Major confrontations as the signs of a shift in cultural perspectives and attitudes have always defined the development of art, the Vietnam War being one of the infamous examples of the phenomenon. Its effects were reflected in countless artworks, including painting, sculpture, and architecture, to name just a few. Maya Lin’s artistic legacy takes a vital place in the pantheon of art pieces that have been created as a cultural response to the Vietnam War. However, despite the innocent intention of honoring everyone who died in the Vietnam War, the memorial as an art piece and a cultural legacy has faced stark criticism (“Maya Lin and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial”). Although the artwork has been established as apolitical quite unambiguously, several people continue to seek out political messages in it, which leads to the misrepresentation of the initial positive message.
Thus, the issues of social unrest and the spirit of freedom that people manage to uphold during oppression and war, as well as the impact of the latter two on art, have been reflected in the memorial and the response to it quite clearly. The specified phenomenon affects one as a designer to a significant degree since it imposes limitations on creative expression as artists fear unintentionally creating an ambiguous art piece. Although, as a jewelry designer, one might consider oneself removed from the specified argument, the limitations forced upon art trickle into the specified area as well. For example, the cost of the materials for an art piece may be deemed as inconsistent with the message that it tries to purport. In addition, the symbolism of specific materials, namely, gemstones, may create controversy, especially in a multicultural context, where different materials may be symbolic of strikingly different notions. Thus, it is important to support freedom of artistic expression and incorporate an artist’s intentions into its analysis.
Work Cited
“Maya Lin and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.” EverydayCitizen.com, 2006, Web.