Party Picture

This is a watercolor painting on 14X17 inch paper called the Jeunesse made by Palmer Hayden. It is   was inspired by his love of Jazz. Hayden really enjoyed Jazz music and the Savoy club life. He was born in Virgina, then he went to NY. He loved it, and decided to go to Columbia University, where he learned more about art. He loved to paint and to draw and became an art teacher. This picture is about how people love jazz and enjoy dancing. It embraces the freedom of people find in dance and music.There is a main pair in the front and  many people in the background. I feel that the people in the front symbolize the new generation coming about because they are dancing a new dance and wearing different clothes. They are the ones that will be making a difference, while the others are going with the flow. The others blend into the backround while pair in the front are standing out, and making a stand. They are expressing themselves and seem and enjoying their freedom.

In this art I see the pride and determination to fight against oppression. They seem to be going against what the others are doing, and doing things that the "whites" are doing. They are wearing light colors and short dresses, to show that they are just the same as the others, that they are no different, and that they should be treated the same way as the whites. They look like they are having fun with the change that they are making. They have pride in the work that they are creating and that they think that others should follow in their footsteps. The artwork shows them going into the modern age along with Hollywood in that time period. The white shoes and the short dress, and the way that they are doing a new style of dancing shows they are breaking out of the norm and creating something different for themselves.

I chose this picture because it can have two different meanings, it can be seen as a dancing picture  or  as a fighting back picture. I picked it for both those reasons. I also love this picture for colors and the way the dancing silhouettes stand out. The picture also seemed to hold a secret that made me look twice. It intrigued me to see something so simple yet so complex in its meaning. I liked it the way it made me think of the bigger picture,  not just was on the paper. It showed me a different aspect of life, something very different from my own. It was like seeing something through someone elses eyes.