NOTES ON VISUAL ARTIVISM AND ACTS OF REBELLION

“L’art pour l’art” or “art for art’s sake” is an understanding of the purpose of art that, today, is not as widely accepted as it was in the past. While many artists and connoisseurs still strongly promote the idea that whatever an artist produces is in fact art and does not have to be explained or questioned to find a deeper meaning, young artists and their admirers share the feeling that art for art’s sake is not enough. Art, they argue, should stand for something: to give life a meaning; to express their opinion; to use their creativity and talent to change public opinion. Or even to start a revolution, as exampled by the French Commune that took down the Vendomme Column in Paris in 1871 as a first act of neo-luddite street art activism (artivism), and thereby playing a significant role in starting the impressionist movement.