Utopian/Dystopian Images

1. Utopian/Dystopian Images By: Shi Nunemann

2. Utopia- Jim Warren

3. Discussion Questions • How does the work relate to the idea of an utopian existence, place or society? • The picture relates to the idea of a utopian existence because it is the stairway to Heaven. Many people who believe in the religion of Christianity find Heaven as a perfect place with peace and you will live for eternity.

4. Discussion Questions • How might the time period in which the work was created affect the utopian vision it portrays? • Depending on the time, people could think that one place was thought to be more of a utopia than another time. However the thought of Heaven has thought to be a utopia for the longest time that anyone could remember. If the time was maybe in a situation in which a person was dying, they could vision a utopia in which they could have eternal rest and go up the stairway to Heaven (as represented in the picture).

5. Discussion Questions • What is the tone or mood of the work? How do the style and colors affect you? • The tone of this utopian picture with bright, happy colors. It represents happiness. At the bottom of the picture, you will notice a dove, this means peace and love. The colors make me think of happy things and the feeling is peaceful.

6. Discussion Questions • What do you think was the artist’s purpose in making this piece? What additional information might you need to answer this question? • The authors purpose in making this picture was probably to show a final resting place for eternity. The road is trail is long, so maybe the author was trying to point out that being accepted into Heaven’s gate isn’t an easy thing, they have to work hard in order to get the reward and privilege to be there.

7. Discussion Questions • Why might an artist want to portray an idealized setting? Why might an artist want to portray a chaotic or grotesque setting? • The artist might want to portray this picture to represent his religion and/or what he might have been feeling. It could stand for a resting point and being “almost there”. The picture has nothing chaotic or grotesque about it.

8. Dystopia-Anthony Renardo Flake

9. Discussion Questions • How does the work relate to the idea of an utopian existence, place or society? • This work doesn't relate to a utopian society at all, instead it relates to a dystopia in which someone is in pain and is burning.

10. Discussion Questions • How might the time period in which the work was created affect the utopian vision it portrays? • At this time, the artist could have been feeling pain and decided to express it out on a drawing. the feeling of pain affects the image because whatever he was feeling, he put it down on as this painting.

11. Discussion Questions • What is the tone or mood of the work? How do the style and colors affect you? • The tone and mood of the work is hurt, pain, hopelessness, and anger. The styles and colors make you want to cringe and feel bad for the person experiencing something so horrible.

12. Discussion Questions • What do you think was the artist’s purpose in making this piece? What additional information might you need to answer this question? • The purpose of this painting was to maybe tell that what you put into life is what you get out of it. In this picture, the person is definitely not getting good out of being burned, so maybe he did something wrong and that was his punishment.

13. Discussion Questions • Why might an artist want to portray an idealized setting? Why might an artist want to portray a chaotic or grotesque setting? • The artist definitely did not create something of the ideal. He created a chaotic/grotesque setting because of the feelings that he might’ve been experiencing or what he might’ve been going through.