The art of protest: when it comes to swaying public opinion, a provocative image can be a powerful tool.

• Author: Brown, Bryan

Art is for art's sake, goes an old expression. The artists represented on these pages might disagree. They have created works with a message--each image in its own way an act of protest.

These artworks are meant to critigue the people and institutions that wield power in our society, such as political parties and corporations. The art tackles a number of issues, from the environment to war to the right to bear arms.

Sometimes protest images are tied to particular movements (see "Protest Nation," p. 16). Other times they reflect the particular concerns of their creators. Artists making social statements use a variety of methods to grab the public's attention. But many start with a simple concept: taking a familiar image or idea, then making it surprising by changing it.

For example, "We Need More Party Animals" (facing page) doesn't include the Republican elephant and Democratic donkey. The artist seems to be saying that Americans need more choices when it comes to political parties.

These unigue images were all created to plead, to argue, and maybe to provoke. Some of them may upset or even offend you. As acts of protest, their purpose is to make you react--and think about the world in a new way.

Caption: NUCLEAR EMERGENCY

The dangers of potential meltdowns at nuclear power plants are well known. This art raises its own alarm by using a familiar symbol for nuclear power to evoke an image from a famous painting--The Scream, by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. (Malgorzata Bedowska, Poland, 2009)

Caption: NIKE VICTIM

Part of a series called "Fashion Victims," this piece comments on both our love for designer labels and the horrible labor conditions in some Third World factories, where many brandname products are made. (M. Zarqarinejad, Germany, 1999)

Caption: STANDING ROCK

In 2016, members of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe in North Dakota protested construction of an oil pipeline running through Indian land. This art shows a Native American warrior in battle with a serpent that looks like an oil pipeline. (Jackie Fawn, U.S., 2016)

Caption: CHILDREN AT WAR

Protest images often imitate road signs because their symbols are so widely recognized. In this case, the art comments on young people being forced to serve as soldiers, a horror that most commonly occurs in conflict-ridden African countries. (Woody Pirtle and Chris Dunn, U.S., 1999)

Caption: WE NEED MORE PARTY ANIMALS

This artist playfully alludes to the mascots of the major U.S. political...