Derryl Harris
Mrs. Cuddy
Written Comm.
October 14th, 2014
What is Freedom?
Freedom, a goal many humans have fought for and a state of mind that has started many revolutions throughout our history. It has been seen through scriptures in the bible, wars that humans have created in order to gain independence, and through the art of many artists that displayed their view through their work. Freedom is described as the power to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Throughout different centuries in history, many strong empires began to take away freedom from people of different regions or people from other ethnic backgrounds. Historically, there has been an evident proof that freedom is innate to human and that he will fights as long as he lives to restore his innate right to be a free man. After looking at different forms of art in the Hampton museum, the artists described their vision of how they saw freedom. A piece of art that gathered many students attention was a large painting called “Freedom”. The art displayed how African Americans has been shackled by the United States government and how they gain a since of freedom as time continues. Although some may not see the beauty beyond this piece of art, this work of art explains the darkness regarding slavery and freedom through the elements such as color presented through a light and dark contrast, metaphors that represent the reality of oppression, the point of view as a symbol of hope, and social, cultural, and economic contexts to explain the progression within the art work.
As your eye first glances at the portrait you may notice multiple different elements presented in this art piece. The eye may first notice the men and women bound together by shackles on the bottom, the nations capital tilted on the far left, or a very familiar chapel many could recognize as Hampton University’s chapel. The point of view is also the most noticeable form of symbolism, which is Jesus on...