"Solidarity" and contemporary Polish art
The reading about Nowa Huta briefly introduced you to the topic of the Polish workers' struggles for better working and living conditions.
In the first part of this module you will learn more about theses struggles, which culminated in the creation of the independent trade union "Solidarity" in 1980, and then, 9 years letter, in toppling the political system of Poland, which started the changes in the entire communist bloc.
A very important role in keeping the"Solidarity" movement going, especially at the time when it was delegalized, was played by the American labor unions.
The readings in this module contain a longer article about "Solidarity" and how American trade unions helped the Poles,
Links to an external site. and a shorter article Vote Solidarity. The election art of 1989
Links to an external site..
The articles were first published in 2005, 25 years after the Solidarity movement was established.
In the second part of this module we will explore some facets of contemporary Polish arts and culture. We will explore the artwork of well-known artists and get introduced to popular culture by looking at one of its manifestations, "discopolo".
Here is what you will need to do:
1. View my presentation "Solidarity and the fall of communism"
Download "Solidarity and the fall of communism" and answer the corresponding questions. (1.2 points)
2. Read the assigned readings "Solidarity" and how American Trade Unions helped the Poles
Links to an external site. and Vote Solidarity. The election art of 1989
Links to an external site., and complete the corresponding quiz. (2.3 points)
3. View my presentation about contemporary Polish arts and popular culture
Links to an external site.
(51 min) and answer the corresponding questions. This presentation includes some images with nudity. (3 points).
To avoid copyright issues, instead of using original Youtube videos, I used a couple of wedding videos (and in the case of "Sławomir", my own video) in which you can hear the songs (and see people having fun!) To experience the music as it was intended to sound, please watch the original videos (the links are in the presentation).
4. View two short animated films "Tango"
Links to an external site. (8 min.) and "The Cathedral"
Links to an external site., (7 min.) reflect on them and post your comments to Discussion. (1.5 points)
5. Complete the exit project. (3 points) 1.Choose one of the art pieces (a painting, a sculpture, an installation, a song, a film, etc.) introduced in the presentation Contemporary Polish Art, or elsewhere in this module. 2. Identify and describe the piece and its place in Polish arts/culture. 3. Describe your reaction to the piece. 4. To place the piece in a larger context, compare the piece to another work of art known to you. Reflect on how different cultural contexts and historical circumstances might have influenced the pieces. 180-200 words. After you have posted, comment on one other post.
Before you write your post, watch this video
Links to an external site. to familiarize yourself with some basics of visual analysis.