Tutor profile: Peter P.

Wurde die Bundesrepublik/Westdeutschland nach 1945 wirklich amerikanisiert?

Ohne Zweifel ist es zu behaupten, dass Westdeutschland durch Besatzungstruppen amerikanisiert wurde. Unmittelbar nach der Niederlage Nationalsozialismus im Jahr 1945 hatte Amerika schon sich vorbereitet, sein Stück Deutschlands zu entnazifizieren. Indem sie militärischen Anwesenheit, und auch Angestellten nach Deutschland entsendete, die sich mit kulturbedingte Überredung beschäftigten, setzte sich in Gang der Amerikanisierungsprozess.

What is the political impetus/significance behind the construction of the Tange Kenzo's Tokyo Metropolitan Government complex in 1991.

In the 1980s, the Tokyo Metropolitan government's growing bureaucracy had outgrown the building in Chiyoda that Tange Kenzo had also built for the Metropolitan Government in the 1950s. The new seat was to be located in the Shinjuku district, a satellite urban center that expanded rapidly after World War II. Then Tokyo governor Suzuki Shun’ichi backed the design and construction of the building as an exertion of the city's authority and his own authority. The controlling party in the national Japanese Diet, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) wanted him Suzuki to retire after 12 years in office. The LDP's political aims did not match Suzuki's. He sought out to continue his reign over Tokyo. The Metropolitan Government Complex served unsurprisingly as a display of political clout. Its completion coincided with the 400th year anniversary of the founder of the pre-modern Japanese state Tokugawa Ieyasu’s settlement in the area now known as Tokyo and with the 1991 municipal elections. The finished product was a site to behold. Construction only lasted a quick eighteen months. The building consists of twins towers faced in expensive imported marble. The building measures nearly 800 feet, at the time the tallest structure in Japan. This project affirmed the efficacy of Suzuki's authority through the power of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

What is the polemic nature of Andres Serrano's 1987 Photograph, "Piss Christ?"

Without knowing the mediums used in the photograph of "Piss Christ," one can easily appreciate the warm, glowing light that emanates from the body of Christ. The contrast between the translucent red and yellow expresses warmth and comfort, until the viewer learns they are looking at a crucifix submerged in the artist's own urine. Andres Serrano choose to take this photograph for the sake of sheer shock, however his agenda is much more nuanced than coming across as a vulgar, sacrilegious statement. The seeming desecration of an image of Christ contains a poignant political message Serrano considers himself Christian and even characterizes his works that involve Christian icons as “religious art.” Urine to him offers a certain set of visual qualities, a “beautiful light," that also offers meaning as a product of the mortal being. The Catholic Church similarly integrates the mortal fluid of blood into worship: communion. However, "Piss Christ" needs a provocative edge in order to express criticism towards the Catholic Church. The time that Serrano creates this work coincides with the AIDS crisis. He attempts to question the Church’s authority to “dictate individuals’ attitudes about their own bodies.” Serrano’s Catholic devotion does not derive solely directly from the institution itself, rather from a desire for a personal relationship with god. His faith is not contingent on the Catholic institution. Through these challenging ideas brought up through the image, he seeks to impart a new perspective through questioning authority.