To understand Tom Wesselmann’s piece furthermore, I find it is crucial to understand the political climate of the time of this piece. In 1965, there were protests against the US government and its decision to have a war in Vietnam (A&E, n.d). This protest began because of the nation’s disagreement with the war being morally right and economically suitable. There was also protest of the draft at this time as Americans at the age of 18 were being drafted for the war yet were still unable to vote. Essentially, the government wanted these Americans to fight for a country they didn’t have a voice in. Wesselmann himself participated in one of these protests. In a form of protest, the Los Angeles Artists’ Protest Committee created the Artists’ Tower of Peace (Tom, n.d.). Sculpted by Mark di Suvero, the structure was a peace sign that was almost sixty feel tall, surrounded by works of artists, including the work of Wesselmann. Wesselmann offered his piece, which is featured in this section, Nude for Peace Tower. The symbolism behind this piece was said to be the representation of the female voice that is affected by the Vietnam War. Nude of Peace Tower offered defiance to the war and a call for the right for a woman to be free in her sexuality. The peace tower was unveiled on February 26^th, 1966.

Sources:

A&E Television Networks. (n.d.). Vietnam War protests: Antiwar & Protest Songs. History.com. https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-protests

Tom Wesselmann. Sothebys.com. (n.d.). https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2015/contemporary-curate...