Meme Meme Revolution @memememerevolution-blog - Tumblr Blog

What is the aesthetic and artistic value of memes?

If Memes were art what kind would it be?

Unlike other forms of contemporary art, the creator of the meme is not of importance. There is no need for creating a thesis, concept, or body of work for the meme to be successful. Success is measured by gauging levels of understandability and the overall lifespan of the meme. Understandability comes from the language that it is written in, whether the public has a relationship with or is aware of the outside context where the imagery is pulled from, and how people create a new narrative when these elements are combined. The lifespan of the meme is not based on a birth and death timeline, so the meme never dies. Lifespan is measured in its circulation, and how often is it ‘liked’ or ‘shared’ when presented on social media. The two equal components that control the lifespan of a meme are humor and social relevance. The meme exists outside of itself, and if it lacks one of these components then it loses majority of its value.

Memes are made without permission, usually by appropriating famous artworks or photographs of known and unknown individuals. The fact that the creators are virtually anonymous and untraceable allows them to work in freedom, freedom from laws that surround copyright infringement, defamation, slander, libel and responsibility of actions taken due to wrong information. Memes appear like graffiti on a wall, usually made in a hurry to take the opportunity of being the first to address an issue.

Memes are not a product made concerned with visual beauty, which is why the creator is only concerned with its function. Its function is to energizing the public, proving that the messages is worthy of being passed on to the next individual.

How does a Meme function as an art object?

A meme is not an art object, but a tool of criticism, criticism of the culture that is portrayed within the imagery. Only individuals that have a connection to that culture can fully understand the message that is encoded in the meme.

To remove the meme from its platform, social-media or any public domain causes it to lose its shareability. Having a physical meme turns it into a poster, and if placed in a gallery or home then the audience is reduced to people who frequent that location. Due to its short lifespan, a meme’s value will not increase with time or through exchange of ownership. Though there are situations where a meme will be reintroduced to the public, its impact will not be as strong as its original debut. The amount of likes or shares that a re-posted meme has will not surpass the number it received the first time it was presented. This is because the audience is already familiar with the image, therefore the image is now stale.

However, like traditional art, you should look at a meme in relation to its social context. Memes are made in response to current events, and the lifespan of the meme is based on how the community aligns themselves with the message of the meme. To find the value of a meme one would need the ability to look back at it with eyes of an Art Historian 20 years from now.

#memerevolution

In Bloom an Art Exhibition

I had expectations about the exhibition before I arrived, they were formed by a previous student-exhibitions that I attended in nontraditional gallery spaces. Poor lighting after the sunset, empty holes on the walls due to the work being sold, and hurried departures after just arriving. I am not a prophet, but these are just commonalities of our time.

The event was held at the Fork and Dagger Eatery, a small Spanish café on Abercorn St. As I entered on the reception night, I was greeted with the sounds of a Cuban restaurant, tropical music playing in the background, a little too loud for whispered conversations. There were very few people unknown to me, which was a sign that this was an outpouring of moral support rather than an interest in the art. From the door, one would have full view of the kitchen and menu board. Strings of round lightbulbs festooned all four walls of the narrow room.

Fifteen artworks hung on the wall, all unframed. Some of them were made on canvas and the others painted on wood panel. There was only a small variation in size, between eight inches up to twenty, next to each artwork on the lower right side was a small label containing, artist information, dimension, along with its price. The artwork was placed on the walls, too high off center, causing one to constantly look up. The lighting was an issue; however, I have experienced far worse. Though one was able to see the artwork, understanding the true colors of the piece was difficult. Another distraction was the glare upon the artwork, which was heightened by the paintings' placement too close to the lights.

The works were made using spray paint, the labels provided no additional information about what type of paint or the process, which give the feeling of, ‘that’s all?’ There was no real mystery in the process, the imagery was made by placing foliage over the surface, which was primed with colored ground, then sprayed either using a complementary color or an analogous color creating a silhouette. The foliage is then removed, relocated, or replaced used a different type of local shrubbery, then sprayed again, creating a layered affect. Some of the paintings displayed their florescent ground on the sides of the paintings while others did not. However, they still revealed some of the overspray process, and none of the sides were clean.

I was encouraged to return, to look at the artwork during the day, with promises of better lighting. I returned the following day, which was overcast, so there was just slight improvement on lighting. After ordering my meal, I began to study the patrons of the café, wondering if any of them glanced at works. The truth is no matter where you sat you were always too far from the artworks. The ones closest to you were above your head, and the ones across from you seemed too difficult to make out the imagery.

#memerevolution

Meme Revolution – Political Events in History

Imagine for instance, two flustered figures staring out at you, one a woman and the other a man. Now imagine these two individuals being someone that has some authority. Finally, with piercing eyes and numerous wrinkles that revolve around the chapped, lip mouths; the two exclaim, “School called. You’re in trouble mister.” You might believe that I am referring to your or my own childhood maybe you were caught breaking the rules and your parents were informed by the school. If this was your understanding of the above text, you would be undoubtedly wrong.

As a matter of fact, I was referring to a popular meme in early January of 2019, depicting the Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. The two were giving their serious remarks to current President Donald Trump’s White House address. Unfortunately, their speech was eclipsed by the laughable display of the two sharing a podium and in alternating fashion speaking of their concerns of the President’s recent actions. This visual caused viewers to recollect on their own past experiences, their own disgruntled parents, and generated a humorous meme for that time.

More often than not, memes are thought of being just that, humorous images with no discernable meaning other than what was given. Comical memes are observably more popular in recognizability and quantity, saturating social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. As much as the Schumer and Pelosi meme does paint the two figures in a lighthearted mood, this also points to an event in history, and the caption associated with the image demands that the viewer to remember a time within their own personal lives. Similarly, a meme of four images with objects in obscure locations, such as a goat on a telephone pole, a horse stuck in a fence, a car in a tree, lastly Donald Trump sitting in the Oval Office with the caption “Ever wonder how things got there?” Once again, this is an image inferring that the viewer remembers the 2016 election when Trump won the Presidency.

The memes that were brought forward depict political figures within moments in history, and their messages are not obscure enough to misunderstand. There is a parallel in these memes, their political messages that they exclaim with both visuals and words, and the political messages that many artists throughout the years have used to share their thoughts. In 1950, Pablo Picasso, criticized America’s involvement in the Korea. His painting Massacre in Korea depicts American soldiers as the imperialistic Napoleon army, while the civilians were killed by erect, misshaped anti-communist forces. Flower Thrower by Banksy in 2003 depicts a man throwing flowers at the establishment. This image in particular is in direct reference to the gay parade incidents in Jerusalem. During the parade another Jewish man stabbed marchers with a knife.

Memes, like other forms of art, are capable of sending a clear message on current events, they do not require the level of artistic skill in displaying imagery, which has allowed them to grow in accessibility to general public. Now with the ever-growing age of computers and the Internet, everyone has the opportunity to share their thoughts and concerns on thought provoking issues.

Gallery 209 A Slice of Savannah

Nestled between some of Savannah’s oldest buildings that over look the Savannah River, Gallery 209 houses a collection of fine arts and crafts from a number of local artist. The gallery allows tourists to enjoy these local talents with a wide assortment of knickknacks and paintings, all available for purchase. Upon entering through the original heavy black doors, visitors are greeted to a multitude of jewelry: necklaces, earpieces, rings, broaches etc. Paintings from local artists are hung around the far walls, and reaching around the back. A wide wooden staircase in the center of the gallery leads to the second floor where more oil paintings and pottery are displayed.

Facing opposite to each other a battle is in full display. Each artist desperate for attention, expressing some of Savannah’s most iconic landscapes. During my visit two such artist in combat were Kim Miller and Sharon Saseen with landscapes that tourists can visit around Savannah. “Spring Stroll” by Miller, paints a concrete path through Forsyth Park with branches stretching out lined with benches and lampposts. Miller decided to paint Forsyth with unique patterns that mimic the shape of leaves and grass as texture for the trees and bushes, however the repetition of these patterns is objectively forefront. Not to mention the repetition of lampposts, they face the same direction, they scale down in a uniform fashion. This raises concerns with me; living in the digital age of hard lines and graphics, I can only see these lamps as nothing more than the transform tool in Photoshop. The walkway was also interrupted towards the end with the fountain placed just off center, which caused me to stare at the fountain in the background rather than the mid or foreground.

“River Street West” by Saseen, however, shows an understanding of freeform painting. The frame of this piece was much smaller compared to Miller’s work which at first was a deterrent that nothing could be learned, but upon further examination I can see the planning and brush strokes on each building. Saseen did not paint bricks into her buildings, like what you typically see if you were to travel down the actual West side of River Street, but rather more of a representation of a hard rough surface. The street and buildings curved around the bend, and nothing impeded my eyes from walking down the street.

Another figure present at this gallery is Lisa Rosenmeier. Along with her many running shoe paintings and illustrations of animals, her paintings had one very distinct element that I have never seen in an art gallery until now. She was bold enough to include solid black outlines overtop of the subjects being presented. While I applaud her decision on utilizing a technique that is seldom used in the fine arts, I must interject that the use of solid black lines is unnecessary. No variation in the thickness of lines the curve around the shoes or even the bog sitting beside them. Sadly this comes across as a piece of artwork that undercuts itself and leaves to interpretation on whether or not that artist fully understands the significance of an outline.

#memerevolution

Meme Meme Revolution

Funny relatable pictures have been around for many years, though it has just recently been given the title of memes. Memes were first given their label in 1976 by Richard Dawkins. Everyone knows memes as the humorous outlook on life, situations, or memories. The little pictures provide a quick stance on any situation through humor typically. The meme presents an image that engages the viewers and adds text to include humor. Viewers have come to use memes in various situations such as on social media, propaganda, and now with this journal, art criticism. Art criticism goes back decades to the 1700’s. Ever since there was an artist creating art, there was someone to critique it.

Traditionally, art criticism was done through an essay style format and presented to people of the same social stature. Today this is still true, unfortunately. Writings are made for journals, newspapers, and magazines and then read by people already entrenched in the art world. It resembles a club that a select few from the community can get into and understand it. The times have changed dramatically but the format which art criticism is presented has not changed at all. Developing memes that connect to the criticism would allow viewers to quickly access the point of a paper without reading a lengthy article. A large portion of millennials and generation Z are against the idea of reading lengthy articles. The meme would capture the attention of the intended audience and direct them to the article.

This generation hates not being included in the “now”. The meme would open the door for the audience to inquire more about what the content is saying. While the audience may get the criticism part, the joke may not be fully understood without the full information of the article. Everyone can understand a fart joke but its when there is a history around a person or situation that makes the joke more powerful. Same goes for a meme. A good meme is like a good inside joke, but the powerful part is that everyone can “get in” on the joke. Think of the meme as the hook to a story. Once the audience is lured in, the journal is there to provide context. This is another huge power that memes hold. Since memes are social media based, there is an ease of access and even better, an ease to share with more people. Memes spread like a wildfire on the internet when they are good. The different memes can give someone a social currency, evoke emotion, can provide information, and can tell a story. The meme is a powerful item that can increase views and interest in a matter of minutes. This is exactly what the art criticism world needs.

A meme was released in 2012 in response to an art restoration that went horribly wrong. An elderly woman attempted to restore a fresco in a church to its former glory. The final product was a butchered version of the original fresco. The memes that spurred up because of this restoration were funny and large in numbers. Many viewers became interested in learning more about the event. Without the creation of this meme, many viewers never would have known about this painting at all. This just goes to show the influence memes can have on information.

Instead of marketing a magazine for a specific target audience, we are developing a way to reach anyone who can appreciate a good laugh. By reaching out to these people, we intend to hook a portion that wish to continue learning more about the art in question. The audience can then easily share the meme and journal with their friends without ever leaving their comfort of home. Art criticism has never been more fun or easier to obtain.

#memerevolution artcriticism

Meme Revolution bringing you memes with art criticism.

Strip Mall Art Gallery

Imagine a space that resembles a strip mall but instead houses art. Welcome to the City Market Art Center. The shops look like pop up galleries, and it’s clear who they are trying to target. The merchandise for sale is overwhelming and price tags all clearly visible. Walking up to Luba Lowry’s room, there is art everywhere, lining the walls, floor, racks, etc. There are many items for sale and it feels like her target audience is tourists. A station of post cards, bags hanging, small prints, and calm music to set the mood. Far from a professional looking gallery space.

The art, however, is unique and beautiful and many reflect life in Savannah from a less obvious point of view. A painting of the cargo ships going by on the river, it is not a glamorous sight, but it was captured very well on the canvas. One painting in particular struck me as my favorite. “Late Night on River Street” an oil on canvas, 40x40, captures Savannah’s charm even in the dark of night. Luba Lowry clearly has a style that she has perfected in all her works. The paint is laid on thick and adds a beautiful texture to the canvas. It feels as if Lowry is looking at her world through a watery window almost like “The Starry Night” by Vincent Van Gogh. The colors are crisp but the edges blurred. She uses the rule of thirds to her advantage, placing the group of people in the foreground. She balances the heavy clutter of the town with the empty blackness of the sky. The road featuring the iconic cobblestone, show unique colors that bring them to life. I even find her signature pleasing. The art is amazing but it is still being viewed from a shopping mall style front. The painting was dropped into a very uncomplimentary gold frame. Lowry clearly did not pick this frame to showcase her work. The frame looks as if she found it in the back of the closet and was thrilled that it was the same size as her art. A smooth black frame would do much better. Then I looked at the price tag, $3,200. As terrified I was at that amount, it seemed fair for an original work. The painting hung on an outer facing window. I could not see the work easily because it was displayed behind an awful pole.

This is not what I expected when I think of art gallery. A gallery should be a place to showcase works of art without disruption. However, the pole reminded me that I was in a strip mall gallery. It is a shame to see such a beautiful painting surrounded by such clutter and viewed behind a pole. Even with the awful positioning, daunting price tag, and ugly frame, the work still persuaded me to go inside and view more. The minor flaws of the gallery still didn’t overpower the fact that this was a good work of art.

#art critique #memerevolution

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

Meme Meme Revolution