The first question is to compare and contrast pintings. The first painting is referred to as the Manner of Their Attire and Painting Themselves was created by John White, who was known as an artist, a map maker, and the first British artist in the Americas, and to paint Native Americans. This painting depicted what looked like an elderly Native American male wearing nothing but a cloth around his waist and paint all over his skin. Not only was White the local artist, but he was also the Governor of the Roanoke Colony, which raises question if his depiction of the Native Americans was authentic, or more exaggerated to imply they were savages.
The second painting is a Boy Bitten by a Crayfish, but has become more common known as a Boy Bitten by a Crab created by Sofonsiba Anguissola one of the most famous female painters of her time. This painting has a young boy who appears to be crying, while a slightly older young girl sits next to him with a smirk on her face, which shows some kind of pleasure in the boy’s pain. Similar to White’s painting, this painting seems to depict a specific event.
It is believed, the idea of tragedy goes over better than comedy, which is why the famous painter Michelangelo told Anguissola to change her original sketch from two girls laughing to one boy crying. Michelangelo described the dominance of men around the world to change the subject based on the idea males were better subjects. The argument tragedy is better than comedy is an understandable point-of-view, because generally bad news spreads faster than good news.
Both of the paintings came from the 16th century, but one was created by an Italian woman, and the other was created by a British man. At the same time, both paintings seem to be an exaggeration, or outright fallacy of what was really actually occurring. White’s painting was created watercolors, while Anguissola’s painting was created on brown paper, with black chalk and charcoal. Anguissola’s painting had a unique coloring, as if the painting was created through a filter.
White’s painting looks like the Native American was standing in front of a drop cloth, or was simply painted in doors in front of a white, or cream colored wall. This can be compared to Anguissola’s painting, which appears to be created outdoors, maybe on a front porch because there is a clear image of a bulls’ head in the background to the left of the children. This background detail makes the image look more authentic, compared to White’s painting.
What is interesting was Anguissola’s painting shows the boy crying, but the crab is no longer on his hand, but appears to be attached to the girl’s finger, who did not seem to be phased by the pain and discomfort. On one hand, Anguissola could have been trying to depict girls are just as strong as boys, maybe even more depending on the situation. On the other hand, the way the girl is smirking can lead to the belief she enjoyed his suffering, which almost depicts Europeans as the savages.
The main themes addressed in both paintings was related to the transformation of everyday objects, and the impact of art on society and vice-versa. White’s paintings depicted various Native American cultures he came in contact with, and in most of the paintings it was clear to see these people were living the simple life, which had protected their land and culture up until the European settlers arrived. It comes as no surprise Europeans viewed the naked body of the natives as savage and barbaric, because in the Holy Bible, it depicts the sinful act of Eve getting Adam to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge. Even though it was wrong to eat the fruit, they were still embarrassed to walk around naked. This can be compared to Anguissola’s painting, because the children are well dressed, which appears to imply these children came from a family with wealth, power, or both.
In the past, people did not live to old age, mostly because people would get sick and die. Looking at the painting of the Native American, it is clear this elderly man lived a full life protecting his family and his tribe. At the same time, in European cultures the old were meant to be discarded to allow the next generation the opportunity to take control. Additionally, the Native American also stands with pride holding his long bow in one arm, and had decorative feathers on his head. This may have looked savage since Europeans had already upgraded their weapons to be deadlier.
Once Europeans were able to see the natives were still using simple weaponry, it made the question of the journey easier, because the adversary was not equally equipped to fight what was coming for them. White probably painted the elderly man to look so frail and skinny, because it made the people look weak, and possibly malnourished. These depictions motivated people from many different European nations to pick up and move to the new world. Society in Europe and the Americas was grown based on the unified idea of protecting life and expanding empires, by focusing on ridding the planet of savages. The painting of the children can be viewed as the aspects of life and innocence that needed to be protected and nurtured.
The second question was how typical was Lavinia Fontana’s career? Lavinia Fontana is known as a Renaissance painter who was often commissioned to create portraits, but also completed mythological, or religious themes. She also completed several female nudes, which were a rare occurrence at the time. It is believed, her fame was gained through her portraits, but it had more to do with the fact she was the first female artist, working in some of the same areas as her male counterparts. The success of Fontana could not be viewed as typical, because even in the 20th and 21st centuries woman can still be viewed as less artists compared to their male counterparts. At age 25, she got married to a nobleman artist Gian Paolo Sappi, who was willing to work as her assistant, to aid her not only in their art, but raising their 11 children, three of whom were the only to outlive her. The fact her husband worked as her assistant was definitely rare for the time, because it would have been more likely the husband would have claimed her work as his own.
Fontana was the main portraitist for twenty years in Bologna, Italy, and completed the portraits of important people for the University of Bologna. Fontana’s fame grew because it was unlikely there were female students at the university, but grew even more when she moved to Rome in 1604 as the portraitists of the court of Pope Paul V. It is understandable for her fame to grow once she moved to Rome, because of the international link of Christianity.
Fontana was the recipient of several honors, including a bronze portrait medallion that was originally cast in 1611, by the sculptor and architect Felice Antonio Casoni. These types of recognition seemed to be rare for women of the time, because male dominance did not have allow women to be viewed as equal, or better than men. During the 16th century women were still limited by their opportunities and liberty since they rarely held paying jobs outside of the home.
Fontana studied art with her father Prospero Fontana, who was a minor painter of the school of Bologna, specializing in the mannerist painting style. This fact makes it clear why her success was acceptable, because she learned from her father, who took the time to teach her his trade, and explains why the university was willing to let Fontana fill the role of the portraitist for the school.
Fontana’s work was well known because of the vibrant colors she used, and the incredible detail based on the clothing and jewelry worn by her subjects. The detail of clothing and jewelry may not have been as important for men, but thinking this way is quite stereotypical, which would go against the greatness and the impact of her work. By the end of her career, Fontana was elected a member of the Roman Academy. This information depicts how untypical her career truly was.
The third question is to analyze two works by Lubaina Himid, and discuss how they operate a revision of colonial history. Lubaina Himid is a bi-racial woman whose work investigates the historical representations of the people of African dispora, by highlighting the importance of their culture to the modern landscape of society. Once again, the works created were able to depict the impact of art on society, and modern society on art. Himid is known as one of the pioneers of the black art movement, creating a forum for black artists exploring the political and social issues surrounding American history, and more specifically African American history.
It is also important to understand that modern African American history, is an evolution, or journey dating back to the colonial period and their similar treatment of Native Americans, whom were fighting for their way of life. The first painting is called My Parents, Their Children. This painting has a white man sitting next to a black woman, with a large gap between them, colored to depict the limbo bi-racial children live within their society as a whole.
Similar to Fontana, Himid’s fame and popularity, where rare for their time period, especially because Himid was a bi-racial person. Himid was able to participate at an international level, through exhibitions, conferences, and publications. It explains, her work became popular around the world, because it spoke to realizations of society, and how it impacts the lives of people. At the top of the first painting there is a statement that her grandfather, never met her grandmother, which explains the segregation of society was still alive and well in the 20th century and the ignorance lead to a lack of communication and the harboring of hate.
The second painting analyzed is called The Carrot Piece, and depicts a black man with simple brown clothing walking forward, with a white man wearing loud and colorful clothing, riding a unicycle, holding some sort of pole, with a carrot dangling off the end, while back pedaling behind the black man. This painting focuses on the idea, white people enjoy having an audience, while they are disrespecting, and spreading hate for no good reason.
This painting also focuses on the idea of the power of white people to be able to lure a black man into a situation which could result in his injury, or even death. This also focuses on the idea, black people are always under attack, by society at large, and it is obvious and deliberate. There has always been direct and intentional attack on the African American population including slavery, Jim Crowe, and now mass incarceration. This has become a pattern, which places the blame on the weakness or defect of the African American population, which warrants the treatment. Himid is known as a painter, but her works have creatively integrated history and the representation of the African diaspora. The diaspora of African Americans is related to their movement from Africa to the Americas. These people were brought here against their will, and then were treated poorly once they got here.
References
Apollo Magazine, 2017. Lubaina Himid. Apollo: The International Art Magazine, 21 Jan.
Contemporary Art Society, 2017. Contemporary Art Society. [Online] Available at: http://www.contemporaryartsociety.org/artist-members/lubaina-himid/[Accessed 18 January 2017].
National Museum of Women in the Arts, 2014. National Museum of Women in the Arts. [Online] Available at: https://nmwa.org/explore/artist-profiles/lavinia-fontana[Accessed 18 January 2017].
The Editors of the Encyclopedia Britannica, 2016. Lavina Fortana. In: Encyclopedia Britannica. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. .
Virginia Foundation for the Humanities , 2016. Encyclopedia Virginia. [Online] Available at: http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/media_player?mets_filename=evm00003107mets.xml[Accessed 19 January 2017 ].
Zirpolo, L. H., 2016. Historical Dictionary of Renaissance Art. 2nd ed. New York: Rowand and Littlefield.
