Patriotism 101: An Art History Of The American Flag

With tomorrow being July 4th, you may be digging into your closets for anything red, white, and blue, or looking for other ways to express your patriotism and celebrate the holiday. We've decided to show ours by selecting 20 of our favorite artists' interpretations of the American flag. From the humble beginnings on Betsy Ross' lap to a 2012 neon installation, we've got you covered on the history of our flag's presence in art.

Patriotism 101: An Art History Of The American Flag

This Campbell’s Soup advertisement from the early 1900s uses the iconic red and white packaging of the can to form the stripes of the American flag. The proto-pop art quality of the advertisement comes at least fifty years before Warhol created his silk-screened Campbell's soup prints.

In the days following September 11, Raising the Flag at Ground Zero instantly became a symbol of American solidarity. Although surrounded by twisted, smouldering iron, New York firefighters came together to show that nobody can keep this country down.

Patriotic themes are not uncommon in American quilts, and this late 19th century piece by Mary Baxter is no exception. It was made during the Spanish-American War following a victory in Puerto Rico by a Captain from her hometown of Kearney, New Jersey.

Does this image even need an introduction? You see it practically everywhere, from classrooms to the back of the Delaware state quarter. George Washington's heroically crossing a river, which really looks like an ice laden sea that's less than a quarter of a mile long. The flag, dramatically lit from behind, is wound upon itself but still manages to flap in the wind.

If you’re getting a slightly ominous feeling from this photograph of the New York Stock Exchange by Christopher Anderson, you’re not off the mark. This image was captured in 2008, right at the beginning of what is now being called "The Great Recession." The buildings seem to loom over the viewer, and the generally dark hues cast a somber shadow, reflecting the state of the economy at the time.

Jasper Johns’ most well-known piece, Flag, was created after he had a dream about the American flag. He didn't stop at this version, though. Multiple drawings, prints, and paintings involving the American flag followed.

This painting by Jasper Johns, Flag on Orange Field, essentially interprets the flag, modeled in painterly brushstrokes, and sets it against a vibrant orange background. The background seems to flicker with life, while its shade sets the blue in stark contrast, creating tension with the shade of the red stripes. Good play on color theory, Jasper.

Dread Scott’s “What is the Proper Way to Display a U.S. Flag?” pushed the boundaries of what it is to be American. His installation posed the title question to the viewer, who was then invited to write their thoughts regarding how to display the American flag in a blank book. In order to get to the book, however, the viewer had to walk on a flag, and hanging above the book was a picture of South Korean students burning the American flag and holding signs saying "Yankee, Go Home." While it certainly challenges the American identity, it also makes an artistic statement that relates to this moment in 1989.

David Hammonds made a name for himself by creating artwork in and around New York City that spoke to African-American history and issues. His African-American Flag of 1990 swapped out the red, white, and blue for green, red, and black, which symbolize skin tone, blood, and nature in Africa. His racially charged piece was originally installed in Harlem, but now it's on display at MoMA.

President Obama takes on the guise of a superhero in Ghanaian artist, D.A. Jasper’s Obama Ready to Fly to the White and Black House. The bottom register shows Biden and Obama in a more professional, composed arrangement, while the top register shows a fantastical superhero Obama, grasping the flag in one hand and giving the levitating dome of the Capitol building a thumbs up with the other. Although the artist's message may be a bit blatant, it’s pretty cool that he felt compelled to make this his subject.

Raising the Flag at Iwo Jima is one of the most iconic photographs from WWII, showing six men raising the American flag atop Mt. Suribachi, the highest peak on the island, on February 23, 1945, The image represents a key win for America and one of the fiercest battles during WWII.

You can practically hear Neil Armstrong say “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” when you look at this picture from 1969. It represents a moment when everybody from the baby boomer generation remembers watching it on their TVs as it happened.

This poster for the NYC Ballet shows Keith Haring’s characteristically reduced cartoon figures leaping, plie-ing, and tumbling down the flag, while hitting and nudging the stars and stripes as they make their way down the poster. It's hilariously tongue-in-cheek, as Haring's artworks always were.

This image of Betsy Ross in a rocking chair sewing the first American flag on her lap is a quintessentially American moment. As the story goes, nobody knows if this actually ever happened, but you can’t beat romanticised Americana.

Claes Oldenberg’s Flag to Fold in a Pocket takes a bit of staring before the flag actually starts to appear. Before long, the vague horizontal lines running across the page and a box in the upper left-hand corner emerge. While it's an abstract representation of the flag, you can imagine that Oldenberg was making a statement about time, patriotism, and aging.

Andrew Schoultz has elements of chaos and destruction in his artwork, reflecting a perspective on the current political and environmental climates. This flag has three layers of distress and destruction incorporated into its design. First, the flag itself seems worn. The colors are dark around the edges—it seems scuffed up and beaten. A poisonous rattlesnake sits coiled, ready to strike in the center of the flag, which has been doused in gold paint.

Another by Andrew Schoultz, this time the flag is covered in metallic gold paint.

This flag by Saber, a contemporary graffiti powerhouse, juxtaposes the clean lines of the stripes and blue square with the random, varied slashes of paint and writing. It creates a recognizable yet energetic update on the American flag.

Patrick Martinez created a broken flag out of neon for a show in L.A. The stars and stripes break out of their places, and the stripes act as tails for the now shooting stars.

Barbara Kruger, a whiz at melding thought-provoking text and iconic symbols, released a series of questions in her flag, which broadly challenge society's behavior. She does not offer opinions, just questions, leaving you to give the answer.