Art of the Day Lisa Sun

George A. Crofutt, American Progress

Setting/Background Right side is east Left side is west

Setting/Background The sun comes up on the right side Atlantic Ocean at the middle right hand corner =eastern settlement.

Settlers Moving west Migrating Manifest Destiny

Angel Book in hand= knowledge Telegraph line in hand = communication The angel is the largest thing in the picture Angel looking down at settlers Bringing settlers knowledge and technology

The Sunlight Light is a since of hope and achievement On the settlers and angel’s side Sun comes from the east= the east is the known On the settlers and angle’s side

Character: Native Americans Running away Pushed away by settlers Can not adapt to the new changes of Manifest Destiny

Light: The Shadow Darkness Tragedy On the Native American’s side Shadow in the west= shows the unknown of the west

Green and Brown Grass =green Soil =brown

Mountains Mountain on the right is smooth Mountain on the left is sharp and dangerous

Characters: One of the characters in the painting is the settlers Characters: One of the characters in the painting is the settlers. It is clear that the settlers are moving west. This can be proven by the fact that the sun comes up in the east and the settlers are moving in the opposite direction, which is west. There are many horses and covered wagons featured in this painting, revealing that the settlers are moving with their families. The woman/angel in the middle of the painting also appears to be moving west. The woman/angel is holding a book. This shows the spreading of knowledge and religion thought out America. The woman/angel is also holding a telegraph line, suggesting the movement of technology. The Native Americans found at the corner of the painting are running away from the settlers. This shows that they are being pushed out of their land. Moreover, this shows that the Native Americans are unable to adapt to the changing society brought by the new settlers. Color: The four most prominent colors in this painting are yellow, gray, green and brown. The color yellow is a representation of peace and safety. The color is much stronger on the right side of the painting. The right side is the east therefore it suggests that the original colonies are considered a safe place. In contrast, the sky on the west side of the painting is gray. This shows the west region is unknown and dangerous which relates to the Native Americans suffering and tragedy. Moreover, in the picture, the Indians are standing in a patch of green grass. The color green represents the land that is not yet owned by American settlers. It represents the original land of the Native Americans. In contrast, the color brown is a sense of developing agriculture caused by settlers. Light: The light in this painting relates directly to the painting’s color. The yellow sunlight represents peace and safety. The closer the painting gets to the left side, the darker the sky becomes. This demonstrates that the further west settlers move, the more hardship they face. It also shows that settlers are taking the land of the Native Americans, bring them tragedy and despair. Angle: The woman/angel in the painting is looking down at the settlers. This shows that the woman/angel is looking after the settlers as they move across the United States. The woman/angle in the picture is slightly slanted toward the left. This illuminating that she is moving westwards, bring the settlers values of religion and technology while pushing away the ancient traditions of Native Americans. Proportion: The woman/angel in the picture is the most dominant image. Because the woman/angel is holding the book and the telegraph line, it shows the importance of religion knowledge, and technology in the concept of Manifest Destiny. Placement: The Native Americans are all located in the left, western part of the painting. The settlers are located in the middle of the painting. It is clear based on the direction they are facing that the settlers are moving towards the west. The angel is in the middle of the painting because it is the focus of the painting, represents divine power and will causing American migration Setting: The painter uses setting to determine which side of the painting is the east and which side is the west. The sun is something often used to determine the painting position. The sun comes up in the east therefore illustrating that the right side of the painting is the east. Moreover, Atlantic Ocean at the middle right hand corner of the painting illustrates eastern settlement. In addition, on the right side, the mountains in the background are smooth and bright. However the left side of the picture shows sharp, dangerous mountains with storm clouds on top. This setting relates to the previous idea that the east represents the known and peaceful while the west is the unknown and dangerous. To add on, the plowed fields shows the reason for manifest destiny. It shows the promotion of agriculture in the new land.