Yoko Ono's War Is Over Analysis

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Garland Martin Taylor, an American sculptor from Chicago, put a 400 lb. metal revolver sculpture made from stainless steel, engraved the names of young victims from gun violence in it, put it on the back of a pickup truck and traveled the United States for three weeks. Titled Conversation Piece, he hopes that people who see it will explore the root of gun violence. Although from a different perspective, Taylor’s work is a relevant example which supports McCrow’s vision. Art should provoke ideas, make one question conventions, or bring to the surface topics that are otherwise ignored, as Taylor and McCrow both do so through their art. Another artist who is doing similar work to McCrow is Colombian musician Cesar Lopez, who is transforming AK-47s into guitars, called escopetarras. After witnessing a terror attack in 2003 in Colombia, Lopez dealt by turning to music, and the idea for escopetarra was born when Lopez noticed a soldier holding a rifle in the same way one holds a guitar. The rifles, provided by Colombian authorities, are first deactivated and then turned into an electric …show more content…

In the 1960s during the Vietnam War, art and music were used to incite protests which turned into a cultural and social revolution. Yoko Ono’s War is Over is one of the most iconic posters of the era, making an impact on its generation and is still relevant today. Craig Yoe, an American cartoonist, declared that war is good for absolutely nothing, except maybe for the art it has inspired, and has said, “We are all to blame that we so quickly reach for guns instead of using negotiation and compromise to solve acrimony.” Muhammad Yunus, in The Great Anti-War Cartoons, says “…I also believe that we can put war in a museum…This book can have its effect in helping us get there.” Art may only be one step towards achieving peace, if only by exposing the violence of war and reminding us of a part of

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