S
Silhouettes:
Kara Walker
We’ve all seen
silhouettes. The black cutouts against a white background, usually in the form
of a profile of a person. We admire the skill it takes to do this well, but is
it really art?
In the hands of Kara
Walker, it is absolutely art. Walker is an African American artist who uses the
medium of silhouette to examine very frankly themes of slavery, race,
sexuality, and identity. A lot of her work is highly controversial; she doesn’t
pull any punches in her imagery, which can be raw and shocking. She’s best
known for large installations that cover the walls of galleries and museums.
She became the youngest person to be awarded the so-called “genius” grant of
the MacArthur Foundation when she was twenty-seven.
Because I’m not a
controversy-seeking person, I include some of her less(?) disturbing images in
this post (you’re welcome). For a more complete selection of her work, see
here.
 |
| A museum installation |
I love the starkness of a silhouette. (and her collection on the link is really something!)
ReplyDeleteI love silhouettes. Once when I was a very young girl, maybe 12? My mother had a sihouette done of my profile, pigtail and all. Black, on a white background. It looked so much like me it made me smile. We saved it for years. I don't know where it is now. Probably lost from all the moves. Silhouettes are powerful because they make you wonder and guess and fill in the blanks.
ReplyDeletevery cool. My mother has silhouettes of my sister and me as children. Still hanging on the wall.
ReplyDeleteThis was fascinating. I love the mystery of silhouette art. Love this woman's artwork as it's so expressive and full of character. Must look at more of her work.
ReplyDelete