Hello everyone! This past month was Black History Month, and, honoring this, I would like to talk a bit about a black artist and how their work in media arts brings to light their own personal culture, background, and life experiences. As well, I would like to talk a bit about how media arts as an art style will always communicate the artists own culture, beliefs or life experiences, and how this is very crucial to its power.
Specifically in this post, I would like to talk about Spike Lee. Spike Lee, whose real name is Shelton Jackson Lee, is a black American filmmaker who is known for his uncompromising and provocative approach to controversial subject matter. He is known for movies such as Malcolm X, Do the Right Thing, and more recently BlacKkKlansman. His films all focus on issues of race and racism in the US as well as social justice and other controversial topics. As well, most of his films focus on black characters and communities. This is one of the main ways that Lee communicates his background through his work. He focusses on issues and events or characters that he can relate to as a black American and he brings to light issues that are important to him such as racism in the US, in films like BlacKkKlansman.
As well, he tries to show heroic black Americans and figures and bring their stories to light. One other aspect of his work and movies that relate to his personal experiences is that he makes movies based on issues that he has personally experienced in his life. He does not try to censor his work or hide the flaws in both black and white Americans. Rather, he also make movies about problems in the black community. For example, his movie School Daze is based on his experiences at Morehouse, a college that is historically all black. The movie is a satire on colour prejudice, snobbery, and betrayal within the black scholarly community. Overall, Lee shows his black heritage through his work and communicates his opinions and views on race and other controversial topics, many of which stem from his life experiences. While watching his movies, it is very easy to understand him and his life, as well as his values and issues that he cares about.
Media arts is a very great medium to communicate ideas and many artists communicate their personal identity through their work, as I have talked about above. This is why art is very interesting and intriguing, because it allows people to understand others and their lives just by looking at their work, or some art that they have produced, such as films, photographic essays, and much more. Media arts is a way for us to show our culture, our experiences, and our life story to others. Just as Spike Lee has shown his culture as a black American; his experiences living in America, where the remnants of former racism still remain; and his life story in school and other times through his works and films, we can also show ourselves to others and comment on important issues today through our media arts work today.
Thanks for reading!
Image credits:
ada20ddemartin.art.blog 