This post is to talk about my trip to the Missouri State Historical
building. While the class view numerous displays and learned much about the
history behind these works, I found that the artwork tat drew my attention the
most was the Order 11 display. This specific piece stood out to me for a
variety of reasons, some more obvious than others while some were the smallest
details I noticed. The first thing that stood out to me was the sheer size of
this work. The painting's massive size allows the person to fee like they are
watching the event happen in front of their eyes, to be fully submerged in the
world created by this painting. The idea of being a southerner and watching as
their Northern soldiers come through your town, shooting those who stand
against the, burning everything in sight that you held dear and close to you,
and seeing friends, family, and the slaves that served them flee this seem of
unimaginable horror and violence. Some of the more subtle details that caught
my attention was the fact that in several of the people moving in the painting,
from the slaves to the southern planation owners trying to hold on to their
possessions, each one displays a level of intense emotion in their faces. These
emotions range from a possible glee and joy in the soldiers faces, the look of
horror on the southern civilians as they watch their work burn and their loved
ones be gunned down, to the look of fears on the black father and his son as
they leave the scene unsure of their futures. As I look upon these faces,
all I can think about is the deep level of emotional turmoil that existed
during the actual event and how deep of an impact this horrifying even left of
the people of the southern states and in our history as a country and as a
republic.
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