All art is political. It can be of any medium; painting, song, poem, writing— it all has some political substance, even if it wasn’t exactly created that way.In her TedTalk, “Using your Voice as a Political Choice,” Amanda Gorman spoke about how her art, poetry, is political. It can’t be anything else. Gorman explained how when she is asked to write poems that “aren’t political”, it doesn’t make sense– she can’t write an unpolitical poem. 

“To me [writing poems that aren’t political] sounds like I have to draw a square, but not make it a rectangle or, like, build a car and not make it a vehicle. It doesn’t make much sense,” she said.

In my opinion, Gorman is right. Since 1338, art has been sending messages to political figures. One particularly obvious message was The Allegory of Good and Bad Government by Ambrogio Lorenzetti. The three panels of this fresco illustrated various effects of good and bad government.

The fresco was commissioned by a civic group, the Council of Nine, who were trying to send a message to the Republic of Siena. At the time, the Republic was one of the most powerful Italian city-states. The fresco reminded the magistrates of how much was at stake. The dramatic scenes, and huge size helped the fresco to easily grab the attention of its audience. Not only was the piece political, but a perfect way to send a warning to the Republic of Siena.

In 1967, an oil painting was made by Liu Chunhua called Chairman Mao en route to Anyuan. Not only was this painting a beautiful landscape work by Chunhua, but it was also communist propaganda. The piece was a result of the Cultural Revolution, a period in which artists had to create “Mao paintings,” in order to help Zedong reassert his authority over the Chinese government. Very political. 

The painting depicted a young Zedong, who was in his seventies at the time, as one of the common people. He stands on a cliff above the clouds and mountains, ready to conquer anything. At first glance, the painting doesn’t seem political at all. With no context, you can only assume that the man in this painting is of some sort of nobility. In comparison to the obvious Allegory of Good and Bad Government, this painting is subtle in its political ideals. Though you may not notice the political meaning of art, it always has one. 

The political implications of art might be even more common today, artists have plenty to comment on in today’s political climate. Even if you don’t think of yourself as an artist, anyone with social media can post a political cartoon, poem, or photograph. Though art can be found anywhere, the most popular form is music. 

Icky Thump by the White Stripes “[confronts] America’s contentious immigration policies,” wrote Denis Sullivan in Rolling Stone.

The powerful, hard-rock song is perfect for expressing the group’s anger against immigration policies. 

In 2018, Jack White dedicated the song to Donald Trump by adding Trump’s name to the lyrics and vocalizing his criticisms against the ex-President. Musicians are close to their music, especially White. Even if it isn’t intended by the musician, a song by them will speak for their views and ideals. 

Most of the most well-known songs actually have political meanings; Fortnuate Son by Creedence Clearwater Revival, Zombie by The Cranberries, and Give Peace a Chance by the Plastic Ono Band. 

So, Amanda Gorman is right, “all art is political. The decision to create, the artistic choice to have a voice, the choice to be heard is the most political act of all.”

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