What do you see going on in this work of art? Is there a story depicted?

The woman is enslaved and her statue depicts a fight for independence, one that is universal across different cultures and different points in history. This one in particular seems to be referring to the struggle for Greek independence but was reinterpreted and reused throughout history as a symbol for the fight of freedom.

What different visual elements (ie: line, color, light, proportions, scale, composition, media type etc.) do you notice, and how do they help you make sense of the artwork?

We focused specifically on the silhouette falling behind the statue onto the wall, which happens to fall immediately next to the description of the sculpture, creating two pieces of art manifested in one. She is looking away from her wrists, trying to overcome her slavery.

What choices do you think the museum made about the object’s display?

We think the museum made the deliberate choice of placing the light directly in front and above the statue so that the dhadow of it is outlined directly on the museum wall in a way that allows us to intepret the art in a new way. We get to see how the symbols of freedom have silhouettes that extend beyond just their point of history and whose impacts cascade down for centuries.

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