Drawing II Commercialism/Consumerism/Social Commentary

Commercialism can be defined as the manipulation of products through advertising in order to make a profit for the company. Consumerism on the other hand can be defined as the wanting to purchase products or services in an amount greater than what one would actually need.

Some examples of commercialism are: advertisements for many products and places such as restaurants and stores, commercials on television, ad listings online, placements in the yellow pages, etc. I think that some good examples of consumerism are "Sam's Club" because that is where many people go to shop for items in bulk, another example would be within the food industry that you can always "super-size" your meals and drinks. One place that I love to visit that is full of these things is Las Vegas, NV. There is too much food, too many people, too many buildings, and too much gambling... for some!Commercialism and consumerism affect my lifestyle in many ways, such as my eating habits (good and bad), smoking habits, political views, decision making, shopping, fashion and television watching.

I would define a social comment as something that can be said or portrayed about an individual, product etc. that defies it's actual intent.

In an artists world, some examples of social comments are: art pieces that thumb their nose at society and can be done in any medium. These could consist of comments about homelessness, beauty, politics, patriotism, race, gluttony, and the list goes on and on.

The headlines that most affect or impact my life according to todays (Saturday, March 5) Salina Journal newspaper are: "Bill would repeal ban on smoking", "Senate panel opposes governor's arts plan", and "Why not drill for oil here?".

An artist on The Drawing Center's Viewing Program web site that relates to my definitions is: Robert Mott. His art relates to my views in the way that he says he likes to provoke an audience by "delivering concise statements about humanity from cynical humor".