Into Bondage 

by Aaron Douglas

       The art piece is depicting people being stolen from their homes and the jungle-like landscape they live in, and placed on large ships and into slavery. The piece could be recalling upon the horror of this atrocity in history or commenting upon today's society. Perhaps declaring that we still live in a form of slavery.  

        Many aesthetic aspects of the piece are very prominent and stick out to me in particular. The color scheme of the piece is almost entirely shades of blue, which conveys a tone of sadness. The blue flora which is depicted in a lush and bountiful manner suggests the beauty that was being left behind as well as the melancholy emotions that would accompany such a monumental loss.

          Another salient part of the piece is the circles of light, expanding from the horizon, as well as the single shaft of bright yellowish light striking through the face of one of the captured slaves. These shapes of light are potentially describing how there was a higher power in command during this awful event, and maybe the shaft of light through the mans face represents his anger and despair at this situation. It symbolizes how victimized and unlucky these people were. It represents the horrifying shock they must have experienced when being snatched out of all they've ever known so violently.

           An obvious HR theme that is present is identification with race. The people depicted in the piece are all colored in a dark hue, and the face of the illuminated man possesses distinctly African features. Another HR theme that can be gleaned from the figures in the piece is pride. The bodies are all muscular and erect and they are depicting these people as a mighty and powerful race. Anger at racism is another present HR theme because of the man that is on his knees, raising his arms in a desperate and pained request for mercy from whatever higher powers might come to his assistance.