“Artists may unconsciously interpret their times, but they may also be enlisted to consciously serve social ends in ways that range from heavy-handed propaganda to subtle suggestion.” What does she mean by this claim? Do you agree? Do you think architects have to contend with similar forces? Explain your reasoning.

Complete the readings listed under Week 1 and then spend about one hour writing a response below to the following questions (approx. 250–350 words).

In his introduction to The Philosophy of Art History, Arnold Hauser argues that “A work of art is a communication; although it is perfectly true that the successful transmission of this requires an outward form at once effective, attractive, faultless, it is no less true that this form is insignificant apart from the message it communicates.” (p. 5) What do you think Hauser means by this statement?

Taking a slightly different approach, in her introduction to the textbook Art History, Marilyn Stokstad states, “Artists may unconsciously interpret their times, but they may also be enlisted to consciously serve social ends in ways that range from heavy-handed propaganda to subtle suggestion.

” What does she mean by this claim? Do you agree? Do you think architects have to contend with similar forces? Explain your reasoning.

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