Assignment 2-2

For my 3 contemporary icons I chose, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, Lady Justice, and the Statue of Liberty. Mona Lisa is a 16th Century portrait painted by Leonardo da Vinci during the Italian renaissance period, and is possibly the world's most famous painting. The Lady of Justice is a representation of Themis, a Greek mythological goddess, and the Statue of Liberty is a massive 151 foot statue standing on Liberty Island in New York harbor. She was presented as a gift from the people of France to the United States in 1886.

When I think of myth and artifacts immediately my mind race to the myth of what society deems beautiful. For centuries the portrait of Mona Lisa has been romanticized and satirized as a thing of great beauty through out the world. As a fine work of art Mona Lisa is exquisite, but aesthetically it is debatable whether she is a beautiful looking woman. Yet somehow her beauty was placed on society as the single embodiment of all that is beautiful. I think that beauty cannot be attached, or imposed onto anyone or anything; I truly think "beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

Justice and liberty are possibly the most over used words in the English language, skewed by our legal system. I suppose after reading this week that OJ Simpson has been found guilty of arm robbery, and will possibly serve life in prison brought the word justice into my mind. Lady Justice in her depictions is blind folded, carries the scales of justice in one hand and a sword in the other. She is symbolic of what the American judicial system should be. In my opinion what justice could be in our society would require a complete overhaul of the legal system. If OJ Simpson receives life in prison, justice prevailed not by our courts, but by OJ's endless stupidity.

Everything about the Statue of Liberty embodies myth from the torch she holds, to the crown she wears to the strategic placement of her granite base. At the time she was gifted to us, it commemorated the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence. Out of the 3 contemporary myth aritifacts I have chosen, the Statue of Liberty is one I believe in.