by: Karen Li, Jackie Li, Emily Burrag, Alisa Mizukami
Some analysis we did in the conversation are historical context, interrogation, formal properties, and artist intention. The historical context of the manifest destiny guided our interpretation of the artwork, because we understood why the location was a forest, and why there were so many people that were painted in the background. We also interpreted some imagery as a symbol for god, or hope for the future because we knew that the manifest destiny dealt with such subject matters. We also discussed the different formal qualities, including contrast of color between the forest and the sky, and the composition of the painting that guides the viewer from one aspect of the painting to another. The emotions that were evoked were also sadness, due to the desolate nature of the painting.
We covered most of the basic analysis, however we did not discuss much of the artist's intention. If we had more time, we would have liked to discuss what the artist might have wanted to convey in this specific painting, as opposed to some of the other paintings that also depict the manifest destiny.
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