It's Done & Gone!

For better or worse, it's gone. So what was my answer to this? Well you know I can't give away too much. The OU takes a dim view of people publishing TMAs on websites or such so I'm going by the rules ... but! Well I can give you a few hints.

The first part:
Discuss the relationship between individual freedom and social responsibility as represented in the Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Well, piece of piss. You just read the thing and you discuss it. You look a bit fucking loopy though, sitting alone in a room declaiming to no-one at all, but that's what you got to do. And then you put it down on paper, as it were, via your keyboard. And you conclude, as any right thinking individual would, that Rousseau was one mixed up muddahfuggah. But you can't write that down because they would take an even dimmer view of that; so you make something up. To the effect that Rousseau believed that an individual can be free, and live according to his own needs and desires, while at the same time obeying the rules and laws of the state, as long as that state is based on legitimate authority, i.e. not a king's assumed authority. Well that was the gist.

So how about the paintings? For a start they are different in context and in content. The first, the David, is a clear representation of a scene taken from the story of the founding of the ancient Roman republic. Let me guide you here to improve your education to the level of mine. And here. So it's an ancient story which can easily be seen as an allegory for the contemporary events of David's life, vis. the French revolution.


This picture by Friedrich is a different sort of a fellow altogether. It may, or not, depict a scene from the artist's imagination or it may be drawn partly from memory or some other source. It is, though, my impression that this is a very personal statement. The picture is not meant to provide an overt message, like the David, but rather to invoke a mood or state of mind. There is a melancholy air about the work but it's very enigmatic. Very, I would say, open to the individual viewers interpretation, rather than presenting a clear message from the artist.

Please don't think I have any confidence that my view on these two great paintings would carry much weight with any half educated art historian, but I hope I make a reasonable point.

Now it's Friday, the week-end starts here. Out for a pint tonight, and then I'm visiting Rijeka over the Saturday and Sunday. Vidimo se! By the way there is a fantastic fine art web-site here. The images are large so if you've got a nice big flat screen monitor, enjoy!