This piece depicting the late Martin Luther King Jr. was used as the front page cover for the February 18, 1957 issue of Time Magazine. The actual art piece for the magazine culture was created by a man named Boris Chaliapin. This piece was actually made only two years after the famous year-long Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955 that helped lead to the repeal the transit Jim Crow laws (”Art Posters Fit for a [Martin Luther] King”). Because King helped organize these efforts, a bus is portrayed in the bottom right hand corner to show this. As far as the author, Chaliapin, he worked for TIME Magazine from 1942 to 1970. Although he was not an artist who was particularly focused on King or the Civil Rights Movement in his work, his personal passion for King is evident in this piece.
To give background on King, he is widely accepted as the prominent leader of the African Civil Rights Movement from 1955 to 1968 in the United Sates (“Martin Luther King Jr.”). In fact, King was seen as a hero by his fellow African-Americans as he lead non-violent protests in an attempt to end racial discrimination and segregation. By dwelling into the life of King with this piece, Chaliapin attempts to, and is successful in, portraying King as a true hero through the representation of both his actions and sacrifices. For example, as I stated earlier, Chaliapin includes a reference to the popular and successful Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1995. Also, there is a good deal of allusion to the influence that King had upon the Christian, or more specifically Baptist, community. Along with the title reverend, there is a person giving a sermon in the background. This person helps reinforce the great influence that King had to the movement as a very motivational, nonviolent speaker (”Art Posters Fit for a [Martin Luther] King”). Actually, Gandhi truly influenced King’s methods in his non-violent protests through civil disobedience (“Martin Luther King Jr.). Another aspect of this piece that stands out is the youth represented in the face of King. Chaliapin used this to his technique in order to emphasize many elements of Kings life including the facts that he graduated college at the tender age of 19 and was the youngest person ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize at age 35 (“Martin Luther King Jr.). More importantly, however, Chaliapin wanted to represent that King died at the young age of 39 (“Martin Luther King Jr.”) Nevertheless, King did not die in vain. He died in his unselfish efforts to make America a better place for the people that he loved. In fact, King knew that he was near death which he implied in his speeches and sermons leading up to his death, and yet continued with his efforts in the Civil Rights Movement (Speaker at the Webb Schools, Gaye). In essence, King is the epitome of the ideal hero. He peacefully fought for the rights of those who were discriminated against, and inevitably paid the ultimate price: death. Throughout his life, King continuously lived with a heavy burden on his shoulders that would lead to his death, and this is why Chaliapin commends him as a hero.
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