Czobel Bela Csendélet, Tus, Papír, 31.5x22cm 

Czobel Bela made this still life on paper with ink sometime in the twentieth century. It shows a vase of flowers. Though the date of this artwork is unknown, Bela Czobel lived in Hungary and Paris during a tumultuous period. The politics of imagery, specifically in painting, were changing. There was pressure for art to take on a public role. Some artists believed that they should respond to contemporary social issues with symbolism and some with realism. Others, like Czobel, seemed to want to escape society by representing the beauty of everyday life. The question is whether art can, or should, be divorced from politics. Even in its apparent neutrality, this artwork is shaped by the changing politics of its time. Historians can look at personal letters, political pamphlets, sociological studies, and institutional histories to understand the social conditions that shaped artistic production. Art is contingent on social and institutional context.