Essay On The American Flag

Over the years, the American flag has served as a symbol of our nation’s unity. With its 13 stripes representing the 13 Britain colonies that declared independence from Great Britain and became the first states of the Union, its 50 stars representing its 50 states, the white color representing our purity and innocence, the red color representing its valor and bravery, and the blue color representing the vigilance, perseverance and justice, the U.S. flag stands as a symbol of liberty, freedom, and the rights for all citizens. Although some hold the flag as a sacred symbol, there are some artist that have had a modest estimation for it expressed through their artwork. Jasper John created Three Flags in 1958 at a time in which the nation was

Dread Scott created What is the Proper Way to Display a U.S. Flag? in 1988 and it has turned into one of the most controversial artworks that had addressed the politics surrounding the flag. The work consists of a 34 x 57-inch American flag laid on the floor beneath photographs of flag draped coffins and South Koreans burning the flag, and beneath the photograph there was a ledger in which viewers were asked to record their opinions. Although Scott claimed that the flag cost $3.95 and was made in Taiwan, the flag became a barrier to the freedom of expression it was meant to defend. The problem wasn’t that the flag was on the floor, but that it was difficult to write in the ledger without having to step on the flag, which to many, this is viewed as something disrespectful. This art makes many question― is our freedom of speech really worth stepping on the U.S. flag? Andy Warhol’s Race Riot in 1963 shows the events of May 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama in which police commissioner, Bull Connor used attack dogs and fire hoses to eject civil rights demonstrators led by Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. His artwork includes 4 comprising canvases (1 white, 1 blue, and 2 red) with a repeated image of 2 Birmingham policemen setting their attack dogs on alone. This art represents that a way of isolating the images is by using repetition and with it, it deepens our understanding of its meaning and