How Red Dead Redemption 2's landscapes are connected to 19th century art
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Date: 2023-12-10
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Comments and reviews: 30
-MuffinMachine
I see some parallels being drawn here that don-t entirely exist. Such as saying that rockstar used dark values in the foreground with light values in the background to create a -sense of depth- while this is simply how light works. It-s not as if rockstar made it so that everything close to you is darker and that statement in the video came make it confusing. I think both the art displayed and the game draw from the same place and therefore look the same.
As far as native Americans being a side story in the game it is not so. One of Arthur-s friends during the entire campaign is a Native American and it is the native Americans who show Arthur that there is a broader perspective than to simply worry about one-s own -plan-. It-s arguable that the native Americans make Arthur who he becomes by the end of the game. Of course like any open world game the player can decide if they agree with this view or not and the experience of the game will end up telling you something about yourself.
I appreciate the information about the art but I think the approach of this video is simply creating something that isn-t there.
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I see some parallels being drawn here that don-t entirely exist. Such as saying that rockstar used dark values in the foreground with light values in the background to create a -sense of depth- while this is simply how light works. It-s not as if rockstar made it so that everything close to you is darker and that statement in the video came make it confusing. I think both the art displayed and the game draw from the same place and therefore look the same.
As far as native Americans being a side story in the game it is not so. One of Arthur-s friends during the entire campaign is a Native American and it is the native Americans who show Arthur that there is a broader perspective than to simply worry about one-s own -plan-. It-s arguable that the native Americans make Arthur who he becomes by the end of the game. Of course like any open world game the player can decide if they agree with this view or not and the experience of the game will end up telling you something about yourself.
I appreciate the information about the art but I think the approach of this video is simply creating something that isn-t there.
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-thespymawsta
Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill. What a load of nonsense. Sorry but despite this contrived essay there is no significant connection between Rdr2 and Huson river school. Visually rockstar -did not look to art or film-. Rdr2 is a composite ideal landscape just like most video games. Rdr2 does not exclusively use foreground shadow which rather is dependent on dynamic weather. The reason native Americans are a side story is because the story happens to be about white outlaws which historically existed (Duh. Not because Rockstar is somehow motivated by the resurrected spirit of manifest destiny to view native Americans as ancillary. Oh and At 1: 45 You say -DECADES latter rock star Norths artist did the same thing-. SERIOUSLY? Wth dude. We are 2 decades in the 21 st century Lol smh. Seems like you used the word decade instead of century latter because you thought this ridiculous premise would sound less far-fetched. Well sorry but it does not stand up to even a casual analysis.
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Talk about making a mountain out of a molehill. What a load of nonsense. Sorry but despite this contrived essay there is no significant connection between Rdr2 and Huson river school. Visually rockstar -did not look to art or film-. Rdr2 is a composite ideal landscape just like most video games. Rdr2 does not exclusively use foreground shadow which rather is dependent on dynamic weather. The reason native Americans are a side story is because the story happens to be about white outlaws which historically existed (Duh. Not because Rockstar is somehow motivated by the resurrected spirit of manifest destiny to view native Americans as ancillary. Oh and At 1: 45 You say -DECADES latter rock star Norths artist did the same thing-. SERIOUSLY? Wth dude. We are 2 decades in the 21 st century Lol smh. Seems like you used the word decade instead of century latter because you thought this ridiculous premise would sound less far-fetched. Well sorry but it does not stand up to even a casual analysis.
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-acaciarogersart
This is a nice vieo and i love RDR2, but as a realism painter i just gotta point out that the landscapes in the game and these paintings bear similarity in light and atmosphere because they are both trying to replicate reality, and not because one is inspired by the other. You could maybe argue that the layout and scenery were inspired by wild west art, but rockstar stated this isnt the case. They probably traveled to places such as colorado or texas and took photography of the landscapes and used that as reference. This is a good kind of video to make, but id consider rewording or changing the intent.
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This is a nice vieo and i love RDR2, but as a realism painter i just gotta point out that the landscapes in the game and these paintings bear similarity in light and atmosphere because they are both trying to replicate reality, and not because one is inspired by the other. You could maybe argue that the layout and scenery were inspired by wild west art, but rockstar stated this isnt the case. They probably traveled to places such as colorado or texas and took photography of the landscapes and used that as reference. This is a good kind of video to make, but id consider rewording or changing the intent.
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-powexor
What I don't understand is why people feel like RDR2 somehow neglected the Native American experience when the story comes from a clear-cut historical context and perspective. Just like for the American settler, the Native Americans were an obstacle on their grand mission, the same way in RDR2, they are a side objective for an outlaw in the American West, but they still do exist and have their place in the world. And as many have noted, they were portrayed in a realistic and fair way. I feel that it doesn't call for an examination on the game's lack of Native American perspective.
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What I don't understand is why people feel like RDR2 somehow neglected the Native American experience when the story comes from a clear-cut historical context and perspective. Just like for the American settler, the Native Americans were an obstacle on their grand mission, the same way in RDR2, they are a side objective for an outlaw in the American West, but they still do exist and have their place in the world. And as many have noted, they were portrayed in a realistic and fair way. I feel that it doesn't call for an examination on the game's lack of Native American perspective.
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-meowhong
I've taken multiple classes with the curator they interviewed and it took me back. I loved her lectures, especially in the early American art class I took with her that included Manifest Destiny and the Hudson River Valley School. While watching the beginning, I had already started reminiscing about the trip she took us on to see some of the scenic views that inspired the Hudson River Valley artists. Her explanations in these videos were as poignant as they were in class and I'm really glad she volunteered that information to give context for the argument of this video.
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I've taken multiple classes with the curator they interviewed and it took me back. I loved her lectures, especially in the early American art class I took with her that included Manifest Destiny and the Hudson River Valley School. While watching the beginning, I had already started reminiscing about the trip she took us on to see some of the scenic views that inspired the Hudson River Valley artists. Her explanations in these videos were as poignant as they were in class and I'm really glad she volunteered that information to give context for the argument of this video.
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-BINOMAN007
Great video, but history isn't black and white, but shades of grey. There were atrocities carried out by both sides Native Americans and American settlers, just as there were great things done. You had passive tribes and aggressive tribes, just as you had settlers who wanted to live in peace with the natives and settlers who didn't. It was a terrible clash of cultures just like when the spanish went into South America up into Mexico.
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Great video, but history isn't black and white, but shades of grey. There were atrocities carried out by both sides Native Americans and American settlers, just as there were great things done. You had passive tribes and aggressive tribes, just as you had settlers who wanted to live in peace with the natives and settlers who didn't. It was a terrible clash of cultures just like when the spanish went into South America up into Mexico.
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-FlymanMS
Native Americans and their struggle is a huge part of MAIN story in this game, they show up as early as the end of chapter 1 and has an exntensive dialogue dedicated to them. They show up throughout the game several times. One of Arthur's best friends is a African-Indian American, he got a lot of development. The reservation story is the final act of the campaing. Saying that they are a side story is just not true.
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Native Americans and their struggle is a huge part of MAIN story in this game, they show up as early as the end of chapter 1 and has an exntensive dialogue dedicated to them. They show up throughout the game several times. One of Arthur's best friends is a African-Indian American, he got a lot of development. The reservation story is the final act of the campaing. Saying that they are a side story is just not true.
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-kirkmccosker2430
Honestly, you're being a bit disrespectful. Native Americans were typically portrayed as wholesome, honorable and innocent. At worst they were portrayed as fearsome warriors. Whereas (ashcan's) urban culture was portrayed as depraved and foolish, but also vibrantly multicultural. You can see a bit of that in San Denis and Blackwater.
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Honestly, you're being a bit disrespectful. Native Americans were typically portrayed as wholesome, honorable and innocent. At worst they were portrayed as fearsome warriors. Whereas (ashcan's) urban culture was portrayed as depraved and foolish, but also vibrantly multicultural. You can see a bit of that in San Denis and Blackwater.
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-albart1732
I like Rockstar games but say that they not have inspiration by art or films is pretentious. How many gangster and action movies have inspired GTA? Is not a shame to say that they have get inspiration from what was made in past to create something new and different. Every progress use this way.
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I like Rockstar games but say that they not have inspiration by art or films is pretentious. How many gangster and action movies have inspired GTA? Is not a shame to say that they have get inspiration from what was made in past to create something new and different. Every progress use this way.
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-vincentlaw1415
Damn. now I want to experience this game for the first time again. This game sucked me completely into its immersive world the first time I played it. hell it even made me fall in love with the western theme even though I never liked it before.
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Damn. now I want to experience this game for the first time again. This game sucked me completely into its immersive world the first time I played it. hell it even made me fall in love with the western theme even though I never liked it before.
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-ZIEIaou
it doesnt seem like the points made here are solid. seems vague and kinda pulled out of thin air just to bandwagon on the popularity of rdr2. although rdr depicts a 1900 usa so there are bound to be some parallels to the art of (about) the time
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it doesnt seem like the points made here are solid. seems vague and kinda pulled out of thin air just to bandwagon on the popularity of rdr2. although rdr depicts a 1900 usa so there are bound to be some parallels to the art of (about) the time
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-aetherlady
What I got from this video:
1. Rockstar artists use the same light and value techniques as any other artists did to create landscapes.
2. Rockstar writers focused their main story on whites instead of focusing on the native Americans.
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What I got from this video:
1. Rockstar artists use the same light and value techniques as any other artists did to create landscapes.
2. Rockstar writers focused their main story on whites instead of focusing on the native Americans.
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-thegrinder2k176
My RDR2 discs won't install on my Xbox. Like it's the first one it won't go past 0% it's so annoying. The first time I installed RDR2 I had no trouble at all with either disc. I can't see my horse that I named -Hoarse-
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My RDR2 discs won't install on my Xbox. Like it's the first one it won't go past 0% it's so annoying. The first time I installed RDR2 I had no trouble at all with either disc. I can't see my horse that I named -Hoarse-
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-zware88
Isn't it Sublimely interesting that Rockstar did not intentionally emulate this kind of art, allegedly, yet it reached similar conventions when attempting to emulate real life? Strong argument for gaming as art right here.
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Isn't it Sublimely interesting that Rockstar did not intentionally emulate this kind of art, allegedly, yet it reached similar conventions when attempting to emulate real life? Strong argument for gaming as art right here.
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-displaychicken
It-s funny that moderns mock the idea of -manifest destiny- as a pinnacle of evil whitey delusion. Let-s not forget that the manifest destiny came true. They weren-t wrong in the end. Whitey did conquer the west.
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It-s funny that moderns mock the idea of -manifest destiny- as a pinnacle of evil whitey delusion. Let-s not forget that the manifest destiny came true. They weren-t wrong in the end. Whitey did conquer the west.
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polygon
Pretty sure they did in fact look at movies, spaghetti westerns and westerns in general, They probably did use art for inspiration but due to copyright laws they want to avoid payouts they just say they didn-t
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Pretty sure they did in fact look at movies, spaghetti westerns and westerns in general, They probably did use art for inspiration but due to copyright laws they want to avoid payouts they just say they didn-t
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-259Den3
This was a very interesting and well produced video; I thoroughly enjoyed it. I wonder if the indigenous people expanding from West (Bering straits) to East would be considered similar to Manifest Destiny?
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This was a very interesting and well produced video; I thoroughly enjoyed it. I wonder if the indigenous people expanding from West (Bering straits) to East would be considered similar to Manifest Destiny?
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-CoryTheRaven
Polygon, 5: 18: -Which goes by another name. -
Me: -Romanticism! -
Polygon, 5: 20: -Manifest Destiny. -
Me: -FFS POLYGON! I can't even like pretty paintings without you calling me racist! -
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Polygon, 5: 18: -Which goes by another name. -
Me: -Romanticism! -
Polygon, 5: 20: -Manifest Destiny. -
Me: -FFS POLYGON! I can't even like pretty paintings without you calling me racist! -
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-echoberson
I am brand new to watching polygon over the last two weeks or so and this is easily one of the best videos I've seen from y'all yet. Excellent analysis placed into historical context. I love this.
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I am brand new to watching polygon over the last two weeks or so and this is easily one of the best videos I've seen from y'all yet. Excellent analysis placed into historical context. I love this.
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-leandrogomes6642
This game is a beautiful art piece! There are so many ways we can connect it to the American South in literature and cinema as well. They mix beauty and the grotesque accurately
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This game is a beautiful art piece! There are so many ways we can connect it to the American South in literature and cinema as well. They mix beauty and the grotesque accurately
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-ianpennington8329
This is one of those rare instances where someone is talking about a niche interest of mine and I get to sit in a corner and circle jerk about the same subject.
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This is one of those rare instances where someone is talking about a niche interest of mine and I get to sit in a corner and circle jerk about the same subject.
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-rwolfheart6580
One of my favourite artists, Kent Monkman, reinterprets these kinds of paintings through a contemporary Indigenous lens and the result is always very very cool
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One of my favourite artists, Kent Monkman, reinterprets these kinds of paintings through a contemporary Indigenous lens and the result is always very very cool
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-AyoMegatron
I-m an artist, and I actually learned something here today. RDR2 is my favorite game ever created, just for the extreme, and exaggerated landscapes.
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I-m an artist, and I actually learned something here today. RDR2 is my favorite game ever created, just for the extreme, and exaggerated landscapes.
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-nicolehaining144
amazing. how the symbolic images of a fantasized setting can connect ideologies that still resonate today in the American consciousness.
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amazing. how the symbolic images of a fantasized setting can connect ideologies that still resonate today in the American consciousness.
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-dgf8768
Yea why is it surprising they painted something real and rockstar used the same thing you can't call that intellectual property polygon
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Yea why is it surprising they painted something real and rockstar used the same thing you can't call that intellectual property polygon
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-3c3c3c
You managed to turn something so apolitical into a white people shitfest, even the most hardcore communist propagandists would be jelous
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You managed to turn something so apolitical into a white people shitfest, even the most hardcore communist propagandists would be jelous
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-drewtastic2a763
Why do have to push, white people are entitled and racist, just let me have a good old west turn of the century video game.
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Why do have to push, white people are entitled and racist, just let me have a good old west turn of the century video game.
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-nomercy8400
For me, and in my opinion, The Rockstar Games are number 1 in realistic games and gameplays. For me, nobody can down Rockstar.
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For me, and in my opinion, The Rockstar Games are number 1 in realistic games and gameplays. For me, nobody can down Rockstar.
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-nomercy8400
For me, and in my opinion, The Rockstar Games are number 1 in realistic games and gameplays. For me, nobody can down Rockstar.
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For me, and in my opinion, The Rockstar Games are number 1 in realistic games and gameplays. For me, nobody can down Rockstar.
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-jakewilliams2569
You can also find Thomas Cole's 'The Oxbow' hanging in the Rhodes Saloon next to the Blackjack table.
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You can also find Thomas Cole's 'The Oxbow' hanging in the Rhodes Saloon next to the Blackjack table.
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