Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Booker T. Washington ladder


I think that this piece of art entitled "Booker T. Washington Ladder" done by Martin Puryear is one of the most interesting pieces of art I have ever seen. What makes this piece so appealing is its so called artificial perspective, making the ladder appear to go into space faster and more so than it actually does. The actual ladder is about 36 feet long but in its appearance to the eye seems as though it is much taller than that. The reasoning for the name of the ladder being the "Booker T. Washington ladder" is due to the the gradual route and upward progress that blacks undertook in the 19th century which Booker T. Washington strongly encouraged, and is symbolically reflected with the ladder.

1 comment:

  1. This is a really good example of art that does not look artistic upon first glance. It looks like a ladder and just that. Later, only after learning of the background of the project does its structure, name and appeal seem artistically significant.

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