In the wake of the overthrow of Charles X, Eugène Delacroix gave life to his now-famous painting, “Liberty Leading the People,” to celebrate what he hoped was a new era of French freedom.

A decade later, J.M.W. Turner’s “The Slave Ship” exposed the opposite — a lack of liberty and a fixation on cruel violence associated with the international slave trade.

Where Delacroix’s work was optimistic and forward-looking, Turner’s almost apocalyptic work seems concerned with ending the horrific institutions of his present. Both nonetheless commented on the realm of politics.

Music, too, drifted through ears and real-world issues alike. “Strange Fruit” by Billie Holiday brought attention to southern lynching and may have contributed to the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement.

Years later, Chappell Roan would receive acclaim for her music touching on sexual identity, and some perceived Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl performance of “Not Like Us” as a sly diss against authorities who contradict or outright oppose Lamar’s views.

In the realm of literature, Shakespeare’s classic works comment on colonialism, gender roles and the relationships between European powers during a particularly climactic time in history.

This is all to say the realms of politics and art have merged many times in human history and continue to be relevant to our society. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to most readers, of course, but Madison’s role in this relationship is more relevant than some may think.

The Badger Herald spoke to artists across the realms of traditional art, music and literature to learn just how creativity and politics intersect in the City of Four Lakes.

The role of art: Framing the debate

Graduate Master of Fine Arts student at the University of Wisconsin Anamika Singh has had a great deal of experience to draw on when discussing the relationship between art and politics. Singh, a sculptor, film producer and author, has dedicated much of her time to researching and representing issues of political significance.