In the summer of 1989, in Beijing, a huge mass of protestors gathered in Tiananmen Square to display a desire for a more democratic government.  The government responded with violence and bloodshed, as if the students were armed threats.  From this event an iconic image surfaced, one of a single man blocking the path of a line of tanks.  By looking at this photograph we see a combination of color, line and other artistic elements, which portray all of the emotions that were running high during those long weeks of protest.  The protest itself lasted for nearly two months before the Chinese Government turned to violence.

It all began because of a huge lack of economic reform and political unrest that was running rampant in the nation.  The youth of the country were the main organizers of the protests, and were backed by their professors and many others from around the country sympathetic to their cause.  The students maintained a strictly peaceful protest, in order to not give a forceful impression to the militant government, but it did not help them.  This is one of the first major points that the image presents to the viewer. 

The picture is that of a single man, dressed in a white shirt, standing in the middle of a street and blocking the path of 4 camo-painted tanks.  The man is clearly unarmed, as opposed to the bulkiness and large guns of the tanks bearing down on him.  We see this from the perspective of being behind the protester and elevated away from street level.  In contrast to other pictures from that day, of large mobs of people, this civilian is alone in his attempt to protest the government.

Color plays an important role in the scene that is laid out for the viewer by conveying certain emotions and by emphasizing certain parts of the picture and making it stand out while letting other parts stay in the background.  The empty street around the main subjects of this picture is largely gray.  Gray is traditionally a very neutral color and gives the viewer that feeling.  The gray of the street represents the neutrality of the ground where the two factions in this debacle meet each other, the protester and the column of tanks.  It also symbolizes the sadness of the events that have taken place over the past few days in that very spot.  Yellow is also present on the street, instilling caution in anyone willing to brave the potentially deadly situation.  Lastly the street is covered in white lines, emphasizing the emptiness of everything around the subjects.

White also appears in what the photographer most likely wants the viewer to focus on, the civilian man.  The color conveys a feeling of innocence, pureness and calm in the face of several things that could very easily kill the man.  He is also wearing black pants, perhaps representing power that he is maintaining in his legs to keep them from moving and no longer standing his ground.  The other subjects in this photograph, the line of tanks, also have a meaningful color pattern. When in actual combat areas, the green and brown paint can actually serve to hide it better from enemy eyes, but in a city those colors no longer provide that function. In a landscape dominated by gray, the colors typically associated with camouflage and nature take on a new meaning.  As agents of a government that is actively trying to suppress the opinions of its citizens, the green represents the greed and wealth of the government that refuses to reform the economy in a country struggling with an enormous wage gap.  The brown symbolizes the dirtied reputation and rampant corruption in the government.  Lastly the red star emphasizes the danger being imposed upon the protester as well as the evil of the government and the blood of the protesters that was spilled.  The tanks loom over the man, opposing him through more aspects than color.

The fact that there are four tanks rather than just one plays a huge role in the picture. It conveys how much power the government is exercising over the citizens.  The line that they form demonstrates how the drivers in the tanks have received special training for an event that would require them to turn on their own people and follow orders even when they may not agree with what they are doing.  However, the driver in the first tank does show some hesitation, because if he was content with what he was doing he could simply drive over the man but instead he chooses not to.  The man being outnumbered in such a way could also be an example of the government fearing the power of individuals and needing to overpower the voices of individuals as much as possible.  From the perspective of the man, it shows that one person can make a huge difference in the fight for a fair society.

The artistic elements present in this picture play an important role in sending the right message to the viewer.  The colors conveyed certain emotions to give a sense of right and wrong, while the perspective gave the viewer a side to take, that of the protester.  The aspects of line and contrast led the viewer to draw a comparison between the two factions present and give valuable insights.  All together it captures the emotion and tension that was present when Beijing, China erupted into violence and one man literally stood against an army.
