Sister Corita!

I thoroughly enjoyed Tuesday’s class at the Brush Art Gallery to analyze Sister Corita’s pop art. I found her work incredibly inspiring because it combines the elements of poetry and visual art, and it transforms the work into something very profound. After carefully looking at each of the works, I felt connected to Corita and her message of peace. I love how she incorporates both worldly subjects and the teachings of her faith into her work. She softly manipulates fundamental Christian beliefs in her art so that they can be relatable to a secular audience. Her art has the ability to connect to a wide-variety of people, which is a goal that every artist and writer possesses.

One particular work of hers that I loved was the print with Thoreau’s face on a stamp, and quotations from his works Civil Disobedience and Walden. Corita shows her appreciation for nature and Thoreau’s own example of embracing the nature in his life. During his time, Thoreau was a source of light in the flourishing era of industrialization in the mid-1800s. He represented freedom and independence—he was free from the burdens of technology, and he did not conform to the standards of American modernity. Since Thoreau was a revolutionary for his time, I found it very appropriate that Corita used his face and words in her piece. She wants to portray how essential its is for every individual to exhibit his or her liberties, especially during periods of time that are undergoing change. Both Thoreau and Corita are advocates of simplicity and hope for community, and through their art, they are able to make an important connection with every reader and viewer.