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Art Criticism
3.D. Three Artists Deal With the
Theme of Racism

(Time: 1 hr.)

In this project, you will explore how three artists deal with the theme of racism in their artwork. You have already taken a close look at how two of the artists below have used different principles of art to communicate power in their subjects. There is a third artist, Elizabeth Catlett, who works with the theme of racism and its effects on African Americans, in her print, Sharecropper.

Once done your investigation, you will answer two questions below.

First, take a fresh look at:

“Papiamento” by Julio Larraz (p. 8) 1987
“Preacher” by Charles White (p. 9) 1952
“Sharecropper” by Elizabeth Catlett (p. 13) 1970

-- noticing how they portray different aspects of racism in their art.

Notice the subject, the use of color, value, materials and the processes used to create each artwork. Notice the artist’s choices and how these choices have affected the message their art communicates.

Next:

In order to answer the two questions below, do a little background reading, (feed your mind!) with Wikipedia, on African-American history during the1950-80’s:

Double click:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968)#Background

or google: “African-American Civil Rights Movement”

Finally:

Spend 15-20 minutes looking through the informationuntil you have a general idea of what the African Americans were challenged with during this time. Knowing some of the background cultural information from where these paintings were created is important to understanding their message. The reading will help you answer these two questions:

(1.) How do these images reflect the culture and the times in which they were created? (What was going on? How were African Americans being treated? What did they decide to do about the systemic racism in their country? How do these three images reflect what was going on for African Americans in the US at this time?) (5)

(2.) How has historic image making influenced contemporary work? (What were historical materials and methods used by European artists and what were used by African artists? Were they different? If these modern artists, Larraz, White, and Catlett are using materials and methods traditionally used by one cultural group versus the other, what might this mean?) (5)

tipIf you don’t know, take a guess. You’re probably on the right track if you trust your instincts here. Read the information below before deciding on your answer.

 Click edit at the bottom of the page to open the edit box. Type your answers to Q. 1 & 2 (above) in the box and click save changes when you’re done. (Remember to put the title of the assignment at the top of the page.)

Some Background Information:

Historical European art:some popular or typical processes and materials have been:

Pencil or pen sketch
Oil painting
Wood cut printmaking

Historical African art: some popular or typical processes and materials in art-making have been:

Water-based paint on clay, stone, wood
Carving in wood or stone
Batik on fabric

Cultural Group Dominating the USA (at this time): European Americans


Evaluation Criteria:

Must See:

2 questions answered thoughtfully & originally

Student will demonstrate his/her understanding of how history, socio-economic standing (wealth, power) influence the artist and his/her art by answering the following questions:
How do these images reflect the culture & times in which
they were created?		/ 5
How has historic image making influenced contemporary
artwork?		/ 5
Total: / 10


Refreshing Education & Winter © 2008


Available from: Monday, 15 December 2008, 05:40 PM
Due date: Tuesday, 22 December 2020, 05:40 PM