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psytokine_storm t1_j5rhn9d wrote

I know nothing about the artist (and very little about art), but is this just an idealized composition of groups of people who were exploited for the “expansion” of America?

I see Black, indigenous, Asian and ?Irish? represented.

What else is there to see?

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valkyriii t1_j5s13lo wrote

I could be totally wrong so don’t quote me on this, but I remember seeing this posted before and this was a note on the candles and the Irish woman:

The Irish woman is not shielding her candle and is now able to let her flame burn openly, while the others are still protecting theirs. I think this was a really cool detail and wanted to share.

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grumbledork t1_j5uew3v wrote

this is correct. Notice also that she is collared, but still holds a superior air to herself. It speaks on how eventually the irish were eventually truly considered “white” when they lost much of their cultural roots and were folded into the white protestant hegemony. This is one of my favorite pieces of his for me, it’s so intense to read!

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PlatinumPOS t1_j5sis5k wrote

I took the people to each represent continents - Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas. So, I don’t see “Irish” as much as I see “European”. I took the theme to be showing how similar and connected we all are (via the thread).

The hint of colonialism / exploitation I see is that the European woman is holding her candle (representing culture) without fear, while the other 3 are cautiously protecting theirs, having dealt with attempts by others to extinguish them.

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Stella-cloud t1_j5s9mar wrote

I think it could be tying together ideologies/mythologies across specific cultures that are far from one another but actually hold similar myths-which lends support to the idea of universal truth across humanity by spontaneous development. Right when I saw it I read as a nod to the myth of the sacred hoop/medicine wheel (Sioux) that speaks on the interconnection of everything in the universe, old Celtic myth uses four directions as well to symbolize the connection of mind/body/soul/heart in tandem w elemental ideas.

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