The Soiling Of Old Glory Analysis

Upon visiting the Jack Shainman Gallery, I was captivated by a light installation piece of art made from a famous photograph. The name of the photograph is called “The Soiling of Old Glory” by Stanley Forman. This picture is a Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph taken in Boston during a riot in front of a courthouse in 1976 (Highbrow). The exhibition I chose to study belongs to Hank Willis Thomas and is called What We Ask Is Simple. Just with reading the name alone I was intrigued. To view this image you as a viewer would have to step into the photograph and use your flash on your camera to view the photograph. According to Thomas, this is so “the viewer can step into the role of the image maker.” Hank Willis Thomas is a conceptual artist. Thomas was born in New Jersey and currently recides and works out of Brooklyn, NY (Shainman). Thomas focuses on themes related to perspective identity, commodity, media, and popular culture (Shainman). Thomas also focuses his research on protests in countries like Africa, North America, and Europe who are fighting …show more content…
If Hank Willis Thomas was trying to get a message across, he did so with success. At first, I was a bit confused when I stood in front of the image, then a sign a said: “Do not be afraid to use your flash photography.” Upon turning on my iPhone camera light I was taken back. Here is this huge dark installation that at first glance appears to be just black come to life. This famous photograph brought out so many different dark emotions. The darkness of the installation was like a setup of the dark mood of the photograph you were about to view. In big bold black and white lighting, you see this photo of social injustice staring back at you. At first, you experience shock, then you feel a sense of understanding, and after a few moments of pensive thinking, this piece of art makes you realize that society really hasn’t changed one bit. I thought it was