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Being a lover of the arts, and having an insatiable appetite for visual images---I chose this occasion to speak about art. My goal is to enlighten everyone in this room on how art is a non-verbal form of communication. Have you ever wondered what possesses a person to create art? Where do they get their ideas from, or what are they trying to say? One thing is certain, art is an unspoken language of communication. Art can transcend the barriers of race, gender and time. It reflects the world around us, and is not always pleasant. Through the visual arts, artists communicate views on politics, society and religion. First of all, I’ll discuss art and politics. For purposes here I have selected one piece which illustrates both Capitalism and Socialism. (Figure 1.)“Man at the Crossroads” by Diego Rivera, “brought about one of the biggest art scandals of the twentieth century”...states PBS. Diego was commissioned by the Rockefeller’s to paint a mural which would decorate the entrance of the RCA building in New York City. The mural was to represent life under two different governments. Sketches for the mural were made, and they were approved by the Rockefeller’s. On the left side of the mural Capitalism is depicted. In the bottom left of the mural, Diego chose to paint women in evening gowns, and behind them are men in suits. Clearly these images illustrate the fringe benefits one can have in a government run under Capitalistic rule. Whereas, the right side of the mural represents a Socialist government rule.
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