Visual Truth

A visual truth is a truth that can be applied to all humanity expressed through visual media. For my AP English Writing and Composition class I was given the task to create my own visual truth. So there I sat in AP English going "Oh great how the heck am I suppose to come up with a truth that applies to all humanity without creating a cheese video or craft" (Believe me it is harder than it looks :) ), then I got the brilliant idea to search through my bible for any interesting inspirational quotes I highlighted when I was bored in conformation class and breakaway sessions from youth camps. I fanned through the pages of my bible and stumbled upon the verse Ecclesiastes 1:9 (ESV) “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.”, then I smacked my self in the face (literally), because this is one of my favorite bible verses and it has helped me get through many stressful situations, and I was like "Katelyn how did this not pop into your head you baffoon!". Anyways this quote applies to all humanity because so many people are caught up in the past deciding how they would have done things differently if the could go back in time or they are wrapped up in what they can do to prepare themselves for the future. Well you obviously cant travel back in time ( I have tried does not work) nor can you see into the future (also have tried and failed at), and this quote symbolizes just letting go of the past and not yearning for the future, but living in the “now”.

   For this reason I chose to visually do a Past, Present, Future sign for the sake of making a clear distinction between the different paths that one could look at their life from. In the background of my sign I collaged old newspapers. To me an old newspaper symbolizes past events, for this reason the newspaper supports my claim by showing that the past is in the past just like how the newspaper is in the background. I also chose to add white and yellow right behind the present to really draw the viewer’s attention to it to make it the focal point of my piece. The bright white and yellow also symbolize the sun and how there is “nothing new under the sun” because we are all here in this one very moment we call the present. The wording on the signs are also done in bright white to attract the viewers eyes while the words in the quote are done in black so that they do not draw the viewer’s attention away from the sign.

   In addition, I chose to strategically place two dandelions in the right corner of my painting, with loose seeds being blown in different directions. On the seeds flowing towards the past I wrote words like fear and loss to help support my claim of releasing the worries of the past to live in the in the “now”. I also chose to write words like forgiveness and joy on the seeds on the present sign to get across the idea of now is the time to forgive others or ask for forgiveness and now is the time to be joyful of life’s blessings. Lastly on the future sign I chose to only have one dandelion seed that said hope. To me hope is just like a sketch or blueprint for the future because the future is not finalized it can still be redrawn.

   Looking at my painting some might say that it is a little cliché due to the fact that it is a painting of the well known Past, Present, and Future sign, however I choose to do that particular sign because almost everyone has seen it before and knows that it symbolizes living in the moment therefore it helps improve my argument. I also made the image my own by adding the dandelions, background, and quote to create an entirely new composition.