21st Century Art Image

This mural of Barack Obama was painted by an artist named Koolhats and is located at the Sante Fe Art District in Denver, Colorado. The artwork is untitled. The art district features more than 40 galleries and also has shops and restaurants. There is everything from traditional art to contemporary and emerging art, including painting, sculpture, photography, mixed media, graphic art, and textiles.

This piece of artwork displays the now elected President of the United states of America, Barack Obama. It is a contemporary piece of artwork that highlights a quote that directly relates back to the people. "I'm asking you not to believe in my ability to bring out the real change in Washington. I'm asking you to believe in yours." Notice certain words of the quote are highlighted to exaggerate or stress a certain point. The cultural context in this image is very important, for during the time of the election, everyone is directly involved in a type of way. By making this statement that the people have the ability to makes those changes happen, it encourages people to become more active and participate in voting. By voting as Americans, people can fulfill their most upright duty as an American citizen and vote and put forth their beliefs. As the statment by Barack explains, the people have the "ability" to make those "changes" happen. This proves that the changes that do not occur through politics or government, but rather by the deomcratic government and the power of the people.

As you analyze the actual image of the mural rather than the quote, much can be taken from the physical gesture of Obama. He possesses a very serious, determined and focused facial expression. His chin is significantly raised, showing there is hope for the future. There is a contrast of colors in this artwork that symbolize what American is going through. The diverse colors prove that people of all kinds of racism can now be united as one. Being elected as the first African-American President is a very significant even in our country's history. Using many colors especially in the facial region is an effective strategy to prove that racism can be resolved.