Discussion on modern art movements

After watching the videos, I realize that human beings use art to emotionally express themselves. Modern art movements like neo-impression, symbolism, expressionism, and constructionism, among others are still considered the best way of expressing a spiritual response to the changing life conditions. I learned that enslaved Africans used music as a path in their struggle for social equality. Slavery was the origin of African American music. Since they could not talk to each other at work, they composed songs to soothe their broken souls. Enslaved people were allowed to attend Christian churches, and they could often stay back to compose songs. Through music, African Americans could express themselves against prejudices in their daily lives.The most confusing thing is reading books is the most effective way of bringing change in society. How can be this true, yet most people do not like reading? Reading requires a lot of mental effort than any form of art. For instance, between reading a book and watching a certain series, most people will choose to watch the series. Even though reading has been the basis for rapid advances in the field of technology, engineering, and medicine, most people still hate reading. Research shows that twenty-four per cent of Americans never read any part of a book in 2017 alone. Nevertheless, good books like gifted hands by Ben Carsons have inspired many people, but they have not succeeded in changing the world like art. Modern architectural forms utilize various forms and styles of art and technology such as steel, glass, concrete, and iron to build architecture. The use of ornaments and other decorative pieces in modern buildings adds aesthetic details that can be easily noticed by anybody. This kind of architecture is embraced in office buildings, commercial complexes, and residential buildings, where they can be noticed by most people, unlike books.I had a positive emotional response while watching how the slave songs evolved into American Jazz and blues. I was happy to learn that despite the excruciating and demeaning nature of slavery, whereby enslaved people were not allowed to express their feelings, songs provided them with a subtle avenue to advance their struggle. It is interesting that enslaved people engaged in singing to pass the time as they worked in extremely rough conditions. I was happy to learn that after modifying their music to appeal to the white audience, jazz music became widely accepted in American culture. This was a true turning point in the struggle against racial injustices and inequalities.The awakening idea is that music is a powerful tool of art to agitate for societal changes. During the difficult transition from slavery to freedom in the mid-19th Century, the blues become the outlet and therapeutic release for a black man to forget the cruel and harsh realities of his life. By tailor making the musical contents in a manner that appeals to the target audience, we can succeed in calling out for changes. For instance, in the mid-19th Century, black musicians have to develop dual personality traits like removing black slang, verbal codes, and suggestive materials from their music so as to appeal to the white audience. This was the beginning of jazz music, which became the modern norm of society. The surprising thing about this idea is that it can be easily demonized by those opposing it. When jazz took the American culture by storm, its critics labelled it a satanic song. Jazz music was associated with criminality and defiance.My experience with the use of art to bring change is the graffiti and murals that decorated street walls in Oakland and New York during the Black Lives Matter campaign. Memorials of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and other blacks killed by police brutality graced most walls. They had a simple message, Black Lives Matter. In one decoration, the passport image of George Floyd is artistically drawn on a wall which is adorned with red flowers. The image is captioned with popular words that black lives matter and rest in power. This art piece is huge in that it can attract the attention of anybody within a one hundred meter radius. Even though most books have been written denouncing racial discrimination, murals and graffiti have been more effective. This is because most neighbourhoods were turned into substitute outdoor galleries for the Black Lives Matter movement.I studied everything as required in this module and always found myself thinking about class content when I was not supposed to. I always find myself reflecting on the effectiveness of modern art. Since modern forms of art like sculpture, paintings, architecture, and graphic arts are popular, they should be emphasized to solve racial injustice problems in American society. Some of the pieces of art provoke sharp reactions in society. I don’t understand why perpetrators of evil in society are honoured with statues in our cities. The destruction of these statues like that of one of Edward Colston, who was a renowned English slave trader, depicts the effectiveness of the Black Lives Matter campaign. In essence, it is a clear message to authorities to reconsider the purpose of statues which glorify people with bad reputations.