Peace
Heading 1
Dimensions: 24” H X 18” W X 1.5” D. Portrait orientation.
Acrylic paint, open-sourced printed materials overlaid with high gloss varnish.
Original Artwork $750 + shipping.
Contact artist for purchase.
Martin Luther King Jr.
He was born January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. He was educated at Morehouse College (B.A.), Crozer Theological Seminary (B.Div.), and Boston University (Ph.D.). Dr. King was a Baptist minister and a civil rights activist who used nonviolent strategies such as sit-ins, boycotts, and protest marches to help end the legal segregation of black and brown citizens in the United States. He was pivotal to creating and ratifying the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He organized and participated in many events, some of which included the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the March on Washington, where he delivered his iconic speech "I Have A Dream," and the march from Selma to Montgomery to ensure voting rights for all people. He won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his nonviolent activism. Dr. King was shot and killed on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. To find out more about the elements used in this collage, please see an explanation below.
Elements of Art
Rainbow background
Peace
Equality
"I Have a Dream"
Portrait of Martin Luther King Jr.
Photo of the Ebenezer Baptist Church street scene
Photo of President Obama marching
Photo of Nonviolence or Nonexistence
Photo of Martin Luther King Jr. marching wearing a hat
Photo of Martin Luther King Jr. marching arm in arm preparing for the March on Washington
Photo of Martin Luther King Jr. waving
Two doves
Nobel Peace Prize
Explanation of Elements
The rainbow background (ROYGBIV) in Saturn's rings' configuration represents Dr. King's otherworldly contribution to humanity.
Peace is a stress-free state of security and calmness that comes when there's no fighting or war, everything coexisting in perfect harmony and freedom.
Equality is the state of being the same, especially in status, rights, and opportunities.
"I Have a Dream" is a public speech delivered by Martin Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963, in which he called for civil and economic rights and the end to racism in the United States. Delivered to over 250,000 civil rights supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., the speech was a defining moment of the civil rights movement and among the most iconic speeches in American history.
This portrait of Martin Luther King Jr. was taken by Howard Sochurek in Atlanta at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).
The photo of the Ebenezer Baptist Church street scene was taken by Liz Alzona on December 4, 2020. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a co-pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church from 1960 until his assassination in 1968.
The photo of President Obama marching across the Edmund Pettus Bridge between Amelia Boynton Robinson and John Lewis, both of whom were beaten during the original march. The photo was taken by Lawrence Jackson in Selma, Alabama March 7, 2015.
The photo of Nonviolence or Nonexistence was taken in the Martin Luther Jr. National Historical Park. Nonviolence was a fundamental tenet of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s philosophy. He often said he got his inspiration from Jesus Christ and his techniques from Mohandas K. Gandhi. The photo was taken by Liz Alzona on December 4, 2020.
The Photo of Martin Luther King Jr. marching with a hat was taken during the Freedom March from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. The photo was taken by Bob Adelman and included in an online article by Lance Dixon.
The photo of Martin Luther King Jr. marching arm in arm preparing for the "March on Washington, " held in Washington, D.C., was taken August 28, 1963, by Robert W. Kelley. The march's purpose was to advocate for equal rights for African Americans. While standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial, he gave his famous "I Have A Dream" speech.
The photo of Martin Luther King Jr. waving was taken at the start of the civil rights march, which would end in Montgomery, Alabama, fifty miles away. The brutal attack on peaceful demonstrators galvanized civil rights activists and led to the Voting Rights Act's enactment in 1965, which bars racial discrimination in voting. This photo was taken on March 19, 1965.
Two white doves with olive branches are a universal symbol of peace, pacifism, grace, and mercy—a true representation of Martin Luther King Jr.
The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Martin Luther King Jr. in 1964 for his dynamic leadership of the Civil Rights movement and steadfast commitment to achieving racial justice through nonviolent action.
References:
Biography.com Editors. “Martin Luther King Jr.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 13 Jan. 2021, www.biography.com/activist/martin-luther-king-jr.
Dixon, Lance. “The Selma-to-Montgomery March: A Peaceful Protest That Changed History.” Ldixon@MiamiHerald.com, 18 Jan. 2015, 4:18PM, www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article7402157.html.
“Ebenezer Baptist Church (Atlanta, Georgia).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 14 Jan. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebenezer_Baptist_Church_(Atlanta,_Georgia).
Jackson, Lawrence. Selma, 7 Mar. 2015.
Kelley, Robert W. 28 Aug. 1963.
Lewis, John. “John Lewis on Martin Luther King Jr.'s Greatest Gift to Us.” Time, Time, 28 Mar. 2018, 9:30AM, time.com/5209452/john-lewis-martin-luther-king/.
“Martin Luther King Jr.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Jan. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King_Jr.
Ebenezer Baptist Church street scene. 4 Dec. 2020.
“The Nobel Peace Prize 1964.” NobelPrize.org, www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1964/king/biographical/.
Nonviolence or Nonexistence. 4 Dec. 2020.
“Our Dictionaries: Oxford Languages.” Our Dictionaries | Oxford Languages, languages.oup.com/dictionaries/.
Sochurek, Howard. MLK Portrait. Atlanta.
Thinkmap, Inc. “Peace.” Vocabulary.com, www.vocabulary.com/.