this post was submitted on 15 Nov 2024
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If you're not uncomfortable, I'm not being radical enough
Good art seeks to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable
Just annoying
If you're the kind of person who thinks feminism is annoying, then you deserve to be annoyed. It wouldn't upset you if you were cooler.
Assuming this is real (it's not) the art teacher might possibly be right in saying dial it back. Subtlety and nuance are great in art. People like to interpret artists meaning (even if it's pretty obvious). If they're anything like the art teachers I've had they were familiar with feminism and trying to help the student grow as an artist.
I'm happy to see you're not talking in the 3rd person anymore though.
The greatest work of art ever created was made by writers who think subtext is for cowards. It's called Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. It's about a cyborg ninja who turns fascists into human confetti. It tackles fundamental themes of human agency from the point of view of nature, nurture, culture, and identity. It deconstructs and then reconstructs the concept of free will while criticizing the military industrial complex and entire entirety of conservative ideology. The final boss of the game is a United States senator who wants to "make America great again" and you rip out his fucking heart after spending an hour debating political philosophy with him.
Proof?
They can be. But if that was the intention, that's what the teacher should have said. "Dial it back" is a far cry from "your art would be more powerful with a more subtle message". And anyway, sometimes the artist doesn't want to be subtle and that's ok too. Subtle art can be easy to misinterpret. Look at all the chadbros who idolise the characters in Fight Club.
Pretty sure they just didn't have reason to refer to themselves in that comment. They've always used normal pronouns for other people.
Yeah, there’s great art that’s subtle, but also a lot of great art is in your face. The subtle lesbianism of Gerda Wegner vs the overt gender fuckery of Claude Cahun. Blues doesn’t hide what it has to say, but jazz often makes you find the message. “The Monsters are Due on Maple Street” is one of the most acclaimed cinematic productions of all time and was very clear in its message, it had to be lest it be misunderstood at a time where it needed to be said.
At this stage, I hope you're annoyed. I'm angry as hell, and I have no time for bottom feeders that can't look up. You should turn your annoyance into anger and fear, because the truth is, everyone should feel that way. Don't worry though; when fascism fucks up your life, I won't even bother saying "told you so."