As I sit and stare at Strause’s work of art, I ponder the title: Your Turn. Looking at the
colors used in the square panels on the left (red, green, orange), I notice that these colors
are like the colors of a stoplight. The orange being seemingly unfinished suggests
quickness in the paint’s application, perhaps implying the quickness at which people
speed through an orange light. Also, the color orange is synonymous with “caution” and
inside the orange square is a gun. This combination is a powerful suggestion of warning.
In the green square, there is a scene of men running with a ball, which exemplifies
motion. Both the green color and the action of the scene suggest “go”. The red square
contains a rose, of which most people associate with the color red. Where Strause has
used items in the previous squares that go along with the stoplight theory, the rose seems
to be a different matter. It doesn’t overtly suggest “stop” as would the red of a stoplight.
However, red is also symbolic of “love”, which could mean a stopping point in the search
for love or red symbolizes blood which when lost in great quantities could mean the
stopping of life. The four red circles at the top left arranged horizontally stopping at the
middle, can also go along with the stop light theory. The circles seem to be a
representation of blinking lights, which is another type of stoplight. The vertical stripes in
the background could possibly convey roadways. All of this traffic signal symbolization
leads us back to the title of the piece—Your Turn. At stoplights, people take turns moving
across the intersection perhaps that is the reason for the title. However, the flower
arrangement, colossal in size, takes up most of the space and seems to be the most
important subject of the piece. The blue line used to outline the shapes appears neon-like
forcing the arrangement to move forward in space and to gain the attention of the viewer.
These two aspects alone imply that it is the focus of the artist’s intent.