For my compare and contrast essay I have chosen Tabaimo's danDAN (2009) and Kara Walker's Darkytown Rebellion(2001). These two works appealed to me because both of these pieces of art are contemporary and are meant to invoke strong reactions from any viewers. When looking at basic formal analysis of art work, we can always compare and contrast the formal elements. Some things to always take into consideration are: the medium, form, subject matter, and content that can bring the art to life. However, no matter how someone chooses to analyze art, it will always give us a new perceptive and appreciation for the world we look at and live in on a daily basis and of course no one interpretation is always correct. (Munsterberg )
Darkytown Rebellion, by Kara Walker, is a piece of work completed using the Silhouette medium that was popular during the 1800's and 1900’s. Although Darkytown Rebellion is a traveling installation, Walker resided in Rhode Island when the piece was completed. The size may also change according to where it is displayed due to it being a “room sized” installation. danDan is also a traveling installation piece, but is considered to be completed as a form of digital/animation art. danDan was completed in 2009 during the contemporary period by Tabaimo while she was living in Japan. Again, the actual size of the installation varies by the gallery the displays the work. (Munsterberg )
When analyzing Darkytown Rebellion for the compare/contrast, the first thing I notice about this piece is that it is, by far, not your usual sculpture. The work depicts iconography of the old South from early 19th century and consists of black silhouettes and white walls. This work is considered a
Taylor 2 sculpture due to the li...
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...urface of normal everyday life; where Darkytown Rebellion depicts the tragedy of slavery. Both of these works of art give us a sense of depth, layers, and the reflection of light. Both contemporary pieces depict significant events, but also by using different mediums in the process. One is busy and colorful; the other work of art is dark and encompassing. ("The Art Of Kara Walker")
In conclusion, although both of these works are contemporary installation pieces, they display notable differences. From the mediums to the colors and even the subject matter, these two artists have found a way to express the suffering that lies within everyday life within their culture in very different, but explosive ways. Even being from such great distances apart, viewers can see that similar, although different, issues exist all over the world thanks to these two brilliant women.
Visceral. Raw. Controversial. Powerful. The works which Kara Walker creates have elicited strong and diametric responses from members of the art community. She manipulates the style of antebellum era silhouettes, intended to create simple, idealistic images, and instead creates commentaries on race, gender, and power within the specific history of the United States. She has also been accused of reconfirming the negative stereotypes of black people, especially black women, that the viewer and that the white, male dominated art world may hold. This perspective implies that both her subjects and her artworks are passive when confronted with their viewers. Personally, I believe that more than anything, Walker’s work deals in power -- specifically, the slim examples of power black individuals have over their
1) Shays' Rebellion, the post-Revolutionary clash between New England farmers and merchants that tested the precarious institutions of the new republic, threatened to plunge the "disunited states" into a civil war. The rebellion arose in Massachusetts in 1786, spread to other states, and culminated in an abortive attack on a federal arsenal.
“In the first years of peacetime, following the Revolutionary War, the future of both the agrarian and commercial society appeared threatened by a strangling chain of debt which aggravated the depressed economy of the postwar years”.1 This poor economy affected almost everyone in New England especially the farmers. For years these farmers, or yeomen as they were commonly called, had been used to growing just enough for what they needed and grew little in surplus. As one farmer explained “ My farm provides me and my family with a good living. Nothing we wear, eat, or drink was purchased, because my farm provides it all.”2 The only problem with this way of life is that with no surplus there was no way to make enough money to pay excessive debts. For example, since farmer possessed little money the merchants offered the articles they needed on short-term credit and accepted any surplus farm goods on a seasonal basis for payment. However if the farmer experienced a poor crop, shopkeepers usually extended credit and thereby tied the farmer to their businesses on a yearly basis.3 During a credit crisis, the gradual disintegration of the traditional culture became more apparent. During hard times, merchants in need of ready cash withdrew credit from their yeomen customers and called for the repayment of loans in hard cash. Such demands showed the growing power of the commercial elite.4 As one could imagine this brought much social and economic unrest to the farmers of New England. Many of the farmers in debt were dragged into court and in many cases they were put into debtors prison. Many decided to take action: The farmers waited for the legal due process as long as them could. The Legislature, also know as the General Court, took little action to address the farmers complaints. 5 “So without waiting for General Court to come back into session to work on grievances as requested, the People took matters into their own hands.”6 This is when the idea for the Rebellion is decided upon and the need for a leader was eminent.
While these two pieces have many similarities and differences, they have a common purpose, to allow a viewer to experience a bit of nature. The two artists used their own unique styles to depict a similar scene that resulted in two different paintings that each allow a viewer to experience this bit of nature in whatever way they interpret it. This is sort of the whole point of art, and it seems that both of these pieces captured that point very well.
The Harlem Renaissance, a time of global appreciation for the black culture, was a door opening for African American women. Until then, African Americans, let alone African American women, were neither respected nor recognized in the artistic world. During this time of this New Negro Movement, women sculptors were able to connect their heritages with the present issues in America. There is an abundance of culture and history to be learned from these sculptures because the artists creatively intertwine both. Meta Warrick Fuller and Edmonia Lewis, two of the most popular sculptors of this time, were able to reflect their native heritages and the dynamics of society through their artwork.
The background of this piece is covered with Aunt Jemima advertisements while the foreground is dominated by a larger Aunt Jemima notepad holder with a picture of a mammy figure and a white baby inside. The idea of Aunt Jemima was originally in a Billy American-style minstrelsy song “Old Aunt Jemima” written in 1875. The Aunt Jemima character was prominent in minstrel shows in the late 19th century and was later adopted by commercial interests to represent the Aunt Jemima brand. This figure holds a broom in one hand and a rifle in the other. In front of the picture is a clenched fist. This piece was made during the art movement of the 1070s. The Black Arts movement was an artistic branch of the Black Power Movement. Writer and activist Imamu Amiri Baraka started it in Harlem. Many of the artwork of this movement including literature, film, theater, and music was filled with emotion and anger of the injustices of the time. This assemblage is made out of wood, pictures, figurines, and other household
South University Online. (2013). HUM 1002: History of Art from the Middle Ages to Modern Times: Week 1: Elements of Design. Retrieved from myeclassonline.com
Both stories show feminism of the woman trying to become free of the male dominance. Unfortunately, the woman are not successful at becoming free. In the end, the two women’s lives are drastically
The Harlem Renaissance had a lot of influence on modern day art because many artist white and black drew inspiration from traditional African sculptures. In the 1900s, “the aesthetics of traditional African sculpture became a powerful influence among European artists who formed an avant-garde in the development of modern art.”(“African
Kara Walker’s piece titled Gone: An Historical Romance of a Civil War as It Occurred b 'tween the Dusky Thighs of One Young Negress and Her Heart represents discrimination on basis of race that happened during the period of slavery. The medium Walker specializes in using paper in her artwork. This piece is currently exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art. Even though this artwork depicts slavery, discrimination is still an issue today in America, the country where people are supposedly free and equal. Even though slavery ended in the 19th century, we still see hints of racial discrimination for African Americans in our society. Walker uses color, image composition, and iconography to point out evidence of racial inequality that existed in the
Karenga wanted a black aesthetic to judge the validity of the artwork. He wants it to support the revolution and motivate the people about the better times to come. Black art needs to be functional, collective, and committing. It will be judged on two levels, the artistic and social, mostly social though. Karenga wants art to express his hatred for the white man and motivate others to hate the white man. He wants everyone to forget about the past and not let that effect how they feel. The black community has to leave the past in the past so they can focus and not miss out on the opportunity that is presented before them. The art needs to remind them of their hatred for the enemy and their commitment for the permeant revolution that they will fight
The setting of these two stories emphasize, on visually showing us how the main characters are based around trying to find freedom despite the physical, mental and emotional effects of living in confinement. While on the other hand, dealing with Psychology’s ugly present day behavior showing dystopia of societies views of women during the time period they lived.
Art is a very important part of humanity’s history, and it can be found anywhere from the walls of caves to the halls of museums. The artists that created these works of art were influenced by a multitude of factors including personal issues, politics, and other art movements. Frida Kahlo and Vincent van Gogh, two wildly popular artists, have left behind artwork, that to this day, influences and fascinates people around the world. Their painting styles and personal lives are vastly different, but both artists managed to capture the emotions that they were feeling and used them to create artwork.
Sometimes referred to as “the artistic sister of the Black Power Movement” the Black Arts Movement (BAM) arose in the mid 1960’s to develop a poetic/artistic statement that not only provided a means of black existence in America, but also provided a “change of vision” in the perception of African American identity. Much like the New Negro Movement, the Black Arts Movement was a flourishing time of artistic exertion among African American musicians, poets, playwrights, writers, and visual artists who understood that their artistic production could be the key to revising stereotypes of African American subordinacy (Neal). Through looking at the enriching artworks by David Hammons, Jeff Donaldson, and Adrian Piper, it can be understood that the African American race strived for both racial equality and social change. Hammons, Donaldson, and Piper were unique artist who changed African American Art and captivated America through their exceptional styles of talent and artworks. While the artworks Spade (Power to the Spade) by David Hammons, Wives of Shango by Jeff Donaldson, and Adrian Piper’s advertisement in Village Voice share few commonalities such as similar subject matter, such as their strive for black power, and imagery, their differences in mediums, structural styles, and technique show differentiating aspects of each artworks physique.
Black-figure painting was first established in Corinth, c 700 BCE then Athens was influenced by the technique and got control over it (Cartwright, 2012). The entire process was made out of iron clay found in the area mixed with potash pigment, water and leave it evaporate under the sun until it’s thick and settle. Move on to wedging process where human used energy to make the clay combine together and create the smoothness. The forms of potter are made on the potter wheel and are control by human’s hands, which is fascinating because people will have respect toward a finished product. After shaping the entire form, it’s then bake inside a kiln until it turns black (Britannica, 2014). Black-figure painting usually presents a storytelling by depicting animals or people in silhouette and sometime th...