Death has always had an influence on cultures since the dawn of time, it has always been this shadow that transcends every belief or culture. it is a factor of humanity and is one of the constants that define the entirety of human existence. The large installation People by Christian Boltanski, created in 2010, is a piece that evokes this feeling of death and highlights the fragility of humanity through its melancholy atmosphere. His work shares many similarities with other art movements such as minimalism and abstract expressionism, but this particular work by Boltanski is an important work in the world of art history because of its relationship with the abstract expressionism and the way in which these two movements explore the idea of ​​the human being. existence of completely different stylistic ways. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayBoltanski's large ​People​ installation, held in Paris at the Grand Palais, consists of sixty-nine camp-like sections arranged in a grid pattern along On the Palace floor, each camp is made up of an assortment of clothing and a fluorescent light above the camp that illuminates the uninhabited clothing below. At the other end of the building is a huge pile of clothes, above which hovers a large industrial label. The cold grip of the industrial claw reaches down to pick up these clothes, giving the impression that they are about to set off on a long journey only to be abandoned and sent back to where they came from. This action of engagement and disengagement by the claw is certainly a commentary on the human life cycle, engagement being the birth of human existence and disengagement being our inevitable death. Looking at People, keeping in mind Boltanski's other works, one can see that People is clearly about the life cycle of humanity. These themes of life and death that appear in this specific work bring out thoughts on contemporary political and social issues such as the European immigration issues that were occurring in the early 2010s, "the Arab Spring movement, sparked by the Tunisian protests in 2010, had enormous implications for Europe, prompting record numbers of refugees to leave their homes in the Middle East” (Glazer). This violence and political tension in the Middle East that was occurring around the time of Boltanski's installation is a factor to consider when examining the themes of life and death in his work, as it reinforce this idea of ​​death as an omnipresent force. Boltanski's work also speaks to historical atrocities such as World War II and the Holocaust. His exploration of the genocide that took place during World War II is something quite common in his work; “He often creates works about prisons, hospitals and schools, very concerned with the consequences and lessons of the past. In a series of elegies evoking the Holocaust, Boltanski hung slightly blurred photographs of children and surrounded them with groups of small electrical constructions that cast a glow like that of a candle in a place of worship” (Arnason, Mansfield 703). However, the meaning of his work is not reduced to a simple historical event: “My work is not about the camps, it is located after the camps. The reality of the West was changed by the Holocaust. We can no longer see anything without seeing this. But my work is not really about the Holocaust, but about death in general,on all our deaths” (Solomon-Godeau, Boltanski). Boltanski himself reinforces this idea that Perssones is a commentary on human existence. Another thing to consider is the title of the artwork. “The title of the installation, People, summons contradictory ideas in French: person means both someone and nobody.” This title once again adds to this theme of existence by demonstrating that, like the word Nobody, humans are something important, and yet in the end we are nothing. Looking at Boltanski's other works as well, we see that they seem to be influenced by the Holocaust and World War II, but more importantly, they question our very existence and make one contemplate the transience of human life. Abstract Expressionism, although its style is radically different from that of Boltanski, still shares the same inspiration. Abstract Expressionism originated in the mid-20th century and is characterized by a chaotic style with an almost violent use of paint splattered on canvases. Artists were inspired by this new philosophy called existentialism, the academic debate about the subconscious, and many artists were rebelling against the normal forms of representational painting that were popular before the war. In an article by art historian Stephen Polcarim, he explains how this movement and its artists were linked to the war and, in some ways, a reaction to it; “The Abstract Expressionists addressed the historical psychological and emotional crises of the dark days of the early 1940s, not by recording them with illustrations and images of war as most other artists did, but by disguising them through symbols, metaphors and allegories. » (Polcari). The artist tended to use this chaotic form of painting, often called action painting, to explore this subconscious part of the human mind, letting the artist's mind flow freely onto the canvas, leading to this style chaotic. Artists such as Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Adolph Gottlieb are just some of the most notable artists from this movement who adopted this style in their paintings. The early Abstract Expressionists also tended to be interested in the philosophy of Existentialism, and when we delve deeper into the ideas of Existentialism, we begin to see how artists in the Abstract Expressionist movement relate to this philosophy and incorporate these themes of existence in their work. The philosophy itself highlights, among other things, the freedom humans have in the world as individuals. Jean-Paul Sartre, who was an existentialist who popularized the philosophy among many others during the 20th century, talks a lot about the idea of ​​human freedom and existence: "The main characteristics of this ontology are the absence of foundation and radical freedom that characterize the human condition. .” (Onof) This personal freedom encouraged and explored by Existentialism can easily be seen in the works of many Abstract Expressionists. In Jackson Pollock's painting Autumn Rhythm (Number 30), we can see these aspects of existential philosophy and how they are present in his work. Pollock's large painting, Autumn Rhythm (Number 30), embodies the idea of ​​freedom with its dramatic splashes of paint that douse the canvas and ultimately form this chaotic yet expressive work of art. Much like existentialism, Pollock is able to embrace and exploit the control he has over his life, and he uses this control to create these chaotic paintings that/1360612