painting is the angst that I feel our high paced society is currently in. It seems we all are stretched to the limit and trying to juggle work, family, and for those of us taking this class, homework too, so I think this painting could be the logo for modern society.

Barbie Wild Horse Rescue

Produced by: Vivendi Universal Games (vivendiuniversal.com)

The “Barbie Wild Horse Rescue” video game was the first Barbie game created for the Xbox video game system. This game uses the “point-of-view” perspective in that you feel you are riding a horse and guiding it through different areas that simulate your horse jumping over trees that have fallen across the path you are riding, crossing rivers, and climbing ledges. The virtual space created in this game through the use of real-time 3-D images make you feel as if you are actually riding and controlling your horse.

Blackhawk Striker 2 by Gateway

Produced by: Gateway (gatewaygames.com)

The Blackhawk Striker 2 game that is loaded in Gateway computers is an example of a game that is produced using the isometric perspective. You are in control of a military helicopter and flying above images of tanks, anti-aircraft weapons, and boats that the helicopter passes over. There is no real perception of depth, but rather more like the objects below are moving on a conveyor belt as the image of the helicopter passes over it. There is no real virtual space feeling in this game. You see the helicopter on the screen moving over the images below, but don’t get a feel of actually being in the helicopter.

This game is probably one of the more basic varieties of games available because no special controller or game system “box” is used other than certain keys on the computer keyboard.

Norms & Otherness Ads

This Louis Vitton ad portrays the “norm” that society has for centuries placed women in. Men are meant to be the master, dominant figure and women are meant to be subjective objects who submit to male dominance and whose role in life is to defer to men.

Here we have the dominant male seated in a chair towering above the woman while the woman lies docile at his feet gazing adoringly at the man. The man holds sheets of paper in his hand which make it appear that he is some knowledgeable professor who is out in the country side studying his notes and practicing his lecture while the woman listens intently, hanging on his every word. He is surrounded by his notes and books which indicate that he is the intelligent one, while the woman lies at his feet like a faithful dog awaiting its master’s command.The concept of superiority and the power of men over women are very prevalent in this ad. The message it sends is that men are smarter than women and women are unintelligent playthings men keep around for their amusement.

This ad by American Apparel is a form of “otherness” in ads. It advocates for a change to immigration law and outlines the importance of immigrant labor to the economy. It states that working immigrants are valuable members of American society who should be allowed to stay in this country and become what native born Americans are—valued members of American society instead of criminals who are breaking the law. This goes against what the media reports that the majority of Americans are against immigration reform. This ad goes against the “norm” by standing up for immigration reform by an American company instead of denouncing “illegals” that are supposedly stealing American jobs.
Actually, this ad also establishes a sort of “norm” in that one of the immigrants in the photo is what society thinks of an immigrant as being—dark skinned and very ethnic looking. Even though the ad relays American Apparel’s support of immigration reform it’s probably only because the clothing industry has historically used immigrant and minority workers as cheap labor. Of course they want immigration reform; the crackdown on illegal immigrant workers has lead to a shortage of workers for the industry and cut into their profits. They can’t find “legal” Americans who want to work in their sweat factories for less than minimum wage.

This ad for clothing for dogs definitely perpetuates discourse. It reads, “When you look this good who can blame you for licking your own crotch.” This company wants to make you want to know who would say something in their ad that polite society would not mention. Definitely not the most tasteful (no pun intended) ad around.

I think it is abnormal for people to want to dress their dogs. But then again maybe it’s becoming the norm in wealthy people’s society. Look at Paris Hilton being photographed with her little dog dressed up to match her outfit. There are stores in Los Angeles and New York that all they carry are outfits and accessories for dogs.This ad certainly draws the viewer in by making the viewer take a second look at the ad and trying to figure out what it is advertising and then using a slogan that is not what you normally find in ads.

Blog 3 Assignment

Blog 3 Assignment

The image of wild mustangs running free across an open range conjures up the image of the untamed, last frontier of the American west. This is what people typically think of when they see a photo of wild mustangs or hear the word "mustang".

What most people don't know, especially if you don't live in the western part of the United States and aren't familiar with horses, is that the number of wild mustangs is dwindling rapidly and they are being forced out of the open range by ranchers who say they compete for feed by the cattle they graze. Mustangs are now rounded up by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and kept in facilities. The BLM offers the mustangs for "adoption" in different areas throughout the year.

No longer are the wild mustangs allowed to freely live and roam as they have for centuries. They are thought of as nuisances to be dealt with and penned up in facilities with the hope they will be adopted and taken care of by someone. So even though a typical person thinks of the wild west when they see a photo of a herd of wild mustangs, I see the last remnants of the wild west that is falling prey to the encroachment of man into the dwindling land of open space that remains in America.