Expression Theory There Is Much

Expression Theory

There is much controversy regarding the concept of art in the contemporary society, as while some are likely to categorize a particular something as having an artistic nature, others are likely to refute this claim. Robin George Collingood's book "Principles of Art" puts across the feeling that art is something mental in character, with the writer generally considering that one cannot simply refer to a work of art as being an object. His main focus in this book is to provide readers with a complex understanding of the concept of art, artistic language, and the relationship that an artist develops with the outside world as a consequence of his actions. Jim Jarmusch 1991 motion picture Night on Earth is apparently meant to present audiences with rather obscure episodes in some people's lives but actually manages to induce passionate feelings in viewers through providing more information regarding the lives and personalities of the taxi drivers portrayed in the film.

Collingood considers that any artist should consider the audience that he or she is interested in addressing before creating artwork. If he or she thinks the targeted public is accustomed to associating particular concepts with certain meanings, he or she can use these respective concepts with the purpose of having audiences gain a better understanding of the message that he or she is trying to convey. At some point, however, the artist is likely to use ideas that his audience is not familiar with. Even with that, the fact that people manage to understand his initial thinking makes it easier for them to understand later concepts, even if they are not acquainted with them. The writer thus promotes the belief that all artists need to have an understanding of their targeted public in order for the audience to be able to understand the perspective that artists are trying to put across (Collingood, 8).

The fact that Jarmusch initially presents the characters in his film as being perfectly normal and as having all the traits that social stereotypes influence people in thinking they have is likely to be an attempt to speak in a general language. It is difficult for him to present viewers with the personalities of his characters without first having them think that they very similar to them. According to Collingood, artists need to have people assimilate the experiences of the characters they see with their own experiences. Consequent to having viewers acquainted with each character, Jarmusch brings in more information and emphasizes the fact that each individual has something special about him or herself and that it is wrong to discriminate on the basis of appearance. The first chapter of the film actually contributes to this through having viewers look at matters from the point-of-view of Victoria Snelling (Gena Rowlands), only to later reveal that the eerie-looking cab driver named Corky has a personality of her own and a determination that prevents her from feeling any attraction in regard to material values. Thus, not only is Corky a complex individual, as she is a person who has no interest in idolatrizing film stars or famous people in general. It is very probable that Jarmusch uses this character in order to have his viewers learn that it is wrong to discriminate and that it is even worse to consider that stars are any different from ordinary individuals.

The first chapter of the film presents audiences with relatively normal individuals as they express their personal convictions and as they manage to have viewers understand that there is more to them than one might initially think. The director also has viewers acquainted with the general context of the film: they are going to witness interactions between cab drivers and diverse people in various locations from around the world and each individual is likely to impress through his or her thinking and through the events that he or she is going to come across. Viewers gradually learn the film's language as its action develops and as they are presented with new ideas that appear to be interconnected with concepts presented before.

Jarmusch manages to combine language and imagination as he presents viewers with his characters and as he emphasizes the individuality of each character through having him or her put across his or her thinking, dilemmas, and position in regard to life. The director virtually wanted to introduce his ideas in a piece of work that would successfully manage to express these respective concepts. Some might be confused with his thinking at various points of the film, but he appears to have anticipated this and starts each chapter in the motion picture through presenting viewers with a whole new story and with the opportunity to get a thorough understanding of what is happening in each scene.

Viewers focus on the relationship between cab drivers and their passengers as Jarmusch attempts to create different backgrounds for each character in his motion picture. Although the storyline seems improvised at times, the fact that the director rapidly recovers each scene makes it possible for viewers to understand that Jarmusch was actually interested in having audiences feel that they are presented with a real story, one that relates to the personal beliefs and to the lives of a diverse set of people who are more or less similar to their peers. All chapters in the film present a character (s) who is (are) prejudiced and a character that manages to demonstrate that life is not all about one's appearance, as the respective person's background is especially important. Jarmusch uses the urban environment as a common setting for his chapters but has most of his characters display unique features, most probably in an attempt to highlight their personalities. None of the characters appears to identify with the locations in the film and all of them seem to be relatively similar at times -- they are individuals who know little or nothing regarding their peers, but who express interest in finding out more regarding these people or in wanting to put across their personal experiences.