In the wake of the overthrow of Charles X, Eugène Delacroix gave life to his now-famous painting, “Liberty Leading the People,” to celebrate what he hoped was a new era of French freedom.
A decade later, J.M.W. Turner’s “The Slave Ship” exposed the opposite — a lack of liberty and a fixation on cruel violence associated with the international slave trade.
Where Delacroix’s work was optimistic and forward-looking, Turner’s almost apocalyptic work seems concerned with ending the horrific institutions of his present. Both nonetheless commented on the realm of politics.
Music, too, drifted through ears and real-world issues alike. “Strange Fruit” by Billie Holiday brought attention to southern lynching and may have contributed to the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement.
Years later, Chappell Roan would receive acclaim for her music touching on sexual identity, and some perceived Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl performance of “Not Like Us” as a sly diss against authorities who contradict or outright oppose Lamar’s views.
In the realm of literature, Shakespeare’s classic works comment on colonialism, gender roles and the relationships between European powers during a particularly climactic time in history.
This is all to say the realms of politics and art have merged many times in human history and continue to be relevant to our society. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to most readers, of course, but Madison’s role in this relationship is more relevant than some may think.
The Badger Herald spoke to artists across the realms of traditional art, music and literature to learn just how creativity and politics intersect in the City of Four Lakes.
The role of art: Framing the debate
Graduate Master of Fine Arts student at the University of Wisconsin Anamika Singh has had a great deal of experience to draw on when discussing the relationship between art and politics. Singh, a sculptor, film producer and author, has dedicated much of her time to researching and representing issues of political significance.
“The crux, or the heart of my practice, is taking on political histories and especially thinking about contested histories,” Singh said.
Singh said the flexible and subjective nature of art — whether through sculpting or painting — allows it to touch on political themes in a variety of meaningful ways. While other fields of creative expression can be constricting in some way, traditional art is incredibly malleable, Singh said.
That isn’t to say other forms don’t have their merit. Singh said her writing allows her to be more direct with her intentions as she has created pieces discussing issues such as the student encampment a year prior. According to Singh, however, traditional art can reach audiences in an almost indescribable way.
“Art gives us the ability to generate new language to address questions of politics that sometimes words can fail,” Singh said.
UW’s proximity to the State Capitol — which has been host to multiple protests — fosters a political awareness in the school’s community that other universities lack, Singh said. She said UW’s history and extensive political research also makes it a meaningful place to create political art.
Singh is not alone in her connection between art and politics. She said many other artists in Madison express their political views through artwork.
The role of music: Anthems of advocacy
UW professor of musicology Gabrielle Cornish is familiar with how music and politics relate — her work primarily focuses on the relationship between music and politics during the Cold War.
The Badger Herald spoke to Cornish about how musicians today may combine their artistic passions with political views.
Music has always been related to surrounding socio-political conditions, Cornish said. Outside of objective concerns like economic barriers to musical practice and performance, songwriting often subtly or overtly serves as a form of political advocacy, Cornish said.
She also said that in the modern age, social media has allowed professional and aspiring musicians to spread songs commenting on current events.
Madison’s musical community has had a long history of political activism, Cornish said.
One group mentioned by Cornish was the “Raging Grannies.” The Grannies are a local Madison band composed of older women dedicated to social justice issues through their music. The Badger Herald spoke to multiple members, some of whom said their politics were inspired by growing up alongside the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
The Grannies said they have played across Wisconsin and have even attended political events such as the Wisconsin State Convention. According to the Grannies, though other parts of the state are less supportive, they have found significant support within Madison.
“Is there a market [in Madison] for activism, for inspiration? Absolutely,” the Grannies said.
The Grannies’ work touches on issues like abortion, climate change and more. Their biggest objectives are to raise awareness and encourage feelings of autonomy among younger generations — especially women, they said.
“We want people to be inspired to not just think about [an issue], but maybe whatever they could do about it,” the Grannies said.
The role of writing: Writing between the lines
Creative writing is as effective a tool for political messaging as art or music. The Badger Herald discussed the intersections between writing and politics with the Lorraine Hansberry professor of English and creative writing at UW Amy Quan Barry — who is also an accomplished poet and novelist.
Barry said she initially did not consider herself a political writer until reviews and reactions to her work identified her as such. Barry said she more fits the mold of a politically engaged poet — a poet who involves poetry in their work but does not attempt to change the views of their audience — as compared to a political poet, who typically does hope to influence their readers.
“I’m more interested in creating works that help people ask questions about their own experience, relationship to history, questions about situations or events that they perhaps don’t know much about,” Barry said.
Barry said she learned to write among poets who very directly tackle political themes in their work. An alternative, she said, is to write works which start with a non-political or mundane topic and eventually become more topical in content.
Nuance is essential when writing political poetry or stories, Barry said. She said many aspiring writers struggle to convey political ideas in a way that is complex and in some way subtle.
“If you come at a poem overtly, it can, for some readers, put up barriers to whatever it is you want to be talking about,” Barry said.
Barry said Madison’s political landscape is helpful for cultivating an attitude in which one can write what they like. Though Madison is a progressive city with a strong history of left-leaning support, Barry said it is nonetheless an open atmosphere for all kinds of writers.
Young generations are becoming more interested in political writing in general, Barry said. She also said some of her works, like her upcoming novel, have become more political as they have been written.
Perhaps then, politics and writing are not inherently tied together. Instead, they may discover each other as authors age and grow.
Putting the arts out there: MJLC and public spaces
Just as important as songs, stories or poems are spaces in which these art forms can thrive and reach broader audiences. One such source is the Madison Journal of Literary Criticism, a student literary journal composed of UW undergraduate students focused on abolition and other social justice issues through literary analysis and art. Rising senior and the co-Editor-in-Chief of the MJLC Jonathan Tostrud spoke about the role of the journal in fostering political art.
Tostrud said the MJLC includes academic essays, prose fiction, poetry and non-fiction for its releases. Though these different forms represent politics through different ways, a common similarity is how authors and artists connect their views, writing and personal lives, Tostrud said.
“One of the coolest [things] is how people can connect themselves to our movements and ideas in general,” Tostrud said.
Tostrud said the MJLC’s work was inspired by Madison’s greater history of protest and advocacy, and the city has carried its progressive reputation since periods like the Civil Rights Movement. A crucial aspect of editing a political journal — in other words, a space for artistic activism — is managing different ways of activism and finding common ground between various submitters, Tostrud said.
Though publications like the MJLC can bring one’s political art to a wider audience, physical spaces have consistently remained viable options across history. City squares, museums, performance halls, galleries, libraries and bookstores have fermented a mixture of politics and arts over the years.
Singh said public spaces are deeply important in politics and are often contested by opposing groups. Especially in recent history, public areas have become locales where art and politics can reach a broader audience.
“There is no space more political than the public space itself,” Singh said.
Barry said spaces for writing and reading such as libraries, creative writing suites and book festivals can serve as incubators for political writing. Events and locations that showcase writing to students can also be inspirational for aspiring authors, Barry said.
In addition, the many speakers, liberals and conservatives alike, invited to Madison for various events help maintain a healthy political atmosphere for politics and therefore art, Barry said.
Cornish said the accessibility of performance halls and other spaces for music is deeply relevant to political freedoms and messaging. Musicians’ choices to perform or not to perform at certain venues can also be reflective of politics, Cornish said.
“Music spaces are a whole other arena in which activists engage and censorship occurs,” Cornish said.
The Grannies said they have frequent collaborations with music hosts and years of playing in Madison have fostered positive relationships with numerous venues. Perhaps political art and the spaces in which it takes place are more connected than some would think.
Advice for artists
The Badger Herald asked a few of its interviewees how aspiring student artists should incorporate their political views in their work.
Singh said traditional artists can use their freedom in form, expression and methodology to their advantage when commenting on politics. Singh said young artists in particular should be aware of how they can mobilize the flexibility and elasticity of art to represent their beliefs.
Cornish said it is important for students to recognize their ability to make political change, especially through music. Students can take advantage of music’s ability to persuade people of political beliefs in a way traditional debate is unable to, Cornish said.
“You have a voice regardless of what your political beliefs are,” Cornish said.
Tostrud said it is important that artists consider what issues have the most personal impact on their lives and to then connect personal investment to their work. Political art becomes significantly easier to create once one becomes personally involved in the process, Tostrud said.
Internal or self-pressure can hinder one’s ability to write, especially in a political context, Barry said. An important means of overcoming this difficulty is to lower one’s expectations for their own work, Barry said.
Another piece of advice, according to Barry, is to tie one’s political art to their personal life rather than exterior influence. Writing and art in general can be empowering in this sense, Barry said.
“We have these expectations, especially in this moment where so many things are happening and when so many people feel helpless and powerless … [but] our own thoughts and actions can be enough at the end of the day,” Barry said.
Politics are deeply tied to the individual, and so should one’s art. Whether through paintings, music or writing, artists should embody their own beliefs in the issues they most care for.
