Banksy's work : Burning Stars and Stripes, It uses a simple expression as usual for him, but it seems that straightforward interpretation is not possible due to some strange accessories. Think about what it means.
- Is the candle fire an emotion of protest of the colored race that has been oppressed?
- The meaning of the five burned candles
- Meaning of dead flowers
- The meaning of the state that has just ignited
- The meaning of the state that has just ignited
- This work is evaluated with the times
Is the candle fire an emotion of protest of the colored race that has been oppressed?
It is possible to think that the flame of a candle near the portrait of the victim is the activity of people who oppose discrimination, which is just beginning. This flame burns the American flag. This burning flag might be a symbol of the present America.
The meaning of the five burned candles
The parts of this work are strange. In addition to the burning candle on the right, five candles that are to have burned out are drawn. In particular, the rightmost one of them is longer amount of wax remaining than the other four. It seems to still be able to light the fire. These unlit candles will have some meaning. This has been such a problem many times in the past, but it has not reached the point where the American flag is set on fire. However, at this time, it can be considered that it finally became a catalyst to revise the essence of the American system. With that in mind, the burned out candles may be similar events to date. And American people's awareness of these cases was different in each case. You can think of it as the remaining amount of candles. In that case, the person on the portrait is not one person. The candle at the far left is a little less than the others, but the core is gone. Considering the reason why there are differences in expression among multiple candles, it is thought that each candle can be applied to the actual individual case of racism in the United States, but unfortunately I do not have that knowledge, so I can't mention enough.
Meaning of dead flowers
There are withered flowers to the left of the portrait. This would correspond to the burned out candles mentioned above. After all, the candles and flowers are a set, and it can be said that it hints at past examples or repeated demonstrations.
The meaning of the state that has just ignited
This work. The fire of the Stars and Stripes has just come on. Being a flag, it will burn out instantly after this. In other words, this painting is a cut-out of the moment, and the situation has already changed by the time this work was released, and it has changed over time. This fire can be interpreted as indicating that such protests proceed without stopping.
The meaning of the state that has just ignited
Because this is just a flag, it will burn out instantly. In other words, this painting is a cut-out of the moment, and the situation has already changed by the time when this work was released, and it has changed over time. This fire can be interpreted as indicating that such protests proceed without stopping.Will America return to normal? Do you want to proceed?
Burned out candles that would represent past events. I wonder if this George Floyd's case will be burned out like in the past, and will not change the American system. Or this time, will we go further than before? It can be said that this work depicts the future by cutting out a moment in such a flow of time.
This work is evaluated with the times
When we will look back at this work 1year or 10 years later, we are reminded of the reality of racism in the United States. What did it mean the fire lit up against the racism in the United States in 2020? And the evaluation of Banksy's work will change with the deepening efforts of the American discrimination problem. It is truly contemporary art.
