Art & Existentialism: A Digital Multimedia Presentation by Mrs. Guymon

Film: Rebel Without a Cause

(TOPIC SENTENCE) The 1955 film Rebel Without a Cause is well-known for its illustration of teenage existential angst. (I) In a pivotal scene between stars James Dean and Natalie Wood, Dean's character Jim Stark officially meets his neighbor Judy for the first time. (C) Stark asks Judy, "You live here, don't you?" and Judy responds with an indifferent shrug, "Who lives?" (Rebel Without a Cause). This exchange highlights the cycle of an existential crisis; it is clear that Judy has not yet accepted the absurdity of the universe and therefore has not yet constructed her own individual meaning. To her, life seems mechanical, monotonous, boring. (CONCLUDING SENTENCE) However, Stark's assessment that "life can be beautiful" indicates that perhaps he has reached phase four of the cycle; he's willing to face the absurd and enjoy the loveliness of everyday living.

Song Lyrics: "Killing an Arab" by The Cure 

(TOPIC SENTENCE) In 1978 when The Cure recorded “Killing an Arab,” the band knew it was performing a song directly inspired by the novel The Stranger by Albert Camus. (I) Robert Smith, The Cure's lead singer, was struck by the protagonist Meursault's lack of commitment to living. (C) Smith sings, "I can turn and walk away / Or I can fire the gun / Staring at the sky / Staring at the sun / Whichever I choose / It amounts to the same" (The Cure, 1978). (E) Just like Meursault in The Stranger, the persona in the song understands that any decision one makes will eventually lead to the same fate: death. (CONCLUDING SENTENCE) For that reason, the existential philosophy encourages its thinkers to accept death's inevitability and loosen their physical ties to a world that is barely in their grasp.

Fine Art: Skull with Burning Cigarette

Vincent Van Gogh
Skull with Burning Cigarette (1885)

(TOPIC SENTENCE) Existential themes are commonly illustrated in works of art, particularly in Van Gogh’s Skull with Burning Cigarette. (I) The painting features a skeleton actively smoking a cigarette. (C) Van Gogh’s chosen subject—especially the burning tip of the cigarette—hints at Camus’s philosophy of the absurd. (E) This detail is vital because it demonstrates the idea that the nature of death—be it from natural causes or self-inflicted disease—is not as important as the inevitability of death. (I) Interestingly, Van Gogh chose to present the skeleton’s profile rather than to allow viewers to see its full face. (C) The angle promotes a feeling of disconnect from the painting’s subject and its audience. (E) This information is crucial because it echoes the existential theme that humans cannot truly bond in a meaningful way. (CONCLUDING SENTENCE) Ultimately, Skull with Burning Cigarette epitomizes Camus’s absurdism, reiterating key tenets of an existential viewpoint seen in The Stranger.

Works Cited

Rebel Without a Cause. Dir. Nicholas Ray. Perf. James Dean, Natalie Wood, and Sal Mineo. Warner 

          Bros., 1955. DVD.

Smith, Robert. "Killing an Arab." The Cure. 1979. YouTube. Web. 4 Dec. 2014.

Van Gogh, Vincent. Skull with Burning Cigarette. 1885. Wikipedia. Web. 4 Dec. 2014.