Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young got it right in their famous song Wooden Ships, “If you smile at me I will understand, ’cause that is something everybody everywhere does in the same language.”
But what’s another universal sign of happiness?
….Fireworks!
Around the world, countries celebrate the revolutionary day they gained independence with dots of fire ablaze the night sky.
To name a few, America’s Independence Day, France’s Bastille Day, and China’s Double Ten Day, are all national holidays designated for festivity and fun.
Yet, before the patriotic novelty garb was worn, champagne bottles were popped, and parties were assembled, landmark wars transformed these countries into new sovereignty.
For this Independence Day, The Bare Square highlights the art commemorating struggles for independence around the globe!
The first fight of Independence for the American Revolution is depicted within Battle of Lexington by English painter William Barnes Wollen. Marking Britain’s first defeat, the 1775 Battle of Lexington paved the way for ultimate American victory.
Battle of Lexington by William Barnes Wollen
The Taking of Bastille by French artist Henri Paul Perrault illustrates the day in 1789 that revolutionaries seized the Bastille in Paris, starting the French Revolution. As a prison, symbolic of the absolute power of the French monarchy, The Bastille was captured to signal the end of imperial rule and the beginning of a French Republic.
The Taking of Bastille by Henri Paul Perrault
Double Ten Day, honoring the collapse of the Qing Dynasty and the start of the Republic of China, began with the 1911 Wuchang Uprising. While artistic records of this revolution are scarce, a rare block print was created by an unknown artist to document this monumental change in power.
Chinese Block Print (Photo: Princeton University Digital Library)
Whether it’s the Chinese, the French, the Americans, or The Beatles, we all want to change the world, right?
- Ava Cotlowitz
