Print Culture & Distribution Lecture

I hadn't ever really researched or looked in to the history of print culture, so this was really informative in terms of how art used to be only for the rich and elite, and how print played a major role in the divide of the working class and bourgeoise which still exists today in left and right wing publications.

I always admired the fine art from before the 1800's and knew it was done for the elite to portray their power and perfect lives, but I didn't realise this was the only type of art that was taught at the Royal Academy, and that there was the hierarchy only considered to be for the elite.The fast growing possibility of reproducing these paintings and the working class doing art on their own made the aura of the rich disappear which was really important. You no longer had to visit a gallery, and women could be in publications without being pushed out due to misogyny of the rich.

Print culture came in to its own, despite writers trying to argue this was being done to destroy our 'british culture' by the 'uncultivated masses, raw and half developed', as they were scared of change and I believe this idea still hangs on within our right wing government bodies. Throughout the lecture I kept thinking back to this and how it is still relevant, which fascinated me as it is something everyone should be aware of in todays world.  For example, seeing some headlines in right wing newspapers such as the daily mail are pretty shameful and thirsty to scare the masses as they are afraid of development and change, opposed to a publication such as the independent.

Another point raised which still echoes throughout todays culture is the addictive distractions of programmes such as the X Factor which I detest, but cannot say need to be gone completely as we all need distractions from day to day troubles. Reading publications such as gossip magazines/soap magazines, watching these programmes eases peoples lives by helping them be part of something bigger and away from their everyday struggles. Similar again to the past centuries, when they would watch hangings for example as entertainment; as humans we all need distractions, and print culture allows this in all different ways, either in your face ways or more subtly. Print is a very powerful tool, and has also surprised the people who said in the early 2000's print culture was dying and we would have everything on a screen, which has backfired on itself in recent years.