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Unfortunately, this loss of context is prevalent in most forms of art... To me it is often a problem of time... We in 2004 are not in the same headspace as Picasso was when he painted Guernica... those who don't know their history cannot understand the horror of Guernica as portrayed in the painting... it is too abstract. This is not helped by the fact that mainstreams galleries tend to down play the politics in most art.
It reminds me of a few years ago when I was dragged to see Les Miserables... At about the half way point in the musical it suddenly came crashing home that I was watching a Victor Hugo novel... a story about the Paris commune and its radical attempt to rethink the politics of the day... All around me were scores of middle and upper middle class people in their suits and ties and various fineries... all of them thoroughly wrapped up in a song urging everyone to "join our crusade". Cheering on Jean Valjean and company in their revolt... a revolt that would be against everything that the vast majority of those in the audience would find, well, revolting. The irony rung in my head like a giant bell.
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"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke
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