Art with Impact
I believe every person has been impacted in their lives by art. Every art piece has
meaning behind it, with some being a historical reference. In this essay, I will be using
Washington Crossing the Delaware, The Memorial Wall of Names, and the Three Servicemen
Statue. These three works of art are different forms of visual art, and each are memorials of
American wars.
Throughout my educational career, I have always enjoyed history, more specifically
American history. A magnificent example of visual art is Washington Crossing the Delaware by
Emanuel Leutze. Painted in 1851, it is now on display at The Met Fifth Avenue in gallery 750.
The oil painting’s subject matter is George Washington and his soldiers rowing a boat
across the Delaware. The painting is currently on display, impacting its audience at The Met.
This painting has impacted me because it shows our history, as Americans. George Washington
had a huge impact on the Revolutionary War. Without Washington, the United States may not
exist today. The scene shown in this painting was the beginning of a turning point of the
Revolutionary War. Washington took the Continental Army across the Delaware to the Battle of
Trenton. The victory of this battle caused a much-needed morale increase during the war. This
work relates to my spiritual growth by making me have a deeper connection with our history.
The Revolutionary War is our history, not just mine.
This image is of The Memorial Wall of Names, located in the Asan Bay Overlook at the
War in the Pacific National Historical Park in Guam. This piece of art is an example of
architecture, a form of visual art. The wall was constructed after World War II. The wall is
similar to that of the Vietnam Memorial Wall containing names of the fallen servicemen in the
Vietnam War.
The subject matter of The Memorial Wall of Names is each name. There are 16,142
names on the wall. The names are those of men and women who were U.S. service members,
Guatemalans who died, and Guatemalans who suffered during the enemy occupation of Guam.
This piece of architecture impacts me because it is one of many wars in our nation’s history and
if we were to go back in time and change the outcome of any war, it would alter what this
country is today. World War II was the most horrific war the world has seen. During the entirety
of the war, the world lost between 70 and 85 million lives between soldiers and civilians. This
memorial relates to my spirit growth because I hope that God prevents future wars.
This image is of the Three Servicemen Statue at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial located
in Washington DC. The statue was created by Fredrick Hart and added to the memorial on
Veterans Day, November 11, 1984. The statue is a representation of sculpture, a form of visual
art. Sculptures are three-dimensional works of art.
The subject matter in the Three Servicemen Statue are the soldiers of the Vietnam War.
The statue represents how young the soldiers at the time were and the equipment which they
carried. Most of the service members during the Vietnam War were in their twenties, this was
due to the draft. The statue was also the first African American shown on the National Mall. The
statue was added to the memorial due to critics disliking the “The Wall” which was a horizontal
granite wall with the fallen soldier’s name carved into it. Critics claimed “The Wall” was an
insult to the soldiers, so Harts was tasked with creating this statue. With grandparents who fought
in the Vietnam War, I believe the statue impacts me spiritually because I pray that my generation
and my child’s generation do not get drafted into a war.
In conclusion, there are several different forms of art. While this essay only provided
three types of visual art, there are multiple other types. Most pieces of art have meaning behind
them. This essay has discussed how a few examples of visual art with historical meaning have
impacted me and my spiritual growth.
Works Cited
"Memorial Wall of Names." Guam: National Park Service, n.d.
https://www.nps.gov/places/memorial-wall-of-names-guam.htm.
"Vietnam Veterans Memorial: Three Servicemen Statue." Washington DC: National Park
Service, n.d. https://www.nps.gov/places/000/vietnam-veterans-memorial-three-
servicemen-statue.htm.
"Washington Crossing the Delaware." New York: The MET, n.d.
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/11417.
