An Important Piece of Art in the American Culture

Every bit the story goes, 237 summers ago a group of Americans ratified one of the nigh famous texts in the English language language and declared that at that place should be such a affair as the Us. Now we annually celebrate with fireworks, backyard cookouts, parades, and flags. It's a vacation with many faces—a deeply meaningful celebration of patriotism, the unofficial start of summer, and an occasion of traditions rooted in family and customs. I dare say that nigh Americans take brilliant childhood memories of the Fourth of July: things similar fantastic displays over the sea; families sitting on blankets, picnicking and waiting for the fireworks; or kids relentlessly setting off firecrackers in the metropolis streets. I can close my eyes and movie my footling sis and myself, sunburned and sugared-upward, running around a suburban cul de sac with the other neighborhood kids waving sparklers at each other until the dads were prepare to risk their fingers with bottle rockets they had smuggled in from out of town.

Memories similar these are part of America's visual culture. When I reflect on them, I besides think of works of art that seem to me to be peculiarly American, images that evoke our landscape, our culture, our politics. And in lite of the particularly exciting few weeks our country has seen—with intense, national public debates dominating the news cycle and capturing the public imagination—I'm specially interested in the way Americans can and do craft a sense of national identity.

I could list dozens of paintings, sculptures, and photographs that fit the bill, but I won't. Here are seven of them, in no particular order.

1. Yosemite Valley from Inspiration Signal (1865–66) by Carleton E. Watkins

Yosemite Valley from Inspiration Point, negative 1865-66, Carleton E. Watkins. Albumen print. The J. Paul Getty Museum

Thanks to Ken Burns and PBS, the value of creating a system to preserve and protect our exceptional landscapes has been profusely celebrated. Places similar Yosemite are national treasures. What could be more optimistic than deciding to intendance and keep them in the public trust for generations to come? It must accept been immensely challenging for Carleton Watkins to navigate this rough terrain with his 19^th-century equipment, literally going to keen heights for the perfect shot. I imagine him as an early American explorer, charting new vistas with a keen eye. Watkins' piece of work helped to fuel interest in Yosemite Valley, and in 1864 Abraham Lincoln signed a neb declaring the area inviolable, planting the seeds of our National Parks system.

two. Pearblossom Hwy., 11–18th April 1986 (1986) by David Hockney

Pearblossom Hwy., 11–18th April 1986, 1986, David Hockney. © 1986 David Hockney

"What is that feeling when you're driving away from people and they recede on the apparently till you see their specks dispersing?—information technology's the likewise-huge globe vaulting us, and information technology'southward good-bye. But nosotros lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies." —Jack Kerouac, On the Road

Speaking of exploring, isn't the open road the ultimate metaphor for personal journeys and possibility? Certain, this road is littered with trash, the desert is unforgiving, and the flick isn't exactly clear, but that's character and amuse of the American West. Here Hockney depicts a crossroads that plays with perspective and leaves the viewer with the impression that she could get anywhere. And that she is in control of what she wants to await at along the style.

3. Injustice Case (1970) by David Hammons

1 of David Hammons' most famous works depicts the binding and gagging of Bobby Seale in courtroom during his trial in the wake of the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Formally, information technology is an exceptionally innovative work of fine art—Hammons used his ain body to banner the paper with grease. Information technology likewise stands every bit testimony of the strife and tension of the era. America today is shaped by struggle and activism of the by. It may be hard to imagine a similar scenario playing out in an American courtroom today, only forty years later on, American courts are still addressing race and social justice. Here, poetically, is the backstory of this national argue.

4. The Dinner Party (1974–79) by Judy Chicago

Judy Chicago (American, b. 1939). The Dinner Party, 1974–79. Ceramic, porcelain, material, 576 x 576 in. (1463 10 1463 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Foundation, 2002.10. Artwork © Judy Chicago. Photo © Aislinn Weidele for Polshek Partnership Architects

At present on permanent display at the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum, The Dinner Political party is an iconic, monumental work of feminist art. Information technology represents ane,038 women, 39 of them past place settings featuring embroidered runners set with hand-painted china plates. The Dinner Party, created in 5 years with hundreds of volunteers, was a remarkable accomplishment. For me this piece of work is a visualization of my understanding of the feminists that came before me and represents the collaboration, creativity, and assertiveness of the '70s feminist movement in America. At a time when feminist issues are still the subject of national debate, I view this work every bit a landmark on the long road we are still walking.

5. The Great Wall (begun in 1974) by Judith F. Baca

Speaking of landmarks and of collaboration, in my own hometown Judith Baca's The Not bad Wall is a one-half-mile mural in the Tujunga Flood Control Channel that depicts the history of California. An ongoing, collaborative project that is periodically updated past artists, "mural makers," historians, and ethnologists working under Baca'due south management, the Longest Landscape in the World is a standout in L.A.'south prolific, world-renowned mural move. Inclusive, thorough, and graphically hit, the mural was started when a bike path and light-green spaces were also added to the expanse. Recently, plans for interpretive stations and a "green" viewing bridge were adult, making the mural the centre of re-divers community space.

half-dozen. Mural (1943) by Jackson Pollock

Landscape, 1943, Jackson Pollock (American, 1912–1956). Oil on canvas, eight' ¼" ten 19' 10". Academy of Iowa Museum of Art, Souvenir of Peggy Guggenheim, 1959.six Reproduced with permission from The University of Iowa

Mural is ane of the earliest works of Abstract Expressionism, which is often referred to as the first uniquely American artistic motility. In the '40s, American artists based in New York would become national and international stars as New York emerged as the new center of the art world, largely on the popularity and adventurousness of abstract painters. Mural is said to have been Pollock's starting time commission by legendary art collector Peggy Guggenheim, and has been in the University of Iowa'south collection since it was gifted by Guggenheim in 1951. Information technology is currently at the Getty for conservation and research. The painting will continue view at the Getty Museum in March 2014.

7. Untitled (1988) past Ellsworth Kelly

Untitled, 1988, Ellsworth Kelly. J. Paul Getty Museum.

I chose this work to stop the list because its phenomenology demands that yous encounter it on individual terms. It is a simple sweep of bronze declaring its presence like an elegant exclamation betoken. Similar much of Ellsworth Kelly'due south piece of work, this crisp form is representational of nothing, withal evokes so much—a totem, a kouros, an obelisk. Individual freedom—the correct to think, similar, and say what you want—is a core principle in American identity, and this work is custom-made for private interpretation.

What works of art say "America" to yous?

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Source: https://blogs.getty.edu/iris/seven-works-of-art-that-make-me-think-about-being-an-american/

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