Final Assignment: My Manifesto

During the course of this class, I have gained insight into the history of art, different styles of art, and different ways that art is used. Throughout this semester, we have learned about many different types of art: abstract art, sculpture art, and musical art, to name a few. Before taking this class, I did not know a thing about art. All I knew was that it was created by a person and often sold for money. Artwork can be divided into those that are representational and others that are non-representational or abstract. Now, after taking this class, I look back at what I once thought and say, “Wow, I had no clue.” I had no clue that art had such a rich history in representing different time periods, actions, or emotions. The first thing I learned when I began this class was that art had been used as a representation since its beginning. The concept of artwork has no barriers nor any limitations. It cannot be contained. Art gives you a way to express yourself without using words. In my opinion, the purpose of art is to create a reaction out of people. While analyzing many pieces of art to complete the assignments of this class, I found that studying each one made me feel an emotion, specifically bravery. Every article of art that I used for an assignment in this class evoked a feeling in me.

Art also enhances people’s feelings and help them feel a bit better about the world. Representational art is a term that usually refers to a painting or sculpture that is recognizable for what it claims to be and what it stands for. In my first assignment for this class, “A Work of Art,” I used a painting that was created to represent black power named “Soul of a Nation.” One of the requirements for that assignment was to find a work of art that sparked a feeling or an emotion in you. This portrait did both. It gave me a sense of courage. The same courage that people that were apart of that movement had to be able to stand up for what they believed in. Another assignment for this class, “Public Art: America’s Sweetest Town Heroes,” required me to go out into my community and find a statue and to elaborate on its history. I chose a figure that was put up in remembrance of the brave men from my town that went out and defended our country in World War II. This photo made me feel the emotion and feeling of being grateful for those that put their lives in harm’s way to protect our country. It also made me analyze the statue. Before taking this class, I did not know that a statue is considered a work of art. I never paid them any attention, definitely not the figure that I used for the assignment. The works of art that I used for those assignments also represented bravery. They both were created with a purpose, and that was to share history. During the time period that Soul of a Nation was painted, African Americans were facing oppression and were seeking the same treatment that was given to white people. During World War ll, France and Britain declared war on Germany. In a way, the manifesto of this is representation and bravery. The assignments up above have demonstrated both of these things. I believe that everything is art, and this class has shown me just that. Now that I have taken a deeper dive into the art and learned about its different forms, I have gained a new understanding of its concept. Now when I look at a piece of art, my first thought is, “What did the artist try to represent by making this painting? What is the message they want to send?” The overall point of this manifesto that I want to display is that art can represent anything. It can describe actions and emotions.