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comment by kleinbl00
kleinbl00  ·  4018 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Does this picture make you uncomfortable? Why or why not?

Art doesn't have to have symbolism, but if you're going for that, you'd best get it right.

1) I can almost guarantee the bodies are from Auschwitz or another concentration camp. That makes them Jews, Poles, Gypsies, homosexuals, the mentally and physically retarded, etc.

2) The stars and colors suggest the American flag, less so the Liberian flag.

3) The kid is of indeterminate gender and age; if it's an image I'm supposed to know, I don't. He or she appears to be touching said stars, possibly pulling one down.

The strikingly obvious thing is the kid standing on the bodies. Problem being, the United States fought hard against the Nazis. If we're trying to represent Liberia, it's pretty off-base to use Jews to do it.

So what we're left with is the message "America is great for our children because of the Holocaust."

…which, uhm, okay. It's a novel perspective, and by "novel" I mean "incorrect."

You wanna see how to make the point this image is trying to make? Wanna see it done by pros?

Drink deep.

This isn't picture doesn't make me uncomfortable because it's a ham-handed, sophomoric attempt at symbolism. It's why most art students never go into art.