March 1st Korean Independence Movement, 1919, unknown artist

As the Great Korean Empire ended through the annexation by the Japanese Empire in 1910, Korea’s future would soon be met by extreme oppression by the Japanese government and massacre of Korean people for Japanese entertainment. In 1919, the Korean students in Tokyo published a statement demanding freedom from colonization that eventually led to the March 1^st independence movement in Korea. The formal Declaration of Independence framed by thirty three representatives of the Korean people which proclaimed that, “We herewith proclaim the independence of Korea and the liberty of the Korean people. We tell it to the world in witness of the equality of all nations and we pass it on to our posterity as their inherent right…. It is something that cannot be stamped out, or stifled, or gagged, or suppressed by any means.” The Declaration of Independence asked for peaceful liberty from colonization and did not incite acts of vengeance against Japan’s harsh colonial rule. (Yi, Ki-baek. A New History of Korea) However, their thoughts were not heeded and the thirty three representatives were arrested by the Japanese police.

The painting above depicts the scene when the Korean students met at Pagoda Park, holding aloft the Korean flag and shouting, “Tong nip man se!” (Long live Korean independence!) . More than two million Koreans directly participated and these peaceful protests were quickly suppressed by a massacre by the Japanese. The expressions of people in this painting are grim yet strongly resolute in achieving independence. Some are crying out in joy as depicted through the two men on the right side of the painting while many Korean students are clustered on the left side shouting for freedom. There are also various age groups and the equal proportion of men and women which symbolizes the united wish for independence of Korea. One can also see that an old woman fell to the ground, unable to move on, but is helped by a young woman trying to lift her up which signifies collaboration among people to help each other in difficult situations. The viewer can also note the amount of Korean flags that are depicted in the picture that shows the patriotism among the people and the scale of the movement. The artist also used perspective like Emanuel Leutze did above, creating a sense of depth by portraying the people in the front bigger than the people in the back. The depth gives the viewer the great amount of people participating in the movement and the use of the color, white makes it seem that the line goes on to the far distance into the painting.

According to Lim Jong Guk’s “Sil Lok Il pa” there were a total of 1214 protests from March 1^st to April 30^th in 1919. There were 15961 injured, 715 houses destroyed, 47 churches and two schools were closed down. In reality, the numbers in all these categories far exceeded those officially reported. The news of the March Peaceful Independence movement spread throughout the world and influenced future peaceful independence movements around the world, such as Gandhi’s peaceful independence movement in India. (Yi, Ki-baek. A New History of Korea)

Liberty leading the People, Eugène Delacroix,1830

Regarded as the most famous painting by the French Romantic painter, Eugene Delacroix, Liberty leading the people was painted based on the famous French Revolution of 1789 when people of the lower class in France rose up to overthrow the monarchy and establish a constitutional government. As mentioned above, the people of France were extremely dissatisfied with the French monarchy as they were stripped from economic wealth and political rights as French citizens. However, this painting particularly depicts the July Revolution of 1830, which resulted in the abdication of Charles X and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy.

In the painting, Delacroix’s use romantic style during the era is sharply represented through his application of contrasting colors to give out a vibrant impression of energy and movement. For example, his use of blue, white and especially red in the French flag, gives a vivid and electrifying sense against the broad areas of brown and gray in the background that fits well with the subject. (Alam, Nadeem, Ezine Articles)   Other contrasts within the painting are shown through the depiction of figures that fall into two categories: figures that are lying dead in the bottom part of the painting and the dynamic marching figures on the top of the painting. This composition itself denotes the main figure (woman) with the determination of the cause, and the uprising/struggle to achieve it, shown by the strides forward, which have placed her high in the picture. (Alam, Nadeem, Ezine Articles)  The woman is depicted with solidity just like of a man, and yet she is the only figure that is given this sense of significance. This aspect signifies a sense of hope and the beginning of a new change in France while the massive amount of smoke in the background signifies the end of the royal rule of Charles X. In general, the whole impression of the painting seems to lead upwards through the lines that are pointing upwards such as the boy’s pistol on the right and the people who are rising up on the left side. This pyramidal shape puts strong emphasis on the woman figure because she composes the “top” of the pyramid, giving out a sense of her dominance over the dead royal soldiers of France. Aside of the woman herself, it is worth noting her sense of leadership as shown through the lively men behind her. The arms raised in the background and the grim yet determined expressions on the people’s faces show a sense of passion in achieving their purpose in the revolution and their upright stature also conveys a sense of dominance over the dead people. Also the sense of Trinity is applied into the painting as the number three seems to represent the number of colors in the flag, the three guns that are held by the activists, the formation of a triangle of the painting and the wooden pieces on the bottom right are also three in number which bore the name of the painter and the year of the painting. (Alam, Nadeem, Ezine Articles)  

As the viewer’s eyes naturally move upward in the painting, one can note the gradual change of colors from down to top. The dark colors on the bottom is used to represent the gloomy situation of current France while the colors of the top signify the amount of energy put in for the  possibility of liberty from chaos that could be achieved through this revolution.

Egyptian Revolution of 2011

The Egyptian Revolution in January 25 of 2011 is one of the most recent revolutions regarding government corruption in the modern world. The protest was originally meant to be a peaceful movement requiring the end of government corruption and liberation of human political rights. There were various labor strikes and some violent demonstrations as security forces and the protestors clashed. The causes of the uprisings varied as the protestors required freedom of speech, the resigning of the Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak and the improvement of the Egyptian economy that was greatly hindered by the government’s uncontrollable corruption.

The picture above took place in Cairo’s Tahrir Square where approximately two million protestors gathered and required the president to step down. Police brutality among this peaceful protest was an issue that sparked more citizens to rely on violence to go against the government. The police shot rubber bullets to people and threw gas bombs to haze the protestors. As this caught international attention, the government tried to block internet and all forms of communication to disallow any information from going out of the country. However, the protestors somehow found a way to catch international attention and as the protests grew, President Hosni Mubarak stepped down from the pressures and the military took over claiming that it will hold control until the next election day arrived.

The photographer has purposefully taken the photo from above to give the viewer a sense of how grand in scale two million people are. Although it is nighttime, this photographer has incorporated the lights in a way that it conveys energy among the crowds and he/she effectively show the liveliness of the protest. Although the viewer cannot see individual action within the photo, it tells in a general sense of how the Egyptian people protested. Also there is a sense of perspective in which as the viewer looks on to the middle of the painting, the roads and the people seem to converge which gives a sense of endless depth. The bright lights seem to illuminate the whole sky which might symbolize the bright future of Egypt against the gloomy darkness that is looming over Egypt currently. The fact that the light is coming out from the citizens, may represent unity as a whole and that two million protestors gathered in this square tells the viewers that there is something that they are all dissatisfied with the government unanimously.

The success of the Egyptian revolution served as an inspiration for protests in other Arab countries such as Yemen, Bahrain and Libya. Through this picture, it seems that more and more countries are seeking liberty and freedom from the corrupted governments and bring a positive change in their respective countries.

Washington crossing the Delaware, Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, 1851

A German artist Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze who was raised up in America painted Washington crossing the Delaware in Dusseldorf, Germany around 1851. Leutze examined the uniforms and the sword of Washington and carefully studied the paintings/sculptures that were done during Washington’s lifetime. ("George Washington Crossing the Delaware, Metropolitan Museum) Despite his intensive studies, he painted this with a romantic style that led to some historical inaccuracies, but managed to emphasize Washington as the dominant figure in the painting. The painting depicts Washington and the men of the Continental Army crossing the Delaware River on a Christmas night in 1776 to launch a surprise attack on the Hessian Troops of Great Britain in Trenton, New Jersey. Their eventual victory led to subsequent victories in Princeton and the revival of Washington’s army. The French, who were willing to see Great Britain lose its colony in America, and the disintegration of Britain’s empire in America, provided the American army with supplies, which were also crucial in the American Revolution. In the end, the American Revolution ended in 1783 with the Treaty of Paris, with America being freed from British colonization.

In this painting, Leutze uses perspective, a skill that allows the painter to create depth within a 2d surface through the depiction of the soldiers with various sizes according to distance. For example, Leutze painted the soldiers in the foreground boat significantly bigger than the soldiers in the background boat, which creates the illusion that the painting is moving out forward. ("George Washington Crossing the Delaware, Metropolitan Museum) In addition, the contrast between his use of brighter colors for the soldiers in the foreground and the use of dull colors for the soldiers in the background also adds a sense of 3 d in the painting. Influenced strongly by realism, Leutze wanted to depict the picture as it would look like in real life; the use of “atmospheric perspective” in which he made the faraway boats fade in the distance as it would in real nature. ("George Washington Crossing the Delaware, Metropolitan Museum) Given the fact that the British defeated the Americans before this battle, leaving the Americans with extremely low morale, George Washington is erect and determined in stature as if he has full confidence in defeating the British. By emphasizing his stature with the color of red that easily attracts the attention of the viewer’s eye, this conveys hope and Washington’s determination in gaining liberty from British colonization of America despite the obstacles. The moving flag next to Washington adds a sense of motion in the painting and its upright stature symbolizes the dominance of Americans and the eventual liberty that the Americans would achieve a few years later. One can notice that red is not used in the background because it is insignificant compared to the foreground and the use of red emphasizes the importance of Washington in the picture.

There are some controversies on its historical inaccuracies. For example, the time when the surprise attack was carried was during Christmas night when the weather was harsh and even snowing; technically, the mood was supposed to be dark and soldiers must have looked reluctant as well due to the weather. Also, it was known that it was extremely dangerous to stand on those type of boats because they were extremely unstable on the waters of the Delaware River. However, it can be interpreted that Leutze purposefully disregarded the historical accuracies to represent the glory of the Battle of Trenton. Through, his use of light in the skies, it conveys a sense of hope from a world of darkness and that Washington would be the one bringing the light to the American revolutionaries against the British. Although, it may have been dangerous to stand in the boat, it also shows that without any risks there would be no achievements. Through Washington’s strong resolution, it seems like he is an inspiration for the other men in the boat.

The Death of Marat, Jaques Louis David, 1793

The French revolution marked a period when France was undergoing harsh economic pressures caused by a corrupt government, Louis XVI. King Louis and his wife Marie Antoinette lived lavishly off of people’s taxes and exorbitantly raised the taxes whenever the king felt like it. The situation became worse as a drought plagued the farmland for months, leaving the people with nothing to eat. Immense dissatisfaction against the king rose and as the king denied the power of the third estate (which comprised of most of the citizens), this ultimately led to the French revolution in 1789, initiated with the storming of Bastille. Radicals took control of the revolution and among the most powerful radical parties was the Jacobins. Among its leaders were Jean Paul Marat and Georges Danton. Under the Jacobin influence, the revolutionaries executed King Louis XVI by the guillotine and started war against the first coalition which included Great Britain, the Netherlands and Spain; the revolution improved nothing in France.

This painting, “Marat assassinated" by Jacques Louis David, depicts the moment after Marat was assassinated in his bathtub at the hands of Charlotte Corday, who was a supporter of a different party known as the Girondins. It was known that Marat suffered from severe skin, for which he had to dip his body in a medicinal bathtub at home. However he had to retire and his influence began to decline. David depicts the death of Marat in a holy way instead of a brutal way. One can notice the complacent expression in Marat’s face and the fine texture of sin making it seem heroic, while yet keeping to the actual details of a police record. (Gombrich, p485) It is known that French revolutionaries loved to think of themselves as Greeks and Roman descents, and so they liked to reflect the “Roman” taste in their artworks.  Through his experience with neo classical style of painting and the study of both Greek and roman sculpture, David was able to depict the texture of muscles and sinews of the body adding on to the beauty of the heroic painting. (Gombrich, p 485) David did not use various colors to represent the overall effect of the painting, but rather used the beauty of simplicity. It can be noted that there are not any particular colors that stand out except the dark effect that the painting provokes to the viewer’s eyes. Therefore, there is no complicated foreshortening except the austerity of the painting.

Honors component: Let us not take Liberty for granted

Works Cited

1.      Alam, Nadeem. "Critical Analysis: Liberty Leading The People, A Painting By Delacroix." Ezine Articles. Web. <http://ezinearticles.com/?Critical-Analysis:-Liberty-Leading-The-People,-A-Painting-By-Delacroix&id=423142>.

2.      Gombrich, E. H. The Story of Art. London: Phaidon [distributed by Praeger, New York, 1972. Print.

3.      "George Washington Crossing the Delaware | Explore & Learn | The Metropolitan Museum of Art." The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: Metmuseum.org. Web. 10 May 2011. <http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/gw/el_gw_sub4.htm>.

4.      Pijet, Andre. "Delacroix’s Painting Liberty Leading the People | Andre Pijet." Andre Pijet | Artist's Official Website | Artwork Portfolio. Web. 10 May 2011. <http://pijet.com/2009/03/21/delacroixs-painting-libertyleading-the-people/>.

5.      Yi, Ki-baek. A New History of Korea. Cambridge, MA: Published for the Harvard-Yenching Institute by Harvard UP, 1984. Print.

Link to Albert's blog

In this blog, Albert relates some examples to some incidences in which the minorities rose up to fight for their freedom/rights. Ranging from discrimination to governmental oppression, each group had one, unanimous goal: to achieve liberty and human rights. In Martin Luther King’s speech, “I have a dream”, King emphasizes the importance of the abolishment of racial discrimination through repetition of various phrases such as, “Let freedom ring.” The next example relates to a book, “Speechless” in which it conveys the voices of other oppressed women in the world. “The Burmese Monk” depicts the violation of civil rights among Burmese people since the army overthrew the democratic government in 1982. As the military tried to break up the people by destroying Burmese mosques and churches, Shepard Fairey (painter) depicted the figure of a monk to symbolize peace. “Liberty leading the people” by Eugene Delacroix, depicts the fight for freedom during the French Revolution when French citizens were continually oppressed from their rights. The woman in the middle is represented as the dominant figure who is trying to lead the people to absolute freedom and bring a new change into the world. His final piece, “The Chinese People’s Liberation Army is the great school of Mao Zedong thought,” is a propaganda poster during Mao’s reign in China. This was one of the many propaganda posters in which Mao limited free speech and thought of other people, and this poster effectively represents totalitarianism in China. People were sent to concentration camps if they opposed Mao’s thoughts while the poster conveys the idea that Mao is a “good” leader of the people.

Link to Kevin's blog

Revolutions are necessary to bring change among people and free the people from government oppression. In Kevin’s blog, the artworks by Picasso, Delacroix, Archibald Willard, and other photos all represent the violent revolution that each country had to go through to eventually bring the people to freedom and peace. The first artwork, “Guernica” by Pablo Picasso represents Hitler’s dominant control of the minority through bombing small villages in the Spanish Civil War. Many people in the bombing died, and through this artwork, it is criticizing utter destruction of a war. The next artwork is “Liberty leading the People” by Delacroix. As mentioned above, the French people had risen up against the French government to fight for freedom and through this picture, Delacroix depicts the victory of the people. “The Spirit of ’76” was painted by Archibald Willard who tried to represent American complete independence from the British. The three people in the front are cheering happily while the dead British soldiers on the foreground represent American’s freedom after the American Revolution. The next piece is a Russian propaganda poster during the Russian October Revolution (1918-1922) Similar to Mao’s propaganda poster in Albert’s blog, this was used to brainwash people into believing that the government always helps the people while limiting independent thoughts on the government. The final work is a photo, “ Tank Man”  by Jeff Widener who tried to represent the Chinese government’s use of extreme methods to extinguish people’s free speech. Through the use of military and tanks, the government forced soldiers to kill the revolutionaries and extinguish the revolution for change/liberty.