Order 1013484: Firewatch Persuasive media review

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Maria Nacu

Candice van Loveren Geis

Advanced Writing for the Artist

3 May 2016

Kanye West Doing His Kanye Best

Kanye West is known for his confidence and his ego. He often does things or says

things that put him in the spotlight for causing controversy. His anthem, Power, which

was released in 2010, provides commentary on his power he has over the public, while

also critiquing what the public thinks of him. The music video for the song brings the

lyrics to life, allowing an audience to see what West is trying to say. West’s music video

for his song Power creates a visual narrative of how dangerous power can be by

referencing historical paintings and artwork and using that symbolism to explain how his

perceived ego grows with media backlash.

A viewer can search for the Power music video on YouTube and will be exposed

to an intimidating, demonic, and fantastical, as West puts it, moving portrait (Itzkoff).

Within a few seconds of watching the video, the audience is able to identify the

juxtaposition of contemporary and classical: West’s rapping is paired with allusions to

classical works of art and art history. The video opens with West, who is positioned front

and center, with mysterious and glowing eyes. As the moving portrait continues, the

audience can see allusions of various artworks, such as, M.C. Escher’s Waterfall,

Michelangelo’s The Final Judgment, and the Eye of Horus.

The director of the music video, Marco Brambilla, has described the video: “This

is a highly constructed, highly mannered, somewhat religious table that communicates

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the end of an empire," adding that his "work often

deals with the seduction and the alienation present

in contemporary culture" (Frazier). However, the

video only features the first verse and chorus of

the anthem, ending the video with a suggested

fatal blow to West by two characters. So, what is

West trying to say? The music video asks to

audience what or who the enemy is. Is it West,

because of the personality and character or is the power itself that is

dangerous? Or is it a combination of the

two? The imagery that is used in the video

provides answers to these questions.

One of the alluded artworks is

M.C. Escher’s Waterfall (Fig. 1). Escher is

known for his optical illusions. Waterfall

is a lithograph by the Dutch artist that

creates the illusion of perpetual motion. In the music video, it can be seen in the corner,

by female characters, pouring urns of water that is flowing upwards (Fig. 2). This

symbolism suggests the idea that the want, the need, and the perception for power is

cyclical. Not only does this create a fantastical scene, but also shows that the theme of

power never really ends. If West says or does something that sparks controversy, an

audience is going to fuel the flame for his ego by talking about him, giving him one more

reason to speak his mind, and the cycle continues. The imagery creates the illusion for the

Fig. 1. Waterfall. M.C. Escher. Lithograph. 1961.

Fig. 2. Power. Kanye West. Music video. 2010.

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viewer that power can and is an out of this world experience. It makes it seem that the

opportunity to have power is something magical; however, it never seems to end well.

West is showing the audience that putting his ego on a pedestal is not something to be

marveled at, but rather how dangerous it can be by perpetuating commentary on his

personality. West is often criticized for his inflated ego, but media outlets are the ones

that give him the power to do so. West activates the narration on the problematic

audience in the music video by using the technique of chiaroscuro (Kaufman).

Chiaroscuro is uses sharp contrasts of light and dark that breaks the fourth wall

and brings the viewer into the piece of art. This can be seen in West’s eyes (Fig. 3). It is

the first thing that can be noticed when the music video starts. West’s eyes are glowing

white, causing the viewer to constantly redirect focus to West when he is in the shot. By

bringing the viewer into the video, it makes that individual part of the problem. West

Fig. 3. Power. Kanye West. Music video. 2010.

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never breaks gaze throughout the video, literally staring what he believes to be the

problem in the eyes.

References to religion have always played an important role in art, and West

chose to embody two different religious symbols in the video. The first reference is the

stylistic exemplification of Michelangelo’s The Last Judgment (Fig. 4., Fig. 5). The

music video and The Last Judgment both have large, ominous floating figures that take

up a majority of the picture plane. Michelangelo portrays Christ as a “giant who raises his

might right arm in a gesture of damnation so broad and universal as to suggest he will

destroy all creation” (Kleiner). What bigger power reference can one get by comparing

oneself to God? Six years after the music video was released, West tweeted, “My number

one enemy has been my ego... there is only one throne and that’s God’s …”. West is

quite aware of how dangerous his ego can get, and the video narrates how that ego is

perceived. The allusion to Michelangelo’s fresco best describes West’s perspective on

power.

Fig. 5. Power. Kanye West. Music video. 2010.

Fig. 4. The Last Judgment. Michelangelo. Fresco. 1536–1541.

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Another religious allusion that aids West’s view on power is the Eye of Horus, in

which he uses in the form of a large necklace (Fig. 3). Horus is an Egyptian deity, god of

sky, war, and protection (Kaufman). West wears it to emulate power and strength, to

make him a symbol of these qualities, and puts him in a position as a god. The video is

West’s way of personifying what the public and himself believes what his ego is: a god-

like alter ego. This hubris, of course, catches up with him, and he eventually receives a

fatal blow to the head.

West creates commentary on how he is perceived in the media. He and Brambilla

paint a picture of an almost heavenly environment and pair it with the harsh criticism in

West’s lyrics. The symbolism in classical artwork juxtaposed with contemporary

references sheds light on how the media fuels West’s ego. West is a confident artist and

is proud of everything that he produces. That confidence often comes across as an

inflated ego, which West is aware of, but at the end of the day, who is it that is giving one

man all that power?

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References

Frazier, Walter. "The Making of Kanye West's 'Power' Video." Billboard. Billboard, 4

Aug. 2010. Web. 21 Apr. 2016.

Gardner, Helen, and Fred S. Kleiner. "High and Late Renaissance." Gardner's Art

through the Ages: A Global History. Fourteenth ed. Vol. Book D. Australia:

Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2013. 616. Print. A Global History.

Itzkoff, Dave. "A Preview of Kanye West's 'Power': 'Apocalyptic in a

Very Personal Way'" ArtsBeat A Preview of Kanye Wests Power Apocalyptic in a

Very Personal Way Comments. The New York Times, 29 July 2010. Web. 18

Apr. 2016.

KanyeWestVEVO. "Kanye West - POWER." YouTube. YouTube, 05 Aug. 2010. Web.

18 Apr. 2016.

Kaufman, Gil. "Kanye West 'Power' Video: A Cultural Cheat Sheet." News. MTV, 06

Aug. 2010. Web. 18 Apr. 2016.

The Last Judgment. Digital image. Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 May 2016.

Waterfall. Digital image. Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 May 2016.

West, Kanye (@kanyewest). “My number one enemy has been my ego… there is only

one throne and that’s God’s …” 17 February 2016, 3:07 PM. Tweet.