Use Of Color In James Bama's 'Young Plains Indian'

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James Bama’s painting titled Young Plains Indian (1980) depicts a decorated young Native American male riding on top of a horse who is barely on the canvas. The young Native American depicted in this image is not fictional but is an actual person that Bama photographed in 1979 at the grand entry of a Crow Fair. This painting was created in 1980, a year after photographing the actual Native American. The original piece was painted with oil atop of a masonite canvas and stands 24 inches wide by 24 inches tall and is currently being displayed at the Denver Art Museum in Denver, Colorado. The title Young Plains Indian is simple and to the point in terms of explaining what the painting is emphasizing; a young plains indian. Beginning with the …show more content…

The tones used by Bama in this painting creates a stark contrast between the main subject and his surroundings. Notice how the young Native American is created with darker tones when compared to the rest of the painting. The lighter tones around him makes the viewers eye sort of float due to it’s soft appearance while the darker tones of the young man gives the viewer something to latch onto that is solid and much harder than the softness of his surroundings. Although Bama’s use of contrasting tones in his colors do create emphasis on the young Native American, that is not the only thing they convey, they show emotion as well. The colors used are very warm but are also noticeably desaturated. Although the use of such colors give off an aged feeling like that of old parchment paper, the tones are light and warm which shows that there is not only life in the painting but a feeling of innocence as well. In contrast, the young Native American and his decor, such as the black feathers on his back, are rather dark and gives a somewhat serious feeling, however, this vibe given by the subject is combatted by the warm colors that surround him. The mix between these two colors end up conjuring a message of perseverance that says although he has seen and is possibly going through hardship he decides to search for peace and continues to

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