Read and look at some of the accompanying images in this
article about the Malaquias Montoya exhibit. What strikes you about this art of protest? Do you think anything will come of it? Are the artist's positions valid, or has he failed to consider other factors about society?
44 comments:
I think that this art will make difference if the people that make the capital punishments see the art for themselves. If they do not look at this art or visit the exhibit it would not make a big difference. I think that this artist's position is solid.
Q: What strikes you about this art of protest?
A: He obviously feels very strongly about the capital punishment and while I admire those who express themselves through art, it doesn't seem like it's really going to make a difference, to change what he wants to be changed. He's no Lenny Bruce. It seems like his art is mostly to scare people into agreeing with him, but he doesn't paint both sides of the story.
Q: Do you think anything will come of it?
A: No. (see answer to previous question for details)
Q: Are the artist's positions valid, or has he failed to consider other factors about society?
A: To me, it seems as if when he was young, he learned of the death penalty and why it is so wrong, but only learned that one side of the situation, and then he continued on researching that side. He seems close-minded to the reason the death penalty is given, and at that, very opinionated, and therefore very biased. He has "good" intentions, but doesn't seem to grasp the reasoning. He doesn't even have a solution, instead, he's pretty much just bitching about how it's "wrong" but insisting on having other people (the government) think of a solution. It honestly won't get him anywhere in my opinion.
The art approaches me as depressing. I felt that the art wouldn't have been as powerful with the depiction of the stories behind the art. Even though I felt that the art was weak, I feel that others might say otherwise. Therefore, I predict that anyone who shares the ideas of
Montoya will be strengthened in their convictions. I feel that there was something missing that he failed to mention. However, I am not entirely sure that what else needed to be mentioned.
The art struck me was a lot of death and story is underneath the art. All the art has a meaning. All the criminal should have a punishment on them for the harshest thing they have done. The art has tell people what had happen in the past, people had changed to criminal just in jail. The artist has told us what's the art is about, with just image, we can tell what he meant or suppose to mean.
1) Walking into the exhibit, I didn't really know what to expect. However, once I was able to catch a glimpse of the pieces, it was clear how much passion Montoya has for his anti-death penalty stance. I really think that controversial art can affect how others view the issue: whether it changed that person's mind or not, it leaves one's mind open to new perspective.
2) It's definitely possible. When one paints his/her opinion's so brightly, people are forced to pay attention.
3) I feel that the artist may choose to express himself without necessarily concerning whether or not he's being "politically correct." I don't think it necessary to show an opposing argument, for art is more of a personal thing than say, an essay.
What strikes you about this art of protest?
What struck me when we went to see the exhibit was that Montoya did multiple versions of each piece. I think he did different versions to portray different aspects of capital punishment. Charcoal made the death look dark, and different colors symbolized emotions.
Do you think anything will come of it?
I do not think that anything will come of his art, because expression does not equal change.
Are the artist's positions valid, or has he failed to consider other factors about society?
His position is valid, but it is biased. I am against the death penalty, but Montoya did not affect my decision. He did not represent the horror that the murders and rapist caused to their victims.
DOROTHY SANFORD When i read the article on capital punishments it was really sad and depressing it just so sad .I don't think you should kill people even if they did kill somebody .Two wrongs don't make a right?In plus killing somebody just is telling them your being hypercritical. the article was great but its a hard desicion to make and i'm happy i'm not doing it.
When i read the article on capital punishments it was really sad and depressing it just so sad .I don't think you should kill people even if they did kill somebody .Two wrongs don't make a right?In plus killing somebody just is telling them your being hypercritical. the article was great but its a hard desicion to make and i'm happy i'm not doing it.
When i read the article on capital punishments it was really sad and depressing it just so sad .I don't think you should kill people even if they did kill somebody .Two wrongs don't make a right?In plus killing somebody just is telling them your being hypercritical. the article was great but its a hard desicion to make and i'm happy i'm not doing it.
My Response
Mike Sutherland
This gallery had a very strong message rooted in every piece of art. Each image told a story and together the exhibit had meaning. The artist was "voicing" his opinion on the death penalty. By looking at his works I must say he changed my opinion in some ways. Before now I had never thought about this issue and he kind of persuaded me to a side through trying to understand his messages.
i think that yea they were bad but thier is more out thier then being jst hanged or givin the seringe... if people weere to see this they would start to take notice that these people.. yea they are crminals but they dont deserve to have a worse death then what they have coomited
i think that these were not that bad.. because thier are other people in other countries that deal with thier crimanals probably way worse.. if people were to see this they would feel bad for the crimnals... because they are getting a worse punishment then what they have commited or the way they killed swomeone
1. What strikes you about this art of protest?
- In the museum the thing that struck me most was the color choices he had, and how the paintings seemed endless with sadness.
2. Do you think anything will come of it?
- I think that if the artist can spread his work far enough, people will be affected by it. Even after yesterday, I felt influenced by his artwork, so who knows what could happen if he continues to display it across the country. Even if nothing happens, he may have changed other peoples opinions on the topic.
3. Are the artist's positions valid, or has he failed to consider other factors about society?
- I'm not sure, I mean I guess that depends on everyones view of the topic. What if they kill their family, or the president? Is capital punishment still not okay then?
What stikes me about this art is how he showed the diffrent types, so to say, of capital punishment. Some people were actual criminals who were sentenced to death. Some of those were supposedly innocent and then other stories, like where completly innocent people were killed at random by people becasue of things like race. I had never thought of killings in that manner before. We hear about shootings and death all the time but it was interesting how he compared them to capitol punishment. I am not sure completly sure what montoya ment by that.
I do not think too much will come from it. Yes it was thought provoking, disturbing and shoking but thats it. If you were to look at capitol punishment in any other form you would get the same response from most people. He did a great job of portraying what capitol punishment is but not much besides that. He had some real sob stories on the wall, but there was no call to action or invitation to help, I did feel motivation to re think capital punishment but not to change anythin about it.
Q: What strikes you about this art of protest?
A: i think it really puts out a strong statement. The fact that it actually depicts the situation, makes it hit me even harder. I think art is a very affective way of protest. The sadness behind his paintings kind of, transfers onto you.
Q: Do you think anything will come of it?
A: I dont think that his art will necessarily change the lwas, but it will definately change the point of view of others.
Q: Are the artist's positions valid, or has he failed to consider other factors about society?
A: I thin khis points are valid. he definately feels very strong about this subject and he did a good job of expressing his feelings. But i do think that in his paintings he focuses on the cases where they give death penalty to undeserving people. What about the people who deserve the penalty.
he did make many good points though. like the painting he has of the doctor with the executioner hood on, i definately agree with that.
Montoya's art really struck me. It showed so much about capital punishment that I had never thought of before. Such as the lynching series. I had never thought to compare lynchings to capital punishment but I agree with the fact that maybe they are one in the same. Another thing that it brought up is that by having the death penalty we are just stooping to the level of the person the committed the crime and are therefore no better then them. I think that his art could make a difference with certain audiences. It all depends on who is looking at them. If you are for the death penalty 100% then they might make you think a little bit about it, but I don't think they will change your mind. If you are, however sitting on the fence between having the death penalty or not then they probably will have an effect on you like they did for me. I do think that the artist's views are valid. He brought up many great points and made many people think a lot more about the death penalty.
What strikes you about this art of protest?he does feel strongly about capital punishment and shows it in his art work. but it dosen't seem like his art is to try to make money as much as to make them think more about where they stand on the topic of capital punishment.
Do you think anything will come of it?i 'feel like his art could change the world into believing capital punishment is bad but it could influence people to lean towards capital punishment being illegal and that shows clearly in his art.
Are the artist's positions valid, or has he failed to consider other factors about society?
i feel like yeah maybe he dosen't see both sides of capital punishment and it dosen't look like hell change his mind.i mean thats okay because it his opinion and it seems he just wants to express it through art.
What strikes you about this art of protest?
The method that he acts upon is in a positive way. Art is going to make the difference it might not be a rapid form of way but it will change peoples ideas for good.
What strikes you about this art of protest?
What strikes me about this art form is that it is to quite people need to tell more people the television stations needs to have commercials about it.
Are the artist's positions valid, or has he failed to consider other factors about society?
He has hit all the spot in proving his point. The artist has done everything he need to do in saying capital punishment is bad and should be out of our minds for good.
Reading this completely changed my mood. Reading about how people were killed and how they suffered through it made me think about the cruelty that humans are capable of doing. Another thing that I noticed was about the picture of Jesus being executed with the lethal injection that people that are saying that the lethal injection is better than the electric chair, but it isn't since it is still killing no matter how you do it.
What strikes you about this art of protest?
Literally, it is the art of protest. He also focuses on the time of execution, from crucifixion to the electric chair, to the contemporary lethal-injection. He also tries to make the viewer contemplate on the difference between murder as a homicide and murder from the state. I also appreciate his artistic juxtaposition of the doctor being a positive person to a negative overtone in the role of IV capital punishment.
Do you think anything will come of it?
Just looking at the titles of the pieces makes me gloomy. The pieces are truly a blow to the soul and its morals. I think his pieces are so moving, that many people may feel motivated to contact people in government to voice their opinion.
Are the artist's positions valid, or has he failed to consider other factors about society?
Montoya sees this issue as a sociological one. He sees the disturbance of medicine being used to kill people. He sees the false policy of "rehabilitation" when it really means murder. He sees human's need to play tic for tac. He has seen things that we all have but more, and Montoya is saying things that people are too afraid to say.
However, I feel that I did not elaborate on a solution. Contrary to the blank-slate belief of human behavior, anger and temperament is largely placed in the genes. In my opinion, I see rehabilitation as cognitive therapy a healthy solution to prisoners.
I think that the art that "Malaquias Montoya's" will realize that punishment is not really about dieing, but to give them a punishment that makes them realize what they had done was wrong. I would say that he is expressing his feelings through out disappointing and at the same time disturbing paintings that have a lot of significance in the drawing, color, and such posture of the image because he is against the death penalty. he is probably trying to convince people through out the painting to agree with him about death penalty.
What strikes you about this art of protest?
Malaquias Motoya's exhibit was a lot different than I expected it to be. When I walked in, the first thing I saw was a picture of a guy getting hung and than I realized it wasn't going to be like any other art gallery I have ever been to. The thing that strikes me about this art protest was how strongly he felt about the issue of capital punishment.
Do you think anything will come of it?
I think that something could come out of it. The artist did an amazing job with the art It had me thinking about it for a long time, and I know it had a lot of other people thinking too. I think that if the artist has more people look at it, something could come out of it.
Are the artist's positions valid, or has he failed to consider other factors about society?
I think it just depends on what factors you bring into the situation, what if something like the Holocaust happens again? Would the man or woman in charge deserve the death penalty? What if there was a huge mass murderer? Would he or she deserve the death penalty? It all depends on the situation.
What strikes you about this art of protest?
The artwork is very brutal; Montoya shows a lot of the nasty things about capital punishment. He makes the executioners look like horrible figures. He also shows the old methods used to execute people which were far crueler than today’s lethal injections.
Do you think anything will come of it?
The art shows only one side of the executions and it doesn’t show what the victim did to find himself in that spot. If you have no knowledge of capital punishment and you do not realize that there is more than one side to each execution then the paintings may persuade you to sympathize with the culprit.
Are the artist's positions valid, or has he failed to consider other factors about society?
Montoya shows one side of the executions and doesn’t display anything about the other side. Some of the condemned deserve to be put to death and Montoya does not display that in any of his artwork.
The art was very artistic. From the pictures itself you are able to see violence and sadness obviously you see there is a serious issue going on. When I read the poems my stomach was upset. It sadden me how this is a reality and it is happening. I believe that art is a great way to express yourself. Although in this case I'm not entirely sure he will get what he wants by just a drawing. His poems were really strong. They really capture and manage to make u think of it twice. However, he should really show the pros and cons.
1.What strikes you about this art of protest?
Through Montoya's art he has made it very clear to me that he is extremely against capital punishment. I think that his art is effective and that he brings up a lot of good points about society in his work.
2.Do you think anything will come of it?
Although I think that Montoya's art is effective, I don't think anything huge will happen because of it. It might change some peoples opinions, but I don't think his art is effective enough to do anything big like stop capital punishment.
3.Are the artist's positions valid, or has he failed to consider other factors about society?
Montoya does bring up a lot of good points about society and how capital punishment is bad, but he seems very closed minded and doesn't really express the "better" side of capital punishment.
The art of Malaquias Montoya was phenomenal. Conveying the harshness of Capital Punishment. The most striking quality about the art of Montoya is that he made me feel that i was right there in front of the mentally ill person that was soon to be executed. It made me feel the way that the mother was feeling just watching her son challenge himself by trying to figure out what is going to happen to him. But the outcome of this gallery slash exhibition might come down to a huge debate. From what i hear it is very expensive and will take a long time to put a man on the death penalty. So thats what i think will come out of this exhibition because people don't think people should die for their wrong doing. Majorly i think Montoya hit every factor of capital punishment. he put sides from the person being killed all the way to the person killing the guilty/innocent. Montoya achieves the art of applying all factors into his art.
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What strikes you about this art of protest?
This artwork is very grotesque and shows the horrors of what we do to people, by killing them we are lowering ourselves to their level.
Do you think anything will come of it?
I think that it will make people think if revenge is really worth killing for. I think that for any real change it needs to be in more locations, I had not hear about this at all until we went to it. If the word doesn’t get out no change can happen.
Are the artist's positions valid, or has he failed to consider other factors about society?
I think that the one factor he failed to consider was what the convicts had done to be put to death.
1. This art strikes me, because it is in such a brutal form, it is like it is happening right in front of you. It seems as though he is painting it more brutal than it actually is. I think it is a form of protest, but in a different way than he was trying, it seems as though he as just trying to say it is a brutal thing to have Capital Punishment, but what it did is scar the society in such a manner that it seemed as though he had the idea of mentally attacking people by his drawings and it worked, i believe it changed a lot of people thoughts and perspectives, especially in those times that they were drawn.
2.I do not know if anything will come from it that already hasn't, they've made museums and show rooms expressing his art and its just grown and a lot has come of it, like more perspectives on capital punishment and things like that.
3. I think the artists positions are valid, and they did not fail to consider other factors about the society. I think they knew what they were doing, who they were targeting, and what they were trying to emphasize ore bring to the society by there pictures. I think they accomplished there tasks to bring froward an issue and make sure every knew about it in the form of art and reality.
What strikes me about Montoya's art is the way he makes it seem like you're there seeing the killing. Its like he makes us feel what they're feeling. I think something can come out of this because this kind of made me change my mind i mean now I think there shouldn't be death penalty. The artist's position is valid but he did fail to consider some factors like including the victims point of view.
First off, I find capital punishment one the worst things the Government can do to a single person because they are basically saying it's okay to kill another human being and that to me is not right.
I think that this type of "art protest" is a huge eye-opener to anyone who sees it because you do not always hear about the capital punishment. Such as yesterday while in the exhibit I saw a few people who looked confused because they did not quite know exactly what it was. Imagine that all over America, some people do not know what the Government is doing to these people. So maybe that if this were to be seen all over people might know about this and even protest so it could have a huge impact on how capital punishment is used today. Also I think this artist's point is perfectly valid because there is nothing more to this subject, you commit and crime, or are convicted of a crime and just killed. Which means that some people who are really wrongly convicted are killed for no reason and guess what! That means that the government killed and innocent person, do you want murderers to be running our country?
Many of the opinions and emotions expressed through Montoya’s artwork were true – which made the whole concept of capital punishment even more horrifying. His work really made you question your beliefs on capital punishment; I became increasingly unsure of where I stood on the issue as I looked at each piece and read each accompanying quote/passage. I believe that art in general is an extremely powerful form of protest and often serves as a catalyst for further protest. I think that Montoya’s work definitely brought attention to the magnitude of the issue and got a lot of people thinking about it, even changing peoples opinions about. As for Montoya’s position on capital punishment, I feel that although many of his points are very valid, I do think that he neglected to recognize some of the benefits of the death penalty (which are limited). I believe that although there are better methods of punishment other than the death penalty, I believe that there should be a happy medium when deciding on how to go about punishing people who commit capital crimes (i.e. the death penalty with stringent regulations or a life-sentence in conjunction with another form of humane punishment).
The art in this exhibit really made me think of how killing and how we treat death as a people reflects us as a culture and as a country. He definitely made a social and political statement through his work. One of the pieces that hit me with a lot of force was the Amadou Diallo painting that told the story of the West African immigrant that was shot 41 times by 4 white policemen who got away with the murder. This piece and the rest of the gallery struck me because of how many different small, subtle details that were included in the pieces that really made you think of what the artist was trying to say. I don't know if this work will make any sort of change because there will always be those of us who are stubborn in their belief that killing is the punishment that some people deserve. However, I think that because these paintings are so grotesque and intense, they could really make people take a second look at how they judge others and how they see death. I think that his points are valid because he is not saying that some people who kill or commit other serious crimes don't deserve harsh punishments, but he is asking us if death is really fair justice and if right way to handle any situation. It is also saying that if you take the life of someone who you believe has earned it, then aren't you simply bringing yourself, and simultaneously humanity, down to the same low level.
I think that the most striking part about this particular protest is that
it's on a topic that is usually avoided and not talked about. I don't think that his protest will change anything. There are too many people that stand behind the current law. I think that he was raised to believe a certain thing and hasn't really been exposed to the other perspective thus making his opinion somewhat biased.
-What strikes me about this art of protest would be the way he expresses his opinion by painting, and also how he makes it look so realistic but at the same time its ironic. An example of why I think its ironic would be when he says "Montoya also plays with the traditional image of doctors as life’s guardians. Here, they are also the gatekeepers of death. " This seems ironic to me because the painting shows a doctor killing himself, but the painter means something else.
-Personally i don't think something will come out of it. I say this because in my point of view people should pay for what they have done with no exceptions.
-The author failed to post both views on the topic. He only managed to put his opinion on the paintings and on the article that we just read.
By: Fernanda Flores/Coraima Sandoval
10/22/08
-What strikes me about this art of protest would be the way he expresses his opinion by painting, and also how he makes it look so realistic but at the same time its ironic. An example of why I think its ironic would be when he says "Montoya also plays with the traditional image of doctors as life’s guardians. Here, they are also the gatekeepers of death. " This seems ironic to me because the painting shows a doctor killing himself, but the painter means something else.
-Personally i don't think something will come out of it. I say this because in my point of view people should pay for what they have done with no exceptions.
-The author failed to post both views on the topic. He only managed to put his opinion on the paintings and on the article that we just read.
By: Fernanda Flores/Coraima Sandoval
10/22/08
-What strikes me about this art of protest would be the way he expresses his opinion by painting, and also how he makes it look so realistic but at the same time its ironic. An example of why I think its ironic would be when he says "Montoya also plays with the traditional image of doctors as life’s guardians. Here, they are also the gatekeepers of death. " This seems ironic to me because the painting shows a doctor killing himself, but the painter means something else.
-Personally i don't think something will come out of it. I say this because in my point of view people should pay for what they have done with no exceptions.
-The author failed to post both views on the topic. He only managed to put his opinion on the paintings and on the article that we just read.
By: Fernanda Flores/Coraima Sandoval
10/22/08
What strikes you about this art of protest?
What struck me about his art was the imagery and perspective. When you think of the people that get executed you just think of them as murderous monsters, but Montoya's art showed the perspective of the victims. He also showed in one of the photos I saw at the gallery an innocent man that was to be executed.
Do you think anything will come of it?
Well I think it will grab the attention of the viewers and stick in people's mind, but honestly I highly doubt capital punishment will end. Although I think it is great to express how you feel about our society and there is no point in just sitting around if you feel strongly about something. Letting the public hear and see how you feel definitely will get him somewhere. Only the government are capable of stopping it so all we CAN do is just "bitch about how it's "wrong" but insisting on having other people (the government) think of a solution."
Are the artist's positions valid, or has he failed to consider other factors about society?
The point of his art was to grab people's attention. I don't think he intends to end it or create a solution, partly because its seemingly impossible. But he hasn't considered other factors such as society's safety against raging maniacs.
i think that the art speaks for itself. to me it seemed as if the artist we against capital punishment and before see this exhibit i never really thought of capital punishment in the way that i did that day. yes i did think it will make a change in the society in a good way because not only will it have people think of it but the people that do it will take a second thought of doing it.
What strikes you about this art of protest?
The one that really impacted was the one where i saw a man sitting down in a chair waiting for his execution. I thought it was really powerful and especially the colors and how it was portrayed.
Do you think anything will come of it?
When i first saw the painting i was really shocked and was disturbed but i started to think what had the person done for him to be waiting for his death. My opinion is that they should get the death penalty if they did something really cruel.
Are the artist's positions valid, or has he failed to consider other factors about society?
I don't really get the question but what i think it means is that the artist is just making his opinion about what he believes is right.
1.) When I first found out we were going to the museum at Mesa College I thought wow its going to be really big. When we got there was lots of pictures but in a little room. Malaquias Montoya exhibit wasn’t really what it seemed to be. His artwork was very much detailed and showed he was dedicated. It was interesting how most or all his paintings represented something from what I noticed. For example, one was called executed and an innocent man was killed for standing up for what he believed in and it reminded me of how Martin Luther think was killed for the exact same purpose trying to make a difference in world history. While drawing his paintings he was expressing his feelings and what he saw in the world that was happening. A particular one was also a man wrapped in the U.S. flag with bullet holes and that shows what people go through in order to give our country freedom. His artwork definitely shows capital punishment.
2.) I think it’s certainly possible. When one paints about his or her feelings that are very strong and meaningful people are forced to listen or see what they have done because they are not going to know what else to do. I also feel that think expression does not equal change
3.) Malaquias Montoya, does bring up a lot of interesting points about society and how capital punishment is dreadful, but he seems very closed minded and doesn't really express the "better" side of capital punishment its more of the negative side. It seems when a crime happens sometimes they try to convict people who have already got in trouble but not the innocent ones who are falsely mistaken. I think if someone kills a person they deserve a punishment that they will remember but learn from their mistakes.
The article was basically just explaining the exhibit that we went to. It goes more in depth about what Montoya was thinking when he did the art pieces in the gallery. I thought it was interesting how it kind of told the stories of some of the people that Montoya depicted in his art. I would be interested in seeing his other pieces on sexism, racism and what not.
I think that this art is startling because of the brashness of each painting. The artwork has no censorship and is blunt when it comes to death. Although the gallery was very moving, I don't think anyone will contact their legislature because capital punishment is not as important as say Iraq. I think that some of the artist's positions are valid, but he leaves out that people on death row are going to be killed for what they have done, and most likely deserve to die.
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