The Human Struggle: The Memorial to Iwo Jima

The sculpture of the Iwo Jima memorial to me embodies human struggle. The sulpture is of soldiers in combat that uniting to raise the American flag. The reason that i see this as human struggle is because it marks an an ending to a hard fought war to end oppression. It not only embodies the American people, but all people that fought, died, hoped, and dreamed for the end of tyranny and cruelty and europe. This to me a symbol of what people can do if they band together for the right reasons bring about change and freedom.

Dance? What would a male college student know about dance?

I've got to say there probably isn't much that most male college students could say about dance as an art form. However in my Sr. Year of high school several of the other seniors on the wrestling team and myself decided to take an introduction to dance class as a funny way to finish off our credits. I can tell you personally that none of our "moves" improved as a result of taking this class but I did surprisingly learn to appreciate dance more than I had ever thought I would. At about the same time I started taking dance i also began dating a dancer. She was involved in not only the dance team but in our schools dance company aswell. Alot of her world revolved around dancing and I was exposed to much of it. I went from never being involved with dance to being thrust into ballet, modern, and and hip-hop all at once. Through my experiences I have truly come to see dance as a beautiful as well as extermly difficult art form. It requires the strength and stamina of a sport combined with the grace and individuality of art. It is truly a uniqe thing to behold if you open your mind to accept it.

Art Education in Schools?

Art education in schools. First one must ask themselves is there really such a thing. I had a mandatory art class once a week until the end of eighth grade. Now i can honestly say that almost 6 years later that I remember very little of it. Art education in high school, while being more instructive and rigorous, is completely optional. While I understand that it is and should be a freedom for a student to choose his studies I do believe that some arts should be required to graduate from high school. Much of high school life is consumed with left brained activities. To quote my art teacher that is only teaching half of your brain. I believe that high school as well as middle and grade school education should be more balanced in order to more evenly educate the students. It is the job and the responsibility of our education system to teach students to the best of its ability and without art education I do not believe this is possible.

I Know What Art Is.

I know what art is not because I'm more intelligent than anyone else or because I'm an educated intellectual. The fact of the matter is that art is perceived by different people differently. One person may look at one piece and see lines while another person sees the same piece and sees something completely different. To me art is colorful, unique, and meaningful. However again I may see something where another doesn't and vice versa. Art is completely subjective and this is why it is beautiful. It is a pure form of expression. Although everyone may not think that your work is beautiful or even well done, there will be someone who understands or at least thinks they understand where you are coming from. Art is not corrupted by the opinions of others thus it is the most pure form of expression.

My Favorite artist, not an easy thing to decide.

There are so many brilliant artists out there that it is very difficult for me to just pick one out right. In light of this I have decided to narrow it down to a select few. Van Gogh has been one of my favorite artist since I was a child. When i was young my parents and I went to the High Museum of Art. My mom purchased a Starry Night poster that I had on my wall for many years. I think I appreciate him not just because of his art work but because of the difficult life that he lead. He was faced with many difficulties in his life and was not well recognized until after his death like so many great artist. Two of my other favorite artist have to be Leonardo Da vinci and Michelangelo. Michelangelo's statue of Davis is by far one of my favorites.