Shock Art

Dejeuner sur L'Herbe by Edouard Manet

Shock art has a somewhat long history, but it is considered in its true form to be strictly contemporary art. Whether making a political, social or cultural statement, art has a way of opening eyes and causing a stir. In fact, both Edouard Manet's Olympia and his Dejeuner sur L'Herbe were met with sneers and ridicule when they were first presented in the mid 1800's. Critics attacked his work and considered it to be extremely controversial. Even today his work remains at issue with some. More extreme shock art and what we accept as true shock art became popular in the 1970's. The genre was pushed more firmly into the spotlight in the late 80's and early 90's. Since then, it has become more mainstream and even marketable, though its main purpose is still to stun and baffle the viewer.

Lady Gaga

Marilyn Manson

Of course, what was once shocking no longer causes the same kind of commotion. This is partly because we have become desensitized as we are bombarded with increasingly outrageous images and acts in the arts. Mapplethorp's homoerotic photos may still raise an eyebrow, but they are no longer as jaw-dropping as they once were, even though some still find them objectionable. Everyone seems to be trying to rise (or lower) the bar when it comes to the shock aspect. From Marilyn Manson and Lady Gaga in music to Damien Hirst and Zhang Huan in art, these people are pushing the envelope, but how far is too far?

It's not surprising that art is often designed to get a response, especially when there's a powerful message behind the piece or act. When it comes to religion and art, people often have a very strong reaction. As a result, controversy usually erupts when First Amendment rights are met with those who dislike certain images or ideas. Here in Colorado in 2010, there was such a clash when Enrique Chagoya's work was displayed at a museum in Loveland. The exhibit included a piece titled “The Misadventures of the Romantic Cannibals", which upset quite a few people including one woman who ended up vandalizing the lithograph by breaking the plexiglass case around it and ripping the artwork. When Andres Serrano tried to make a statement about what he felt was the misuse of religion, he created another piece of art that prompted protests. Again, the work was vandalized. People refused to see that his work was a criticism of what  he called the "billion-dollar Christ-for-profit industry" and a commentary about those who "abuse the teachings of Christ for their own ignoble ends". Was it necessary to photograph a plastic Christ on a cross placed in a glass of his own urine to get this message across? It's hard to say. The piece certainly sparked many debates.

Andres Serrano's Piss Chris

Controversial images have been spilling into the advertising world as well. There is actually a category of advertising called Shock Advertising. As fashion trends forge into new and bizarre territory, so do advertisers with their methods of getting people's attention. Unfortunately, one byproduct of startling advertising is furthering the objectification of women and people in general. I often suggest a series of short videos called killing us softly, because it's a great way to raise awareness around how much we are bombarded with objectifying images in the media. The more the boundaries are pushed and the more we see these sometimes disturbing and almost always startling images, the more accepting we become, even when it doesn't sit well on some level. One has to wonder too if the message behind the piece of art or the message behind the advertisement gets lost in the shock aspect. Despite research showing that sex doesn't actually sell (only 8 out of 100 of the most effective advertisements rated by Ad Age used sex to sell their product), many companies still use suggestive images in an effort to generate interest in their product. Let's face it, shocking images are hard to forget. Some fashion companies known for their deliberately offensive ads include: American Apparel, Calvin Klein, Dolce and Gabbana, French Connection UK and Duncan Quinn. Of course, most fashion magazines contain countless pictures that objectify people. The question remains: Where do we draw the line?

10-year-old model in Vogue (France)