Applied Humanities
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Overview
My first artifact is The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali in 1932. The piece has been categorized as a surrealist piece. It mainly captures the theme of time; time is valuable, and it causes change.
The second artifact is a painting by Caravaggio in 1601. The painting is titled the conversion of Paul. The second theme captures the theme of Christian conversion.
One can define art as an expression of feelings, emotions, or ideas through creative creations. Art can be in paintings, film, music, and innovations such as models (MacClancy, 2020). Art is used to convey messages. For example, films can be used to sensitize a social problem. For instance, in the satirical film, the dictator uses humor to inform the public of the adverse effects of dictatorships. To appreciate art, one has to understand the artist, the era of the art, and the purpose of the art. This presentation focuses on two pieces of arts and study’s impact on the audience
My first artifact is The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali in 1932. The piece has been categorized as a surrealist piece. The oil painting has four clocks, a rocky landscape, a dried-up tree, and a large water body. One of the watches, orange in color, has ants on it. The dried-up tree has one of the clocks hanging in its only branch. It is hard for one to make out the meaning of the painting without understanding Dali, the artist. The first artifact mainly captures the theme of time; time is valuable, and it causes change.
The second artifact is a painting by Caravaggio in 1601. The painting is titled the conversion of Paul. The oil painting has three main objects that stand out. Two of the objects are images of people, while the other image is of an animal. One of the persons in the image is on the ground with his hands in the air. The other picture of a person is looking down on him. The animal in the painting looks like a horse and seems to be on the verge of trampling the man on the ground. The picture is a representation of the conversion of Saul to Paul. The image is relatively easy to understand for Christians as it is a depiction of a story that they are quite familiar with. The second artifact captures the theme of Christian conversion.
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Impact on the audience
The two themes identified from the artifacts under study help people understand the world they live in.
Time is a valuable commodity, and by studying the piece by Dali, one is reminded of the need to properly utilizing time.
By understanding the artifact on Paul’s conversion, one is reminded that there is a supreme being regardless of ones religion.
The two themes identified from the artifacts under study help people understand the world they live in. Time is a valuable commodity, and by studying the piece by Dali, one is reminded of the need to properly utilizing time. By understanding the artifact on Paul’s conversion, one is reminded that there is a supreme being regardless of ones religion.
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Evidence
Several pieces of evidence confirm that the first artifact focuses on time.
The fact that there are four clocks in the painting shows that emphasis is being placed on time. The closest watch, the orange clock, has ants on it, and Dali is known to use ants to imply decay in his artwork.
One can conclude that Dali uses artwork to explain that time is valuable and that whoever does not use their time wisely will experience decay or challenging times. The dried-up tree with a clock is used to symbolize the wastage of time and confirms that that time is valuable and that whoever does not use their time wisely will experience decay or challenging times.
The second artifact on Paul’s conversion depicts the importance of understanding the Christian religion.. The painting captures the importance of understanding the Christian religion.
Several pieces of evidence confirm that the first artifact focuses on time. The fact that there are four clocks in the painting shows that emphasis is being placed on time. The closest watch, the orange clock, has ants on it, and Dali is known to use ants to imply decay in his artwork. One can conclude that Dali uses artwork to explain that time is valuable and that whoever does not use their time wisely will experience decay or challenging times. The dried-up tree with a clock is used to symbolize the wastage of time and confirms that that time is valuable and that whoever does not use their time wisely will experience decay or challenging times.
The second artifact on Paul’s conversion depicts the importance of understanding the Christian religion. On his way to Damascus, Saul was persecuting Christians when his means of transport, a donkey or a horse, refused to move and threw him to the ground. As soon as he landed on the ground, he heard a voice asking him why he is persecuting Christians. From then, Saul changed his name to Paul and became a Christian. The painting captures the importance of understanding the Christian religion.
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Personal Importance
Both artworks are essential to me. The piece by Dali reminds me of the value of time.
The artwork provides evidence on why time should not be wasted. I believe that the painting emphasizes time management.
The artwork on Paul’s conversion speaks to me on the value of religion. The artifact pushes me to study my theology to get a deeper understanding of it.
Importance of Studying the Artifacts
I found Dali’s artwork compelling as it touched on time. It is surprising I felt that Dali’s piece is a piece that everybody can relate to.
By studying the artifact, I am compelled to use my time more wisely.
On the other hand, I found the artifact on the conversion of Paul to be intriguing. The artifact was fascinating as it touches on religion.
From the artifact, I am reminded that there is a supernatural being that watches over all of us.
I had a hard time settling on the artifacts that I wanted to present. There are many beautiful and straightforward artifacts; however, they did not appeal to me as much as the two artifacts that I am discussing. I found Dali’s artwork compelling as it touched on time. It is surprising that each of us has 24 hours a day and that one’s success or failure is mainly dependent on our utilization of time. I felt that Dali’s piece is a piece that everybody can relate to. By studying the artifact, I am compelled to use my time more wisely.
On the other hand, I found the artifact on the conversion of Paul to be intriguing. The artifact was fascinating as it touches on religion. I was particularly intrigued by how Saul converted to Paul despite his role in the persecution of Christians. From the artifact, I am reminded that there is a supernatural being that watches over all of us.
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Importance of studying humanities to the society
Studying humanities has three main benefits.
it helps one get information on history.
through studying humanities, one gets to learn about different cultures’ values (Vogel, 2019).
studying humanities enables one to understand the world one lives in.
Studying humanities has three main benefits. First of all, it helps one get information on history. For example, through the study of art, one can know the different events that happened in the past. Through that, one can get a deeper understanding of the present; the present is significantly influenced by history (Skidmore, 2019). Secondly, through studying humanities, one gets to learn about different cultures’ values (Vogel, 2019). For example, through studying Dali’s art piece, one can know how valuable it was to Dali and his people. Through the piece, one can adopt cultural practices that they believe are valuable. Lastly, studying humanities enables one to understand the world one lives in.
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References
MacClancy, J. (Ed.). (, 2020). Contesting art: art, politics, and identity in the modern world. Routledge.
Skidmore, C. (2019). Speech: Chris Skidmore: Science Minister hails the importance of humanities to society: 6 June 2019.
Vogel, L. (2019). The importance of Humanities in an era of STEM. Professional Educator, 20(1), 50.
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