Benetton, Toscani, and the Limits of Advertising left me wondering, after Toscani's termination from Benetton, and Luciano Benneton's articulation against campaigning, if there is ever a time when advertising is an appropriate place for 'serious discussions' of ideological positions. While the majority of art made in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries seems to be focused on addressing positions that take stances, which often parallel Toscani's technical tactics - use of archetypal figures, symbolical meanings, shock factor, and documentary-esque imagery - there are few advertisements I can recall that go so far as making 'real' social commentary. It seems that the limits of advertising are obviously bound by a companies attempts to gain as much capitol from as large of a customer-base as possible; While modern ad's mimic societal standards, they rarely, if ever, comment on them. From an artistic perspective, Toscani's risky ad's are admirable in his attempt to push such a delicate boundary. While I originally questioned Toscani's thought process, in crossing the limits of advertising, his move seems carefully cultivated, as he was already of a famous stature, his termination would have brought more attention to his name, and the terms of his cease of employment would more directly reflect on the images he provided to Benetton. It seems then, that much like Andy Warhol or even Toulouse-Lautrec, who first made their names in advertising, Toscani was able to use the media in his favor, to ultimately make art with serious discussions of ideological positions.
Matt McIntosh
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