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WordPress WooCommerce Themes, Online Shops, eCommerce Storefronts
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We know, running your own business is a big, big challenge. That’s why you
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8 years ago
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RECAP // Coffee Date with Kevin Clancy
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On August 20th, members filled the Mattress Factory Café for coffee and
conversation at the last Coffee Date of the series with 2016 Factory
Installed art...
10 years ago
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30 SOMETHIN' by Charlie Finch
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Bridging the gap between the baby boomers and the new digital generation.
10 years ago
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MOMENTUM: new plays at different stages
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City Theatre announces four exciting, original plays set for MOMENTUM, the
theatre’s annual festival of new plays at different stages, beginning May
31. W...
14 years ago
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Four Years Later, Alcoa Foundation Leadership Grants Show Big Impact
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*by David Seals*
Four years after the Alcoa Foundation launched a pilot re-granting program
through the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, we’re asking grant...
16 years ago
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Posts
I remember looking at this painting in class. I found the war paintings interesting because, if I remember correctly, there were some people dressed in bright "high-class" like clothing. The man's head on the stick was smiling and I thought that maybe he sacrificed himself to try and save other around him, so maybe the smile represented him being proud to dye for something.
ReplyDeleteI have also been to a few war sites, such as Gettysburg. I think it's very interesting and also somewhat unsettling to be there knowing what had happened many years prior. I agree that the painting itself had a lot going on and there were probably even more things within the painting that we did not see that might lead us to wonder more about why it was painted the way it was.
I too like history. Recently I've taken Black history courses. The Hatian pictures of the first successful slave revolution are amazing.
ReplyDeleteHatti slaves were the literally worked to death by the French. The Browns. a mixture of black ,native and French had some authority but thought the French colonial minority should give them more. The "Browns" joined forces with the larger numbers of black slaves and defeated the French.
Whenever my family took a trip east we always stopped at Gettysburg. When my husbnd retired in 1986. We took trips to Historic sites: Harpers Ferry, Murphysburg, Look-out Moutain, Shiloh, Appomattox, Fredicksburg,Bull Run ect. I was always impressed about how many people could be involved in such a small area. The Art work at these sites was more realistic than the staight lines of the Hattian works but they are both very busy. The head on a pole is reminance of the Welsh revolt against the English. The head on the lance then was that of the legendary "Braveheart" Wallace (not Mel Gibson)
All of the war scene paintings reminded me of discussions on Toussaint L’Ouverture, the leader of the first successful slavery rebellion in Haiti. He was born a slave and rose to power, eventually defeating waves of European force, allowing Haiti to become a nation free of slavery. The revolt has been a double-edged sword for the nation, however, as the economy of Haiti instantly collapsed. Despite L’Ouverture’s efforts to create trade with the U.S. and Britain, the economy remains the primary issue in Haiti today.
ReplyDeleteThese series of paintings, even while depicting violent war and revolt scenes, still maintain to include some of the vibrant colors typical in all of the Haitian paintings. I remember this particular painting when doing our first sketches because of those pops of neon green, blue, and red, along with brown and olive green trees and a dominant blood red color in the background with its obvious connotation of the scene. While the head of the man might be a focal point for some, I found it hard to pinpoint an exact area of the painting where I was completely focused. I am sure that it was the intention of the artist to have the viewers scan the entire canvas as if it were a battlefield.
I also like the painting that you chose, the picture displayed a variety of colors. One thing that i noticed in that painting is that everyone is smiling, now that was a bit ironic. I figured they were smiling because they were fighting for what they genuinely believed in, and that was enough to die for. The picture displayed all types of action that i would find hard for younger children to lay eyes on, but i didn't get that kind of vibe from it at all. The picture was painted well, and really grabbed the eye of the one viewing it, and this is why i chose to comment on this post.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sincerely Tim Robinson
I am fascinated by history especially in the area of war, since the rise and fall of great empires is something to be remembered. I've never been down to Gettysburg but I've been to Bushy Run before and to hear of the battles is awe-inspiring. Another aspect of war I find interesting is how technology got more and more advanced as wars occurred. I believe this painting portrays the aspect of war really well.
ReplyDeleteThe fierce fighting in the picture shows the horrors that the Haitians had to overcome. And if I remember correctly the painting had the higher ranking soldiers dressed in more elaborate clothing and colors. If I also remember right, the picture is titled the way it is because you can see the head of a commander or something in the center of the picture. Overall I really liked the picture because it displayed the hardships the Haitians had to overcome to gain their freedom.
That whole era was just filled with revolution and war. It was the beginnig of a change in the status quo of the world when the poorer working classes began to rebel against the imperialistic and oppressive upper classes of Europe. The original 13 colonies of the U.S. definitely set the bar for much of the rest of the world.
ReplyDeleteThough I can't pretend to be all that knowledgable about the Haitian Revolution I can say that the people of Haiti probably sought after the sorts of dreams and goals that many people of the time had. Though What I suppose is ironic about the whole deal is that the Haitians rebelled against the French who had power over them. The French not that many years before had also brought about their own successful rebellion against the French aristocracy and under the eventual rule of Napoleon sought out to become imperialistic.