Visual Analysis Of South Dakota By David Paul Bradley

Analysis of a work of Art

The artist who made the piece I chose is named David Paul Bradley who is a Minnesota Chippewa American. He attended the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, as well as University of Arizona and College of Santa Fe. The title of the work is “South Dakota” and this piece was painted in 1980. The medium used to make this piece was acrylic paints on a canvas.

The subject matter of this piece is very detailed. The first thing your eye is drawn to is the Native American man looking at the calendar on the wall and his dog that is near him. The man is very slim and narrow, not taking up too much room in the picture itself. He also is looking at the calendar on the wall in such a way that makes his head turn in

an unnatural way. The man is holding a shotgun in his hand and the dog seems to be howling or making some sort of wolf-like gesture.
The scene is in a house with a window that is open and seems to be looking at the Badlands. I assume it is the Badlands because it is titled “South Dakota”. The house looks very worn down, and has some cracks and holes in the wall and the floor looks worn down as well. There are some Native American decorations such as the bin or trash can, and the rug and some books on a bench. The bench that the books are resting on seems to be homemade because of the concrete brick the wood is resting on. Also, there is an American flag that is hung upside down and only the corner of the flag is showing, as if it is meant to be an afterthought and not an obvious focal point of the painting. One of the last things I saw in the painting was the four bullet holes right underneath the window.
The content of this painting in my opinion shows the “Americanizing” of the Native Americans who live in this country and specifically this state.

South Dakota has always been a sacred and important place for Native Americans and I think that is crucial to the meaning of the painting. The man in the painting is looking to the calendar on the wall that has the date “Columbus Day" circled. To me this is the most important hint within the painting. This is a direct reference to the day that Europeans landed in the Americas, and celebrates that event. Obviously, that day has a very different meaning to the Native American people and their way of life. When this painting was made in 1980, Columbus Day was still celebrated in this state. Ten years later in 1990, the state chose to make it Native American Day instead to honor the struggle of Native Americans and their culture.

I really like how this artist used many different design elements to convey the meaning to the piece. The balance of this piece relies on the placement of the subject matter and main focal points within the piece. The painting first catches your eye with the man, the gun, and the dog. Then the longer you look at it, the more subordinate detail you see. The details are very strategically spread out so that you must keep looking at the painting to put all of the pieces together. I would say the balance is asymmetrical because both sides of the painting are not the same, but still weighted

equally.
Line is used with mostly contour lines and the lines are very straight forward. The lines of the window create implied lines that draw your eyes to look out the window. I would say the background portrayed in the image is when you are looking out of the window. You see the mountains and the Badlands with the animal skull. It seems to me that the window could also be a painting, or somewhat of a memory or implied look into the man’s past.
The shape of the painting is very two dimensional and there are very little shadows within the figures. The artist painted it to be more realistic but cartoon-like and reminds me of post impressionism art. It also reminds me of New Mexico and their style of decoration and art.
The color palette is very neutral and has a lot of Earth tones that would be found in nature. The colors are true to life as they would be represented in real life. There are no bright flashy colors in this painting. The colors have harmony and do not clash with one another.
There is a lot of variety in this painting with each different figure or object you see. Each object in the painting has a purpose and meaning behind it. There is some variety in the painting when the artist uses the natural colors of the objects or scenes, and makes them unify to bring the piece together.
There is unity in the fact that all the objects and identifiable things in the painting are proportionate to one another. Each object makes sense within the scene. All the objects’ meanings work together to make the overall point complete.
To me, the texture in this piece is mostly visual and not physical. There is some texture in the paint itself and the strokes, but not enough to change the meaning of the painting. Repetition is found in the flooring with the continuous floor boards and the floral pattern in the wallpaper.
The feeling this paining conveys is somewhat somber. The artist wants people to look at his paintings and think about what it means and why each element is there. I think artwork means more to me personally when the artist uses their talent to reach people about a certain issue and convey a certain emotion. He is very bold in the subject matter he uses in his paintings. He knows the emotion and subject he wants to portray with each detail.
In my interpretation, the little details are what put the meaning into this work of art. The man in the painting seems to be wearing modern American clothing with the exception of his shoes, and the decorations in his house seem to be modernized with the floral wallpaper and the American flag. Also, the painting shows an outlet and a cord going into it, showing the transition to electricity and again, modern life.
However, the flag is hung upside-down. Hanging the American flag upside-down is not a sign of disrespect, but rather a sign of distress and danger to yourself or to your property. It is looked down upon to hang it upside-down if there is no major threat. I believe the artist is saying that the way of life for Native Americans is being consumed by the modern American way of life. He is also holding a gun in his hand, showing that he feels threatened. The gun is only resting at his feet in one hand, to show that he is ready to defend himself, but is not seeking out violence or bloodshed. The bullet holes in the wall could represent a sign that he was attacked, or defended his property by shooting back. In the eyes of the artist, the customs and culture of Native Americans are being constantly threatened by American culture and people. It shows the transition from living as a native person, to modern American. I find it interesting that the artist included the flag in the painting at all. It is as if the artist wants to give credit to America, but not without showing the distress and danger it proposes to his culture.
I believe the artists background has a majority of the influence on the context of this painting. Since the artist is Native American himself, he shows a lot of emotion in the painting. His own personal struggles and seeing people of the same background as him go through racism, hatred, prejudice, and unfair treatment and have a lot to do with the context and meaning of this painting.
I took some time to look at some of David Paul Bradley’s other paintings online, and most of them seem to be paintings based on Native American culture and are very political and witty.

For example, one of his paintings is imitating currency and is labeled “Museum Currency” and is referencing the “Land O’ Lakes” Label with the Native American woman kneeling on the ground. Instead of the brands label, it says “Land O’ Fakes” as the label with the woman holding a mask of a face off to the side, and her face appears to be a Native American skeleton face. There is much more detail to that painting as well and really makes you think about the subject matter and the point he is trying to get across. I love how I look at an art piece of his and think I know what it is about right away, but then the longer you look at it the more hidden messages and clues you

find.
I think his focus is to bring attention to Native American culture and how it is often disrespected or neglected. By painting these images, he can spread awareness to people without having to speak to them directly. Some of his paintings had a very sarcastic or whimsical outlook on American culture and how Native Americans are often overlooked.
I believe that David Paul Bradley wants to revolutionize how people see Native American art and the stereotypes that go with it. He is very passionate about the Native American culture and trying to help people understand the injustice of what has happened in the past and how it impacts and shapes the future. He wants people who view his art to be driven to conversation and deep thought. I think that is one of the best signs of a work of art is when it makes the viewer take a deeper look.
Overall, I really enjoy this painting and the message it represents. I look forward to seeing more of his paintings and looking more into this style of art.