Although rhetoric has been in and out of the good graces of the public throughout history, it was undoubtedly a sizable component of thought during the Renaissance. The rise of humanism most certainly assisted with the popularity or rhetoric, as it primarily dealt with the study of liberal arts and included rhetoric as part of their studies. While much of the studies of the Italian Humanists focused on classical texts from ancient Greece and Rome, the art of rhetoric remained applicable to the inner workings of the Renaissance.
In modern times, one of the ideas generally associated with the Renaissance is their art and paintings. With art's position of importance within the Renaissance, it is no surprise that it had its own association with rhetoric. The status of rhetoric as it was portrayed in art seems to echo the sentiment that life imitates art.
A woman poses in front of a painting in a museum, demonstrating the resemblance between herself and the painting.
Art during the Renaissance was used as a sort of mirror that instructed viewers how they ought to act. Artists would portray acts of virtue and nobility within paintings and other art forms, and this inclusion was thought to encourage the audience to act in similar a similar fashion.
Paintings may have been a more covert method of persuading an audience compared to other forms of rhetoric we have read about, but it is clear that art still contained rhetorical messaging. Humanists during the Renaissance encouraged for our actions in life to imitate art, proving that this common saying might have merit.
This idea can still be seen in modern society, even if it has manifested in some different ways. One humorous example of modern life imitating art can be demonstrated by the "distracted boyfriend" meme and its resemblance to a panting.
Perhaps this may be considered a case of art imitating art, but the usage of this meme indicates many things about life in modern society. Additionally, this meme poses a suggestion on the ways that we ought or ought not to behave in our lives, much like the rhetoric in the art of the Renaissance. Rhetorical appeals may not be as blatantly posed in art as they can be in oration, but art most certainly offers them. These messages prevail throughout history, whether hidden in a painting from the European Renaissance era or a twenty-first century meme.
I would like to start by saying that I did laugh at the meme comparison to the painting. I found it very entertaining! I found your comparison between rhetorical oration and the rhetoric in paintings very interesting. I have never thought about how a painting could be persuading us to act a certain way. Now that I think about it, it reminds me about how theaters function. When I am painting a background or a set for a theatrical production of a play or musical, I am painting in an attempt to persuade my audience into believing that the place that the actors are in is real. I have never really thought about this before, and I think the points you bring up are very fascinating to think about. I think different forms of rhetoric often get overshadowed, so I have enjoyed reading your post about how paintings have also impacted our rhetorical values.
ReplyDeleteSo, I'm thinking. Right? As you say, one can appeal rhetorically via visual media (art). Is that not functionally the same as using appeals via the written word? And is that also the same as sign language? Is there any practical difference between communication via language or art? Its all just symbols; its all up to interpretation. . . I need to stop going down this rabbit hole before I bring up mass and energy being the same thing as a means to prove that all visual and auditory media is rhetorically identical.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, neat post. Ya made a meme, and you made slip into an intellectual black hole of complete nonsense. Which makes it even funnier, if I am any judge.
visual rhetoric is a fascinating subject because in some ways it can convey more information and message than written or spoken rhetoric. memes are a really great example! a single photo can conjure up so much emotion and be so relatable while also making a statement without a single word of description. life does imitate art, and art imitates life, so which came first? well written!
ReplyDeleteThe comparison of the distracted boyfriend meme about made me spiral into an existentialist black hole where I question whether everything is a simulated loop and we're trapped in a cycle, so that's fun! Seriously though, I really liked that comparison because it shows how, as humans, we're still largely struggling with the same things we did historically, we've just created new ways to express it. Since I'm already in an existentialist mood, I'll continue down this path: there's an idea presented by Albert Camus that humans inherently want to understand, we desperately want to find some kind of meaning in our lives. He makes a point about a scientist describing the anatomical makeup of things in existence, eventually saying that everything can be reduced to the atom which is reduced to a universe of even smaller particles; however, the only way this can be described is through imagery. He calls this imagery "poetry" that does not fulfill his desire for knowledge, he can never truly know why we are here. I say all of this just to make the point that rhetoric, art, and the question of existence all intertwine so we can at least try to get a sense of the world and then communicate that sense to others.
ReplyDeleteIvy, as I read your post and thought about the relationship between art and rhetoric, I kept thinking back to a TED Talk I watched for a black history class earlier this semester: https://www.ted.com/talks/titus_kaphar_can_art_amend_history
ReplyDeleteTitus Kaphar looks at whether or not art can amend history, but I think that he raises plenty of points about the relationship between rhetoric and art. What characters are being represented? What place are they taking? I think it's interesting to think about, especially given the movements this summer to take down statues of racist and white supremacist leaders throughout our country.