"More" by Alyssa W

 

Alyssa Wyatt (b. 2007)

More, 2024

Acrylic on canvas

 

This piece is inspired by the scene in Arthur Miller’s the Crucible where Giles Corey was being crushed for not admitting he partook in witchcraft. The reason this inspired me was because I think it is so powerful that he stuck to his values and beliefs even if it meant he would die. To me, my artwork represents standing your ground. I think that having strong values is extremely important and makes a person who they are. What good are belief systems if they crumble just because you are the only one that believes in it? Why live a life you know you are faking when you could die with your core opinions. The people torturing Corey asked him to confess to witchcraft, and knowing he never did it all he said was, “More weight.” He was eventually crushed to death, but he died with his morals intact and was honored amongst the people in the town who were about to die for sticking to their beliefs as well. The materials I used were a 14x11 inch canvas and Folk Art Matte acrylic paint. To make the guts and blood more realistic, I used streamers and covered them in paint. I also used a black pen on the cinderblocks to outline them and make them pop more. The emotion I was trying to convey in this painting was something gross because it is October, but I also wanted to convey sticking up for what you believe in. You shouldn’t let anyone tell you how to think and what to believe. Living a life with morals you don’t trust is as bad, if not worse, as dying for the morals you do believe in.