Today, December 2, the world celebrates the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery. OUTLOOK prepared a compilation of films raises a question of injustice and exploitation of man by man.
These were farewell words of an old blackbird to his master that he said at a slave market in “Slavery” the movie. I have never heard anything more profound on this issue in movies. Over one hundred fifty years ago after a durable war between the North and the South, America finally opted out of the oppressive system. From then onward slaves only appeared on screen in the States.
The issue of
American slavery is probably the most fruitful for directors willing to raise
the idea of already eternal values of freedom and catch the viewer’s most
powerful emotions. Whether it is horror, pity or contempt there are hardly many
people able to watch sufferings of slaves, bloody backs and soulless slave-holders
indifferently. The only difference is how authors grub up these emotions.
It stands to reason to draw attention to a serious issue by a thing easily
perceptible by the audience – love against the background of a problem. For instance,
“Django, unchained”. Two years prior to the civil war, a slave who got
fortunate and brutality towards those who weren’t into the luck. All this is a
background for Django’s heroism, who is striving to get to his beloved wife
despite everything. It is a vivid, full
of emotions and lively movie. According to its director, Quentin Tarantino, “It
is absolutely a love story”. It is controversial how good or bad it is to add a
tinge of cheesiness to the issue. No one likes to cry three hours in a row
anyway. Upside of the slight mass-market overtone is that if by any chance
there is a person somewhere in the States who haven’t pondered the subject of
racism and slavery history, then love and liters of blood sprayed along all
three hours of the film, are sure to attract its attention.
All in all, stories about slavery in the States before the civil war
clearly turn into a trend. Even Brad Pitt decided to address it as a producer –
in the work “12 Years a Slave”. The creators of the Italian poster for the film decided to lure viewers by foto of Brad Pitt - and nothing that he appears in the film only for a few minutes, who excited such conventions...
On top of
that, commonly known Hollywood masterpiece “Gone with the Wind” cursorily but quite
vividly refers to the issues of slavery, combating it and perverted perception
of Ku Klux Klan members about their activities. Comprehensive and memorable
“Cloud Atlas” is about humanity of an enslaved human and about how this
humanity developed in his owners. Furthermore, every earnest TV series nowadays cannot but fall for the opportunity of recalling the dark (in every sense) page of the State’s history.
Rather, the
question is if it is righteous to keep limiting depiction of the problem to
presenting only sufferings. Slavery still exists today. It acquired different
sense, different shapes but never vanished. It is the thinking pattern. And an
awesome attempt to gasp and present this under circumstances of early 19th
century America became the movie “Slavery” – the story of an English woman who
married a plantation owner from Georgia. There is much less blood than in Tarantino’s.
Instead, actor’s behavior is much more expressive as well as depiction of
enslaved people’s life. At the same time, it is possible to evaluate the
owner’s mutilated perception of slaves and care for them. “I’d been reading you
diary and kept thinking: who? Who is this awful person? It was all me”, - said
to the heroine her husband in the end of the movie. The film brings the issue
to a broader angle. It shows how the scales fell from the eyes of a slaveholder
when he set his subservient free. It is this shift in human consciousness that
makes the movie valuable and topical. For there is nothing else that can make a
film more eagerly sought than addressing psyche – unlike historical
circumstances, it doesn’t change.
In a local history museum in every country you visit, you will certainly notice similar archaeological finds - fragments of clay products. Pottery, born millennia ago, but “living” even today, can rightfully be considered one of the most tenacious one. The uniqueness of clay was noticed by our distant ancestors who lived in caves ...
When I, as a little girl, for the first time passed my hand over trimmed bush, my palm got scratched with sharp edges of twigs and lasting arborvitae fragrance hit my nose. Mesmerized, I was not able to take my eyes away from the cones, balls and squares that surrounded me in the park of a small resort town. I felt like being inside a fairy tale, where behind the leaves I could notice a smile of the Cheshire Cat.
Dazzling flashes of ancient knowledge manifested in colourful shimmering beads and in elaborated yarn mosaics by Huichol Indians, captivate the imagination calling for an endless journey through branches of the world tree. Spiritual images take on flesh in intricate ornaments that accompany a Mexican peasant throughout his life.
Bali is one of the most popular places to spend winter. Ocean, volcanoes, amazing nature and exotic fruits... But there is also one more reason that not many people know of, yet it definitely deserves attention: Kamasan, a unique art village where namesake Balinese picture art was conceived – as ancient as the island itself. We are going to tell about it today on the pages of the OUTLOOK.
Exclusive glass vases and Christmas tree decorations that only exist in one or two samples, aside from high price, most often also have in common unique production technology that is mastered by representatives of a rare profession – glass-blower. The history of the craft has lasted for a couple of millennia with some old secrets of handmade production still kept under seal.
In those days when the Persian soldiers were second to none, and both the Roman Empire and the Arabian Peninsula were conquered by their power, skilful fingers of winner nation craftswomen created their first masterpiece. The carpet called The Springtime passed into history as the most precious of all time. It symbolized powerful rule of the Persians, and its beauty told about the divine origin of the king Khosrow I.
Behind the window sad eyes of old man peered at Petrograd engulfed by revolutionary fire. This fire spread on his life's work: a proud four-story building was invaded by noisy commissioners and sailors, whose presence seemed a cruel joke after regular customers. Workshop owner Carl Gustavovich Fabergé, apparently, noticed in this chaos approaching decay of his career. However, he could have a secret gleam of hope for another life of his heritage.
Many places, famous around the globe today, were created by a bunch of enthusiasts without money or outside help. These people lived for their ideas and were doing everything to turn them into reality. Official date of street art appearance is believed to be year 1942, fervor of World War II.
A borderline between the shadow and the light is just as contrasting as the one between the dream and the reality. Therefore artists use both things in pursuit of balance on a painting. Landscapes, portraits and still-life… nothing ever goes without the clash of the opposites. However there are particularly crafty artisans who do not need light at all.
Traditional Japanese kabuki theatre has always been a mystery to the European mentality: only an expert on the culture of the Land of the Rising Sun can understand a play without guide’s tips. The word kabuki is sometimes translated as "the art of singing and dancing". Why not an operetta? The essence of performance is not confined to musical presentation only...
Independent artist originally from the Philippines, Patrick Cabral conquers the world with his unusual artwork. His creations are an innovation that combines the age-old traditions of calligraphy and cutting-edge 3D technologies. His art is a way to change the world for the better, both through aesthetics and through the fulfillment of a social mission.
- Do you want to try some rice? - such a question is greeted by guests in China. And if the owners are also farmers, they can invite you on an unusual excursion and show you the masterpiece of natural art. The grass which we often eat without thinking about its aesthetics, at the time of growing resembles a blanket woven from multi-colored rags ...
Flowers and trees, animals and birds, dragons and fairytale characters – to put it short, anything that may come to your head can turn into an object of edible art there. Amazing technique of painting with hot sugar is possessed by craftsmen from Sichuan province. Paintings performed in almost caramel can be neither “edited”, nor painted over.
Twelve-string guitar, the twilight of Portuguese nights, candles, and soul-gripping voice… Dramatic incentives of fado song tell about unrequited love. It cannot appear in the crossroads of destinies; however, it enables feelings to embody into the touching sounds of Portuguese romances.
More than fifteen hundred years ago Romans were awe struck when they caught the very first sight of the Sistine Chapel. After that masters of painting were born and dead as well as whole pictural art styles. And contemporaries of you and me gape on the distinguished temple.
Coin jar of history of this art accounts for about 6 thousand years. Notably, this currently popular trade owes its emergence to happenstance... A prehistoric man once noticed that after any natural colorant had gotten into a place of a burn or a cut, very lasting drawings stayed on skin.
And since winged horses of Valkyries darted away to Valhalla forever, Dalecarlian horse has remained the guardian of Vikings’ traditions – painted folk toy, first mentioned in chronicles of 17th century. Dalecarlian horse serves as an amulet of non-touristic Sweden by saving from oblivion ancient fables and beliefs.
Especially for those who believe theater and opera music to be vestige of the past, we tell about an amazing Austrian theater where traditional art meets technical and engineering novelties and also a great view of the Alps.
Modern cities cannot be imagined without murals – large-scale in size works of picture art that decorate buildings. Not only we have gathered most outstanding works in our collection but also tried to learn as many interesting things as possible about this art movement.
The Japanese are one of those peoples who zealously respect the ancient traditions. They respect old age, being interested in ancestors and often know the family ancestry by heart. With such a worldview, it is not surprising that a unique technique for the restoration of kintsugi appeared exactly there. Read about it in OUTLOOK.
All in all, stories about slavery in the States before the civil war
clearly turn into a trend. Even Brad Pitt decided to address it as a producer –
in the work “12 Years a Slave”. The creators of the Italian poster for the film decided to lure viewers by foto of Brad Pitt - and nothing that he appears in the film only for a few minutes, who excited such conventions...
