Essay 2: Danny Glynn

Daniel Glynn
English 101
Adam Weinstein
September 23, 2007

Ways of Life
The short three letter word art is not such a small matter when you think of all the things that deal with art. Art can range from a three year old child lying on the living room floor scribbling on a piece of paper to Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting of the Mona Lisa. Art is not only on a canvas or a piece of paper, but art can also be a rock turned into a magnificent sculpture, notes on a piece of paper turn into a peaceful rhythm floating through the air, or a script acted out by dedicated actors and actresses.

Recently I visited an art exhibit and was able to see several different kinds of art, while most of the pieces had their own style and own meanings, two of the pieces really captured my attention. One of them was an untitled piece, which really enables you to open your mind and uncover the meaning of the work, by Kevin Wilson. The first time walking by this piece I looked at and an eerie feeling came over me. As a made my way back around the second time I stopped and really took a closer look at the picture. In the upper left hand corner of the portrait the background is jet black. Standing out in the jet black background is a human figure outlined in white with all but his head shaded in grey. From the figure’s white head are short white lines that form a halo around his head. This is a figure that portrays God. This figure is also on his side with his head near a cloud. There is a steam coming out of the cloud and going into a large silhouette of a man, which is the center of the piece, the stream enter the through figure’s head and goes straight into the part of the head where the brain is located. The stream coming down from the cloud in the heavens is a way of showing how God influences our decisions. In the upper left hand corner of the picture are eight figures with the body of a human and a television as a head. The sky blue screens of the televisions stand out against the gloomy grey background. These eight figures seem to have been lifted from the center of the piece. The noticeable sky blue screens are showing that the figures have reached eternal home.

The middle portion of the art has a background of a dull blue color. Also in this area of the picture are several human figures scattered throughout the whole area. All of these figures seem to be in a dreary state, and one even looks like he has blood squirting from various places on his chest. On the right side of the middle portion is a black circle with a white fire and a puddle of the same sky blue color that the figures in heaven had on their television screens. In this circle there are six human figures standing and seem to be waiting for their time. The most interesting thing in this area is a door that is being opened with a person coming out of it. Coming from the door is a triangular grey ray of light that leads to the heavens. The entire middle portion of this picture is representative of purgatory because all of the human figures in this area all seem to have been tormented; the grey triangle shows that after they serve their time they will eventually make it into heaven.

In the for front of the picture there is a large human figure with several things happening to it. The first thing I noticed was the stream coming from the top of the picture and into the figures brain. After the stream goes into the figures head, it then goes through a white area around where a person’s ear would be. After it goes through the white area it then seems to disperse throughout the whole body. The stream coming from the top of the picture and into the head represents god’s influence on humans, and the white area in the side of the figure’s head is a way for the human to lose God’s influence.

The bottom area of the picture has a background of total blackness. There are also two human figures’ outlined in white and one of them as an “x” through it. There is also a little door on the lower right side of the picture with a grey beam coming out of it and shining on a human figure with horns. The grey beam also has lines running through like a road does. This portion is representing hell, and the door with the beam coming out of it and shining on the person with the horns is showing what will happen if people do not follow God’s ways.

Another piece that was caught my eye was a sculptor by Katie McClung called Birmingham versus Broccoli. This piece starts at the forearm and extends all the way to the tips of the fingers. The entire sculpture is made of bronze, and there are pairs of notches going down the arm about every two inches on all sides. The fingers on the hand are all bent they look like they are grasping for something that is now gone. On the hand there is a piece of broccoli between all of the fingers. This sculptor is symbolic of a person that is in the after life and they are trying to reach back in to time so that he/she can take back all the mistakes made and spend their after life in peace.

After taking a close look at both of these pieces I noticed that some of the same ideas are trying to be expressed through the art. In the first picture the artist is showing both sides of the after life along with purgatory. He is also showing how a person is exposed to both the good and evil and it is your choice of how you choose to live. In the second piece it is showing the hand of someone that chose the wrong way and is now regretting his ways and wanting to repent, but it is too late.

Both of the pieces gave worthy messages, and the way the artist presented their messages were in unique ways. Kevin Wilson was able to reveal his message by showing that a person has options, and that the options that you choose will lead you to how you will spend eternity. Katie McClung displayed her message in a different way. She communicated her message by showing an example of a person that selected to live the wrong way, and the remorse that person is feeling by choosing that way to live.

As I said earlier, both of these pieces of art display there messages in unique and effective ways. If I heard of another art show done the same group of artist I would attend the show and expect nothing less.