Images on the middle class

Since it's emergence, the human life has progressed –and is still progressing- according to certain rules. The first place to look for the origin of these rules is perhaps the formation of social classes. The first signals of social class can be spotted in the transition to the exploitation based production, which appeared with the modes of production that developed after the age of primitive communal societies. Classes developed in the following thousands of years as the struggles between classes became stronger. During this process, social class became a determining factor in every aspect of human life. From the houses we live in, to the foods we eat, the clothes we wear and the schools we attend, everything is shaped to reveal which class we belong to. As social class is such a determining factor in human life, the relationship of these classes with the art world also takes a striking shape. The effect of one of these classes, the middle class on art is particularly striking. The social, political and economical developments have positioned this class into a special position: both the subject and the consumer of art. Thus, as a result of their consumption habits and life style, the middle class formed their own representative images. Key Words: Middle Class, Art, Image, Object, Representation