RA 6, Visual Art

http://cfac.byu.edu/uploads/RTEmagicC_8d66579a21.jpg.jpg

This painting is "No place to go" by Maynard Dixon, from 1935.

I saw this painting in a section about American History at the Museum of Art at BYU. It was painted during the Great Depression, so it's pretty important to understand what kind of audience it was directed towards. Most of the people in the country had very little money, as there were few jobs. I imagine that most people were just searching for a way to make ends meet.

The man in this picture is carrying a sack over his shoulder. He's clearly trying to find a new home. What he has with him is probably all that he owns. However the clothes he's wearing don't seem to me as the kind of clothes someone wears when going on a long hike like he is. They're more like worker's clothes. I would interpret that as meaning he was recently a worker and has left that life to search for something new, but hasn't found anything.

The fence he's leaning up against stretches on both sides for as far as we can see. It represents a kind of prison keeping him from going further. Although he could easily go through it or over it, I think its main purpose is its representation of the end of the line. He's come as far as he could, and he didn't find what he was looking for.

I think the background carries a similar theme. I'm not completely sure but it looks to me like an ocean. When I see an open sea and a horizon like that it makes me think of freedom. However, his way to the sea and freedom is blocked by the mountains.

Also, the landscape that he's in is very dead. Other than the ugly grass, there isn't a living thing anywhere. No trees, or flowers, or any kind of animals. There isn't even any shade. This clearly isn't a place he wants to stay.

For all these reasons, I think the painting is portraying the emotion people had that they're searching for a way to get out of the situation they're in, but they really don't have anywhere to go.