Label Type
Cultural/Historical ContextLabel
Leon Golub’s work is highly concerned with abuses of power and violence, usually sexual or political. His works depict war, protest, crime, and horror as key themes as a way for himself as an artist to confront traumatic events occurring in the late 60s and early 70s. From the Vietnam war to the Cuban revolution, Golub believed his confrontational style would better push viewers to address the heinous acts taking place in their world/society and challenge them into exploring the work further. "Killed Youth" from the portfolio Artists and Writers Protest Against the War in Vietnam is a haunting piece that perfectly captures Golub’s desire to present a raw work of dark protest art in order to hold the attention of viewers and address the bloodshed in Vietnam occurring at the time. The stark contrast between the pure white and the chaotic blood red create a horrifying image of disharmony and pain existing within this presumed young soldier. That suffering figure evokes pathos for those soldiers still fighting in the Vietnam War and equates those fighting in the conflict not as heroes, but as tortured individuals. All of this is an attempt by Golub to both force viewers to confront the suffering of those in Vietnam on a personal level and to protest the death of young soldiers and subsequently the war. This is exactly what it means for Golub to confront political issues in the manner of an artist and challenge the public.