The international and interdisciplinary summer course “Transcultural Spaces / Hybrid Selves” at the University of Oldenburg from 3rd until 6th July 2012 dealt, among other things, with questions of race and diversity in South Africa. The picture The Spear by Brett Murray, which caused a scandal in South Africa in May 2012, was discussed in detail. In the course of the discussion among the course participants the question arose whether a similar scandal would be possible in Germany. To be more precise, the students and the lecturers wondered what would happen if German politicians were portrayed with their genitals exposed as is the case with Murray’s painting of South African president Jacob Zuma. This seemingly simple question leads to some more in-depth issues of race and gender. As the scandal created by The Spear involved aspects of racial and gender-related discrimination, it would be interesting to find out whether similar debates would erupt in Germany in relation to a provocative portrayal of politicians.
In fact, several portrayals of naked German politicians have been published in recent years. One of them is Peter Lenk’s relief “Global Players,” which is on display in Bodman-Ludwigshafen. This image shows five high-profile German politicians completely naked and touching each others’ genitals. In order to find out whether this piece of art has created a scandal similar to the one caused by The Spear in South Africa, the public discourse on these controversial pieces of art will be compared. In the following, I will analyze opinions and arguments which appear in online blogs and magazines. By making out the main points of criticism regarding The Spear and “Global Players,” I will try to come to conclusions concerning underlying social problems in South Africa and Germany. This means that I will try to find out why these pieces of art cause debates or even outrage in certain groups of society and if these bones of contention are the same in South Africa and Germany. I will pursue a case study approach using the method of blog and online article analysis as this procedure is suitable to identify the main lines of arguments in public discourse.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Two Provocative Images - The Spear and “Global Players”
- Brett Murray's The Spear
- Peter Lenk's “Global Players”
- Public Reactions
- Reactions to The Spear
- Reactions to “Global Players”
- Social Issues in the Discourse on The Spear and “Global Players”
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper analyzes public discourse surrounding two provocative pieces of art: Brett Murray's "The Spear" and Peter Lenk's "Global Players." It aims to compare and contrast reactions to these works, exploring the underlying social issues in South Africa and Germany. The primary focus is on understanding why these artworks sparked debate and even outrage in certain segments of society.
- Public reactions to provocative art
- Social issues in South Africa and Germany
- The role of race and gender in art and politics
- The use of satire and nudity in political commentary
- The impact of online media on public discourse
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The introductory chapter contextualizes the study, exploring the question of whether a provocative artwork portraying German politicians in a similar manner to "The Spear" would create similar controversy. The chapter outlines the research methodology, which focuses on analyzing online blogs and magazine articles.
Chapter 2 provides detailed descriptions of both "The Spear" and "Global Players." It discusses their creation, reception, and the initial reactions they evoked.
Chapter 3 focuses on summarizing and categorizing the public reactions to each artwork, drawing on an analysis of selected blog and online magazine articles. It examines the main themes and arguments emerging from these online sources.
Chapter 4 compares the results of the analyses and draws conclusions concerning similarities and differences in the public reactions to the two artworks in South Africa and Germany. The chapter incorporates relevant theoretical concepts to deepen the analysis.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This paper focuses on key themes such as provocative art, public discourse, satire, race, gender, politics, social issues, and online media. The analysis draws upon case studies of "The Spear" and "Global Players" to explore how these themes intersect and influence public reactions to artistic expression.
- Quote paper
- Anna Poppen (Author), 2012, Two provocative images. "The Spear" and “Global Players”, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/278568
