Sometimes the only way to solve a political or social problem is not through the government but rather by the voice of the people. Everyday American citizens are faced with struggles and difficulties which the government and poilitics are held responsible. This graffiti mural of Barack Obama highly suggests that change in the government is essential and critical. Arguing that change cannot come from the government but rather from the people, this quote from Barack Obama effectively convinces Americans to believe and have hope for the future. Using rhetorical strategies of cause and effect and classification and division through a style of graffiti art, the artwork is able to identify several areas of a Democratic government. The emotional use of pathos and the credible strategy of ethos helps understand and support the argument.
The painting was created by artist of the name Koolhats and is currently located at the Sante Fe Art District in Denver, Colorado. The artwork is untitled and displays the current President of the United States, Barack Obama. It is a contemporary piece of artwork that highlights a quote which 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 from the text or quote are highlighted to exaggerate and stress a certain point. The cultural context in this image is very important, for during the period of the election, everyone is involved in a type of way by voting. By making this statement that the people have the ability to make 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 put forth their personal beliefs. As the statement by Barack Obama explains, the people have the “ability” to make those “changes” happen. The artwork helps proves that the changes that do not occur through politics or government, but rather by the Democratic governement and the power of the people.
Graffiti is a style of art that is commonly used to express a certain point of view. In this case, a movement in politics is being subjected. The choice and type of text used in graffiti art is crucial, for the artist needs to establish credibility to the public audience. Each word is outlined or shadowed in black, a typical strategy of many graffiti artists that is used to separate and exploit the words. By underlining the words of "believe", "ability", and "change", the artist has used division to make the works stand out from the others. The artist has used the visual rhetoric of classification and division to arrange and organize the words in such a pattern that makes the text more attractive to the viewer.
When creating graffiti art, the purpose of the artist is to obtain a sense of power and control by creating the mural in a certain space. In order to effectively get a point across and have a way of communicating a message to a group of people for a movement, the space selected shows the meaning or importance. By using public space to convey a meaning, there is openness and visibility to the audience. By making a spatial claim, graffiti artists hide their identity but show possession of the space by creating art. In doing so, graffiti artists receive ethical appeals of credibility, for their acts of power and possession are shown through spatial claim. When claiming a certain space to perform the artwork, the use of ethos is revealed when the author’s authority is noticed. The author has created an identity through the mural and visual rhetoric.
As you analyze the actual image of the graffiti mural rather than the quote, much can be taken from the physical gesture or visual rhetoric of Obama. He possesses a very serious, determined, and focused facial expression that forms a use of pathos. It is an emotional figure that shows a great deal of expression and feelings. His chin is significantly raised, showing there is hope for the future. This is a concept or idea that reaches the audience and more importantly helps convince the argument toward the people. By making the face of Obama unrealistic and lacking detail, it is a strategy of the artist to make the image more abstract. By using visual rhetoric and making the artwork abstract and somewhat unkown, it causes the viewer to think even more and use their imagination.
There is a contrast of colors in the artwork that symbolize what America is currently going through everyday. The diverse use of colors relates back toward the actual skin color of Barack Obama. American has never had an African-American President before, therefore racial issues and disputes are drawn upon now that Barack Obama has been elected as the first black President. Contrasting the colors and using them as a united form proves that people of all races and skin colors can cooperate and join together as a whole. Being elected as the first black President is a very historic and significant event in the nation’s history, an event that may help resolve racism. Using different color choices, especially in the facial region of the skin, is an effective visual rhetoric that helps show that racism and be overcome.
In this graffiti visual rhetoric, the symbolism of red, white, and blue can be interpreted and viewed a representation of the American flag. Relating the colors of the artwork back to the American flag is an outstanding use of pathos. Using appeals that relate to patriotism is a very emotional subject. Having national loyalty and devoting one’s self to the support and defense of one’s country is a very touching topic. Each individual color of the American flag has its own meaning and significance. Red, which is strongly used in the mural, stands for the courage and bravery of the nation. White, used specifically on the lettering and text of the quote, signifies purity and innocence. And finally, blue, used to underline certain words, stands for vigilance, perseverance and justice. This is a very productive use of pathos and color elements, for the audience is able to respond and be receptive in an emotional state of patriotism.
Through the use of various appeals of ethos and pathos, rhetorical strategies are presented to persuade an argument. Additionally, the use of visual rhetoric and exploiting certain elements such as the choice of lettering helps understand a certain message. The graffiti painting and quote from President Barack Obama is a visual image with context that uses these elements to argue a message in that people have the ability to make change happen in the political government. By reaching appeals of authority and emotion, the rhetorical device is successfully able to convince the viewer of the intended message.
Works Cited
"History Part 1." New York City Cyber Bench. 23 November 2008.
www.at149st.com
"Our Flag." Visionary Enterprises. 10 February 2005.
www.usflag.org
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