Jessica Brooks Mrs. Etheridge Honors English 12 20 August 2002 Grassy Lake Most paintings today are very symbolic. Nothing is ever what it seems to be. This is true for the painting Grassy Lake by David Bates. This painting at first glance looks like two men in a canoe pushing through swampy waters, but the symbolism in the painting shows the relationships of the two men to each other and their surroundings. The symbolism is a significant factor in trying to understand the relationship of the people to each other and the people to their environment.
The symbolism in this painting shows a mentor guiding a young man to success. At first glance at the painting a person could think they were some kind of friends. This seems true because they are in a canoe with coolers. Coolers bring to mind picnics and fishing trips. After studying the painting a little longer a person can see the man in the back is an old black man and the man in the front is a young white man. This rules out any thought that they could be related.
So what is their relationship? Well in canoeing the person in the back is the guide. The person in the back also will push the canoe out a little bit before climbing in himself. In the canoe the older man is in the back and the young boy is in the front. The old man is significant and is the “guide” because he is older and has been through more than the young man has.
The Essay on Battle Royal Men White Young
Battle Royal In Ralph Ellison's essay "Battle Royal" he describes a Negro boy, timid and compliant, comes to a white smoker in a Southern town: he is to be awarded a scholarship. Together with several other Negroes he is rushed to the front of the ballroom, where a sumptuous blonde tantalized and frightens them by dancing in the nude. Blindfolded, the Negro boys stage a "battle royal, " a free-for ...
The man in front is young and still has a lot of things ahead of him in life. This could be the reason he is in front. He is in the front of the boat looking ahead and the old man is behind him “guiding” and “pushing” him. It seems that their relationship is that the old man is the young boy’s mentor. This could be a possible explanation of the men in the painting, but why would the old man be mentoring the young man. Take a look at the environment around them.
The lake is swampy and a medium green color. Green brings to mind success. The green lake is all around them. So the man could be “pushing” and “guiding” the young man to success. The swampy lake also has sticks and rocks all in it. It doesn’t look easy to get through.
The two men are rowing and working together to get through the water. The green water with the rocks and sticks symbolizes that trying to reach success is sometimes a struggle. The two men appear to be working together to succeed. Overall this painting seems to represent a life struggle. The canoe represents life and the two men are trying to get through life and succeed. This painting, though, could still mean a hundred different things.
The old man being a mentor is just an idea. Each person will have a different perspective. Art is in the eyes of the beholder.
