AP Concentration

Not bloody or particularly grotesque, a hanging man is a simplistic, yet subtly dark, image of death. For most, the initial idea of a person hanging may produce sadness -- thoughts of religious sacrifice or evidence of racial dispute. However, in my work, I challenge the viewer to look more objectively at the hanging man in this environment of bright colors, abstract and layered images, and texture to see the hanging man for what he really is, a romantic, elusive symbol of an end. Inspired by one of my favorite theatrical productions, Arthur Miller’s Crucible, I began my concentration attempting to betray the silence and awe of the hanged rather than the depressing side of the image. Yet, as I completed piece after piece, my work slowly transformed to carry more meaning and symbolism than I ever imagined it could. Testing different landscapes and materials from which a person could hang, I’ve found that the hanging man can fit almost anywhere. Everything has an end, everything can be viewed as romantic, and anything can provoke a beauty so serene that silence is the only possible response; that’s what I’ve discovered through my manipulation of the scenes of hanging men, no matter where you are, who you’re with, what you’re doing, there is an unspoken stillness that surrounds you. Perhaps you may not be as perceptive of this stillness and do not see the dead people hanging from your school hall as the little boy in The 6th Sense does, but that doesn’t mean they’re not there.