Description
A Meditation on Arrival
”Liberty and Hope ?” captures the iconic, emotional moment of approaching the New York City skyline and the Statue of Liberty at a dramatic, fiery sunset. This vibrant acrylic painting uses bold, contrasting colors to evoke a feeling of urgency, anticipation, and profound ambiguity.
The piece is anchored by three evocative layers: a sky of electric orange and red, the powerful silhouette of Manhattan, and the symbolic presence of the Statue of Liberty, the traditional beacon of freedom.
Are We Guests, or Ghosts?
In the foreground, the painting introduces its central question: a group of figures stand at the ship’s railing, their bodies painted in translucent, ghostly blue hues. They are universal travelers—migrants, refugees, and dreamers—arriving at the new shore.
Kenna’s work asks: Is America still open and welcoming to immigrants, or are these spectral figures the ghosts of its past? Are they solid citizens-to-be, or merely temporary spirits passing through a tightening border?
This striking, atmospheric piece masterfully blends the concrete reality of the landmark with the profound, abstract feeling of a journey’s end. It is a powerful visual reminder of the quest for liberty set against the complex, shifting reality of the modern American welcome.
