Painting patriotic pride

Art Business News, July, 2005 by Susanne Casgar

Patriotism is a word that means many different things to different people. As Americans, our Independence Day is a time when we celebrate our cultural diversity and our allegiance to our nation, justice and humanity at large.

Joe Jancsurak's cover story this month,"Patriotic Art Becomes a 'Melting Pot,'" illustrates that our featured artists are motivated in many different ways when they express their patriotism through their art. In the article, there are many references to 9/11 ... the day that will forever serve to evoke special and painful memories and stories, and for many, a renewed allegiance to the country that we call home.

I may possibly appreciate my American citizenship a little more than my friends and acquaintances because I am an immigrant. I came to America from South Wales with my parents and brother when I was a small child, and became a naturalized American citizen when I was 18.

My family left the dock and passenger ship terminal in Southampton, England, on the Cunard ship, "Georgic," on a cool, sunny October day in 1954. The "Georgic" had been bombed and burned when it was used as a troop ship during World War II, and was later salvaged after the war to serve as a passenger ship for the North Atlantic crossings for the Cunard Steamship Line. The rough crossing in the cold and choppy waters from the U.K. to the shores of North America took 10 days.

Finally, we docked temporarily in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Basking in the sunshine on one of the upper decks, we noticed that crew members were securing the deck chairs with ropes to the sides of the ship. When my Dad asked one of the deck hands why they were doing that, he said that it was because they were expecting some "bad weather" on the final leg of our journey down the East Coast of North America to New York City. The "bad weather" turned out to be "Hurricane Hazel," a menacing storm and one of the few hurricanes to hit the East Coast of the United States and Canada. My parents rode out the storm in a lounge on an upper deck as we proceeded down the coast, while my brother and I slept through the entire ordeal in our cabin below. Our parents ran down regularly to check on us. Fighting against sea sickness was a constant battle for the four of us, and various locations on the ship were more stable and had less rocking motion than others.

At 6:30 the next morning, the seas were finally calm, and we pulled into the port of New York, but only after our parents aroused us from a deep sleep to see the Statue of Liberty as we passed by. It was a moment that I will never forget. My love for America was born at that moment, and my patriotism grew with my loyalty to my new land.

Artists are fortunate to be able to express their feelings and emotions in their art. Patriotic art and sculpture are available in every medium and style, and can be ceremonial, whimsical, traditional, abstract and Surrealistic. You can see various examples of creativity in this issue. The artists' love of country is expressed in their own translations of patriotism whether it be a landscape with an American flag flying in front of someone's home, or a figurative portrait of a president. Unusual representations of patriotism are shown, but an understanding of patriotism is necessary to fully appreciate the works. And how the images are interpreted varies greatly.

So won't you let us know what you think of the patriotic images shown in this month's issue? And while you're at it, tell us what you consider to be your favorite piece of patriotic art, which may not be represented in this issue. We will look forward to hearing from you.

Happy 4th of July,