There is a big world out there that the Molotov Cocktail chuckers are too blind and ignorant to see. If they cared to listen, an educated mind like the one this older lady has could quickly set them straight.
In art, there is this thing called ‘imagery’.
The angry mouth-breathers see this Lincoln monument in the shallowest possible terms. They see a black man in chains kneeling. They see Lincoln standing. And they see red.
An important clue to this story would be the fact that Lincoln is the President who brought the blight of slavery in America to a full and complete end. They were now, and always, to be free men.
Any monument involving Lincoln, a slave, and chains should keep this in mind.
The lady, whose name we sadly do not know, or we would gladly credit her for it, took all of a moment to walk us all through the imagery.
"That man is not kneeling on two knees with his head bowed. He is in the act of getting up."
It's important to know our history.pic.twitter.com/w1IRjIPaNj
— The First (@TheFirstonTV) June 24, 2020
A first glance at the kneeling figure may see servitude. But look a little closer and you will see something more. This monument was intended to capture a moment of transformation.
His head is not downcast, with a bowed back as a slave’s might be depicted in an art piece.
His head — and his eyes — are upraised and looking forward. They are looking toward what lies ahead in his boundless future.
The chains are indeed present on the man’s wrist. But look again, and you will see they are broken, and no longer hold any power over him.
Real art, quality art, contains subtlety. It often takes an attentive eye and an interest in the material to truly appreciate the richness of what can be found in it. Even simple art pieces often have complex relationships between light and shadow, bold or muted color palette, perspective, or even the choice of what was included or excluded from the image.
If you appreciate artwork, ClashDaily’s Big Dawg, Doug Giles has an art site that includes a wide variety of styles and genres. From serious portraits to Nature in the raw. His collection comingles great figures from the modern world and great hunters of ancient warrior tribes. He treads where the timid dare not follow, expressing himself freely in the topics of Religion and Politics. Check out his collection at DougGiles Art.
