It’s always interesting to me to listen to what
other people think about different types of artwork. Some people wonder why
found objects with a little paint splattered on them could be art. That’s what
makes art so great; it’s subjective. Two people can look at a painting and see
two totally different things going on it in. One could hate it; one could love
it. I find it especially interesting to learn about the iconography—identifying,
describing, classifying, and interpreting symbols, themes, and subjects—in artworks.
Even within this, people interpret works of art differently.
Take Faith Ringgold’s quilt We Came to America (1997) for example. There is a ship and a large
sun in the back of the piece, people swimming in the water, and the Statue of
Liberty holding a baby in the front. Seeing the faces of the people in the
water, it makes you wonder if they’re angry, terrified, or laughing happily. The ship in the back
is in flames; did they jump in the water? Is there blood in the water? Why is the Statue of Liberty holding
a baby? Does the Statue of Liberty represent the Virgin Mary? Maybe they’re just swimming for
their lives because the ship caught on fire and they happen to be in New York.
What do you see?
In actuality, this piece represents a slave ship
in which the slaves revolted and set the ship on fire. After they were the water, the Statue of Liberty guided them to safety, hence the
mother-baby image and the lit torch.
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