Photography and Its Role in Shaping Society
Photography continues to be one of the most important foundations for understanding humanity and what constitutes it. It has been around for a long time and continues to play an important role in shaping how society receives knowledge that engages them in unique ways. Its understanding can be traced back to the period when westerners used it for colonization and conquering certain areas of the globe (The Museum of Modern Art). As a result, it has become a source of fascination, and it has taken some time for ethics to catch up with curiosity. Over time, the subject changed its course and photography started being perceived based on a new form and the effects have been felt for over a century. It is worth describing these progresses because of the relevance the development had on the society in the period preceding the First World War. In this review, the analysis is set to examine the "Photograph of a cross-section of the human brain" by Jule-Bernard Luys and outline its relevance to history and the role it played in the context of the period preceding its formulation.
The Background of Dada and Its Impact
The background of the photograph is traced to the Dada. The Dada artists would take advantage of the chance, collaboration, language and other related factors as catalysts for encouraging creativity. The emergence of Dada followed the end of the brutality of the World War that took place starting 1914 (McKenzie 3). The conflict has resulted in the loss of lives in excess of 8 million of those in the military with reports noting that an equal number of civilians were also affected. The loss of human lives that resulted came due to the trench warfare and the developments that were being perceived in technology with the communication and transport systems equally making massive advancements. The artists at the time when the Dada movement was taking place were affected because it led to a destruction of amenities and the degradation of the social institutions. The culture as also questioned on the grounds of its conformity. There were a series of events that followed which included cooperation in the national politics, the existence of repressive values in the community, and occasions where there was unquestioning of the manner in which culture conformity concerns were addressed. Thus from the period starting in 1916 to the mid-1920, many artists in selected towns such as Zurich, New York, Paris, Cologne, and Hannover stated that they were gunning for an all-out assault that was targeted not only at the conventional definition of what it entailed but the rational understanding of art as well (McKenzie 4). Overall, the development of Dadaism was from the background of the warfare that was experienced at the beginning of the twentieth century.
The Role of Visual Art in Dada
Visual art in Dada served various roles that can be interested in the mission that was accomplished following their launch. For the artists who promoted Dadaism, the art was perceived to be secondary to the expression that was conveyed. One of the poet in during the Dada wrote: "For us, art is not an end in itself" (McKenzie 3). It would meat the mission of the philosophy. It thus means that the understanding was not limited to the ideas that were covered in the process. Thus, the art that was featured at the time was used in signifying modernity and technology, expressing interests in the local newspapers, the following processes and other aspects of the contemporary life. it is important to outline that the art served to ensure that there was experimentation because they enabled the realization of the goal of practicality. The processes of imaginative thinking also traced its roots in the expression of art during Dadaism, implying that the understanding of art was central to the development of critical thinking ideas. The ideas would often be infused considering the spontaneous nature in which they acted and the fact that they also featured reverence. The primary goal of art during the period of Dadaism was to ensure that the principle of morality and critical thinking were passed over to the generations and over time, this would translate to improved social understanding (The Museum of Modern Art).
The Relationship Between Art and Events
The understanding of the artistic forms would be incomplete without the assessment of the manner in which they would relate to the events that were taking place and the players that were involved. It is important to describe that Dadaists were not the only artists that were disillusioned by the events that were taking place at the time. They remain to be relevant from the understanding of the role that they played in ensuring that there was the creation of awareness. However, the purpose of Dada art was to act as a representation of issues that were related to politic, social morals and other significant activities that we were retaking place at the time. Thus the ideas would include those expressed by artists such as Diego Rivera, Harun Farocki, Sanja Ivekovi\u0107, Ai Weiwei, Jacob Lawrence, and Martha Rosler (The Museum of Modern Art). An example of a major landmark that was made by the art was the concept of the illustration of the brain anatomy through art. The most significant piece of art that would be implied in the discussion of the subject is the "Photograph of a cross-section of the human brain" by Jule-Bernard Luys. In the photograph, several features are apparent that demonstrate the roles that have been described so far. In this image, the artists tried to describe the three-dimensional impression that he perceived of the deep structures of the brain. He would then illustrate the images using the three-dimensional forms of the nervous system. The understanding that one gets of art is that just as many others, the 'Photograph of a cross-section of the human brain' by Jule-Bernard Luys served to improve the conceptualization of the brain.
The Lasting Influence of Art and Advancements in Understanding
It is further critical to describe the concept of the impression and the lasting influence that resulted with the advancements in the understanding of art. The most significant was the consideration that the art served to ensure that the issues that were affecting the society were well expressed in the community. In this context, it is worth underscoring the role that Dada played later in from 1916 to about 1924. Based on the findings, it is affirmed that the art consisted of major issues that enabled critical understanding and the spread of morality and ethical values that were perceived later in Zurich, Berlin, Hannover, Paris, and the city of New York. For example, the image of the 'Photograph of a cross-section of the human brain' by Jule-Bernard Luys represented not only Luys' development but many other artists as well. The most significant is that it enabled the advancement of critical thinking and the way the brain was understood because Luys and many others before him had already set out the basis for the understanding (McKenzie 9). In fact, it is even more interesting when one perceives that the art was used in the comprehensive depiction of the structures of the brain that were not perceived initially. The outcome is that the concepts that the artists expressed at the time would have a lasting impression for a long time. For example, it is undoubted that the current understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the brain are directly related to the ideas that were expressed by Luys and many others before him. The artists ended up developing an atlas that was used to depict the various manifestations of the brain, the cells and tissue components, the innervation, and many other features that would otherwise not be understood in entirety without the consideration of art. The influence that the art would have on art as thus long-lasting because considering Luys' atlas of photography that was developed in 1873, the outcome was that there were more comprehensive and deeply engaging features that were developed. Other artists such as Henry Alsop Riley who was a professor at the Columbus University ended up building on the principles that were described to increase the awareness of the subject (The Museum of Modern Art).
Conclusion
In summary, it is worth describing that the art that was featured at the time of Dadaism and the photography that was perceived was largely based on the moral and intellectual concept. The background that surrounded the expression of the art at the time was the World War I that ensured that the issues described in art were appropriate to hat people experienced at the time. In understanding the mission and philosophy of the art, the central basis was the fact that the art served to ensure that people understood what described their cultures and how they would relate. Of greater effect as the fact that the period of Dadaism was characterized by many artists including Jule-Bernard Luys who described the 'Photograph of a cross-section of the human brain' that ensured that there was a wider understanding of the brain. Overall the art played a huge role because the insights that were developed since have ensured that there is a better understanding of the brain in the process.
Works Cited
McKenzie, John S. “Jules-Bernard Luys and His Brain Atlas.” University of Melbourne Collections 6 (2010): n. pag. Print.
The Museum of Modern Art. “World War I and Dada.” MoMA Learning (2005): n. pag. Web.
