America was founded on principles of individual liberty. Liberty means that each person has the power to do as they please without restrictions from society, or governments, on how they live, believe, and behave. Since this principle is so fundamental to the development of the American society, liberty art is often confused with patriotic art.
However, the two are completely different categories, regardless of shared themes and subject matter. This is because patriotic art represents a nation, a specific people, while liberty art represents an idea that those people believe in.
Liberty art can be used symbolically by any country or people, not just by America. Eugene Delacroix, for instance, was a famous French artist whose painting 'Liberty Leading People' is a beautifully strong example of people fighting to gain liberty and freedom in their lives during the beginning of the French Revolution.
However, liberty is a trait that is close to many American hearts and we have many symbols of liberty that stand as landmarks, documents, and reminders of the people who fought and died so that modern society could benefit from their personal freedom. One landmark, in particular, that fascinates liberty artists is the Statue of Liberty. This statue has been explored by many contemporary artists, including Andy Warhol and other famous artists. Also, art featuring documents such as the Bill of Rights, Constitution, and the Emancipation Proclamation are highly popular in this category.
While liberty art is not as diligently explored as some other genres of creative expression, there's no doubt that the artists who pursue this subject do so with an unrivaled passion. Liberty art serves as a tangible reminder of something that is in every human heart: a desire to live freely. Because of this, liberty art is more than just a decoration or a pictorial description of a idea for an artist and their audience; it's a way of seeing the world around them and knowing that everyone deserves freedom, both in this country and in every other nation around the world.
