ARTH 48.05 Satire: Art, Politics & Critique
Satire has been used since antiquity as a powerful form of political, social and cultural critique. With humor, sarcasm, and often biting criticism, satire goes beyond pure comedy to speak with a moral voice. The targets of satire range from the world of fashion and the everyday to that of politics and high culture. We will examine case studies of satirical production, from the 18th century through the late 20th century, from the darkly comic prints of Hogarth and Daumier, to the overtly humorous and/or subversive gestures of Duchamp and Dada, Warhol and Pop Art, to the satire of gender roles and modern capitalism in Postmodernism. We will pay particular attention to the role of satire in modern art as it employed irony, parody, ridicule and exaggeration to attack social mores, political figures and the art world status quo. We will also explore the use of satire in film and TV, from the darkly comic (Charlie Chaplin) to the ridiculous (Stephen Colbert). This course hopes to come to terms with the broad range and appeal of satire in the visual arts.
Instructor
O'Rourke