Seeing the Soul of a Nation exhibit for the first time at the Brooklyn Museum was such an inspiring experience. It was remarkable to see how artists like Merton D. Simpson used the power of art to stand up to the injustices that were happening in America at the time. One of the reasons that I chose Simpson’s piece, U.S.A. ’65 was because it was so dark and monstrous compared to everything else. Not just in the sense of his colors but his overall message of struggle and turmoil shines in his piece. I think his choice in using these dark colors help further his message, his grays and blacks help to distinguish the faces in his painting. Simpson also does a brilliant job of using his space and materials to his advantage, making his piece stand out from everyone else’s. He uses specific newspaper articles and pictures and places them in very specific places. He doesn’t let the articles take away from the main focus, being the emotion portrayed by the faces. I think another important aspect of Simpson’s painting is his use of the color white. He uses just enough so the viewer can make out the faces and be able to see the newspaper articles but doesn’t let it stand out more than the darker colors. Even though Simpson’s aesthetic approach to the issue was different than the rest of the exhibit it was still used to usher in the new political and cultural movement: Black Power.