Wait, WHAT ?

  In spite of how cliché it sounds, going to an art museum over the weekend completely changed my perspective on fine art. In preparation for my cousin's 23rd birthday party in Midtown, at Bounce sporting club, I decided to stop everyone at ACA Gallery as we were all wandering around the city. Since we were all together, I informed them that I needed to visit a museum for a “class project.” At first, it was a hassle to convince them to go, because who would go into an art gallery museum, but with my persuasive skills, I successfully achieved the impossible.

When we walked inside, we immediately noticed a canvas depicting the American flag. Initially, I sang the national anthem, then everyone else joined in, but as we approached the artwork, all voices fell silent.

"Flag for the Moon" was the title of the art by Faith Ringgold. At first glance, it looks like a portrait of the American flag, but the word "DIE" has been incorporated under the stars, and the white and red stripes have been replaced with broken lines spelling out the word "NIGGER". Although at first we were discouraged, when one of the workers explained the true meaning, it became apparent that it was everyone's first thought to think it was a normal American flag so it was just considered "normal" for what he had done. This immediately reminded me of ​​Vonnegut's reading, specifically his viewpoint on the war.

Through satirical writing, Vonnegut expresses the effects of war on people while expressing his anti-war beliefs in Slaughterhouse-Five. In spite of this, he does not let it appear that he is expressing himself completely. Instead, he allows us to gain a better understanding of what he is trying to convey. Vonnegut, for instance, often used the saying "so it goes" after any sudden death. According to him, things like death are things one cannot change or prevent from happening, otherwise known as a "Such is life" situation. As a reader, I found it extremely ironic why someone would keep mentioning that saying after someone had died. Rather he should say something like “Rest In Piece” right? As previously discussed, it is an anti-war book, so in the end, he felt it really affected him by basically stating that war is inevitable and one should not take part in it regardless of how it makes one feel superior to others. 

In turn, this sense of irony connects with the painting as well. Traditionally, the American flag represents freedom, independence, valor, purity, and loyalty. According to our guide, the artwork critiques American racism at the end of the Civil Rights Movement from the perspective of African Americans. When that was said I said to myself “that is not what our flag resembles”. This piece of art was created by Faith Ringgold because colored people still fought for justice after the civil rights movement. That was her hidden message under the piece of Ironic artwork.

As a whole, both authors convey a message using an ironic tone and a dark sense of humor. The difference between Vonnegut and Ringgold is that Vonnegut allows us to mentally think about it mentally, whereas Ringgold allows us to visually see it. It is interesting to note that both authors presented a similar structure for how someone should observe something. The more I read Vonnegut, the more I wondered whether he was a lunatic, and the more I saw Ringgold's fine art, the more I wondered why anyone would do such a thing. Which led me to conclude that a saying or painting always has a deeper meaning than what you think.