@jooferslannister replied to your post: “so I haven’t watched the latest swr episode, but if the artist that...” :
GIVE ME MORE MANDO ART HISYORY
MY FRIEND I HOPE YOU ARE PREPARED
BECAUSE I DUG OUT MY ART HISTORY TEXT BOOK FOR THIS
I’m probably gonna focus on the Vienna Secession and the Space Wars equivalent for now, because let’s face it, that’s on the forefront of my mind.
First, let’s talk about Space!Klimt’s three ceiling paintings of Philosophy, Medicine, and Jurisprudence (basically “Law”). These were commissioned by the University of Vienna, with the theme of “Triumph of Light over Darkness.” And of course, rather than depicting what the University wanted, he did the opposite. (Unfortunately, most of that artwork has been destroyed or badly archived because of that reason.)
Anyways, in Space!!! The Imperial Academy focuses on the military. Regardless, I do not doubt there’s some Imperial version of the University of Vienna. Maybe it’s the University of Coruscant Intergalactic University of the Empire. I’m sticking with Coruscant because that’s where the Imperial Capital is basically, at the time. (I’d go with Alderaan to be the planet that the Mandalorian artists secede from, since it’s so beautiful I’d bet there’s a lot of artsy shit going down there.)
Anyway. The Intergalactic University of the Empire (IUE) commissioned Space!Klimt to create the following artworks: The Military, The Force, and of course, The Law. (Initially the following: Philosophy, Medicine, and Jurisprudence, in that order. I’m just going to reinterpret the artwork that Klimt’s created, and pretend there are dashes of Imperialism in it.)
THE MILITARY [see original Philosophy artwork at this link]
Here we see a conglomerate of agonized bodies on the left hand side of the painting, and a head to the right of those bodies. That head, though not a portrait of the Emperor himself, is representative of him. The bodies are of his military, stripped bare of clothes and therefore of will. The different states of fitness of the bodies are representative of just how strict the military is on its soldiers, and how demanding it is of them.
THE FORCE [see original Medicine artwork at this link]
Perhaps the most beautiful parts of this piece are the two women representative of the Sith (always two there are). The two women, the one alone to the left, and the one at the bottom, refer to Palpatine and Vader respectively. The dead and the living bodies amassed in the center are representative of the Living Force. The bodies, all in some form of slumber or another (eternal or otherwise) give us the idea that the Force surrounds all aspects of life: from birth to death.
The nude woman on the left, a much more appealing representation of Palpatine, reaches over into the conglomerate of bodies, absorbing the power of the Force and becoming stronger through it. The strength he gains is represented by the woman’s youth and even the length of hair. (Who manages to grow hair that long and keep it long and healthy? Someone who is apparently strong in the Force.)
The more modestly dressed woman at the bottom [which can be seen more clearly here] is again, representative of Vader. He is dressed in red and gold. Red in this case is both representative of his loyalty to the Empire, as well as the blood he has spilt. The gold is gilded: Though Vader is known as a powerful figure to look up to, even idolize, the Mandalorian artist who painted this piece knows very well how terrible Vader truly is.
Let us divert a moment to how the Emperor and Vader are seen: I bet my left foot that the Sith are seen as all powerful, merciful, and benevolent. But again, the Mandalorian who painted this knows the much darker side to Vader than the rest of the galaxy. Therefore, Space!Klimt used gold to represent a gilded image of Vader. You’ll notice that, in the left hand of the woman representative of Vader, is a bowl, and a snake slithering into it. Snakes are, though powerful, are often used to depict venomous intent and treachery. Just like Vader.
THE LAW [see original Jurisprudence artwork at this link]
In the foreground, there are three women surrounding a broken, waning, emaciated man. In the background, three other women depicting passive figures that do nothing to help the man. The three figures in the foreground, as with the original Klimt artwork, depict Truth, Justice, and Law. In the background, I like to think of the three women as Grace, Compassion, and Mercy. They are blocked away from the four figures in the foreground by two solid masses (one to the left of them, one at their feet).
Truth, Justice, and Law all look away from the man who has given up on seeking Grace, Compassion, and Mercy. Instead, the three women are leaving the victim to the mercy of the tentacled monster, in Space, depicted as a monster that is the same species as Bor Gullet. Bor Gullet, as seen in Rogue One, is the mind reading tentacled monster, which, if fallen victim to, “one tends to lose one's mind.” As Truth (left) slumbers, Justice (center) watches with a sadistic look in her eye, and Law (right) seems to even be laughing, or at least amused, as she looks at the viewer. As Truth, Justice, and Law watch on, the monster consumes the man, leaving nothing behind.
As with the original Klimt, Mandalorian!Klimt’s artwork was rejected from the IUE, and destroyed - but not before Mando!Klimt posted holos of his artwork on the Holonet for the galaxy to see. Still, the holos weren’t very good quality, and the original artwork has been lost. Of course, existing evidence means that Mando!Klimt was still banished from Coruscant, and stripped of his Mandalorian status.
