Claudette Johnson’s work is both a reaction against racist and sexist objectification of the blac... more Claudette Johnson’s work is both a reaction against racist and sexist objectification of the black female body, and an assertion of presence and humanity of her subjects. With her portraits, she persistently disrupts the visual stereotype of possession and sexualization by creating images of women who are unconstrained by both the edges of the paper and social boundaries. Her work conveys both a presence of the black woman as subject, and an acknowledgement of the history of and continuing reality of the objectification of black women.
In the early 1980s, Black British female artists started to demand their rightful place in galler... more In the early 1980s, Black British female artists started to demand their rightful place in galleries alongside other black artists. Their work, which had until that point been marginalized, told an important narrative about the damages of institutional racism and social and cultural oppression. Artists like Lubaina Himid, Maude Sulter, Sonia Boyce, Marlene Smith and Claudette Jonson used their art to combat their collective invisibility, as well as to express their frustration with the compounded oppression of racism and sexism. Claudette Johnson's paintings in particular illustrate the urgency with which the artist demanded visibility for Black British women. Her work is both a reaction against racist and sexist objectification of the black female body, and an assertion of presence and humanity of her subjects. With her portraits, she persistently disrupts the visual stereotype of possession and sexualization. Johnson discusses her work as embodying the "naked and uncompromising presence of women," employing substantial proportions and rich colors to impart a sense of confidence in the subjects. 1 Her technique invites the reflection of the viewer, using line in a deliberate manner in order to convey both a presence of the black woman as subject, and an acknowledgement of the history of and continuing reality of the objectification of black women. Johnson studied art at Wolverhampton Polytechnic, and said that there were aspects of her work that would not be discussed during her time at art school, as they were "not considered relevant." 2 She found a forum to discuss the work that she was making among other 1 Claudette Johnson, "Issues Surrounding the Representation of the Naked Body of a Woman," Feminist Art
for the villa and may not be therefore an indication of the owner. 3 Della Corte discovered the n... more for the villa and may not be therefore an indication of the owner. 3 Della Corte discovered the name of a freedman, Tiberius Claudius Eutychus, written on a cabinet, and attributed ownership of the villa to him. Von Blanckenhagen believes that Tiberius Claudius Eutychus might have been the manager of the villa or owned it at a later date. Nevertheless, the tiles do provide a date for the construction and original decoration. Based on the quality of the paintings at Boscotrecase, it seems plausible that a member of the Imperial family could have owned it when the preserved walls were painted, but there is no clear evidence. 4
Although nineteenth-century photographs of Native Americans were often created to portray romanti... more Although nineteenth-century photographs of Native Americans were often created to portray romanticized images of a “vanishing race,” they can also represent the agency of those pictured. In this paper, I present research on a collection of photographs taken of Osage Indians by George W. Parsons in Pawhuska, Indian Territory, during the late nineteenth-century. In order to support my claim that the photographs in the collection are examples of silent resistance practiced by Native Americans, I discuss the history of representation of Native Americans and highlight elements of Osage culture illustrated by the photographs. In doing so, I demonstrate how the images illustrate the agency of the sitters to represent their Native identity and culture. I also discuss how contemporary artists re-appropriate images and narratives about Native peoples in order to reclaim and rewrite the history of the Native experiences, and therefore emphasize the continuous narrative of Native American history.
Claudette Johnson’s work is both a reaction against racist and sexist objectification of the blac... more Claudette Johnson’s work is both a reaction against racist and sexist objectification of the black female body, and an assertion of presence and humanity of her subjects. With her portraits, she persistently disrupts the visual stereotype of possession and sexualization by creating images of women who are unconstrained by both the edges of the paper and social boundaries. Her work conveys both a presence of the black woman as subject, and an acknowledgement of the history of and continuing reality of the objectification of black women.
While Picasso has long been credited with “discovering” the stylistic power African art, the reco... more While Picasso has long been credited with “discovering” the stylistic power African art, the recognition pre-assumes a separation between the “modernity” of Europeans and the “primitiveness” of Africans as the “Other,” believing that the two paths had never crossed. It is this assumption that Maud Sulter discredits with her art, exposing to her viewers that the paths not only crossed, but that African culture had influenced and was inseparable from every aspect of European creative output, reaching as far back as the Ancient Egyptians. With her photomontage series Syrcas, Sulter draws attention to the absence and presence of black women’s creativity in Europe, while also scrutinizing issues of identity, stereotype and genocide. Her images, while symbolically complex, also clearly visualize the damaging effects of erasure or disappearance of any group from our historical narrative.
Claudette Johnson’s work is both a reaction against racist and sexist objectification of the blac... more Claudette Johnson’s work is both a reaction against racist and sexist objectification of the black female body, and an assertion of presence and humanity of her subjects. With her portraits, she persistently disrupts the visual stereotype of possession and sexualization by creating images of women who are unconstrained by both the edges of the paper and social boundaries. Her work conveys both a presence of the black woman as subject, and an acknowledgement of the history of and continuing reality of the objectification of black women.
In the early 1980s, Black British female artists started to demand their rightful place in galler... more In the early 1980s, Black British female artists started to demand their rightful place in galleries alongside other black artists. Their work, which had until that point been marginalized, told an important narrative about the damages of institutional racism and social and cultural oppression. Artists like Lubaina Himid, Maude Sulter, Sonia Boyce, Marlene Smith and Claudette Jonson used their art to combat their collective invisibility, as well as to express their frustration with the compounded oppression of racism and sexism. Claudette Johnson's paintings in particular illustrate the urgency with which the artist demanded visibility for Black British women. Her work is both a reaction against racist and sexist objectification of the black female body, and an assertion of presence and humanity of her subjects. With her portraits, she persistently disrupts the visual stereotype of possession and sexualization. Johnson discusses her work as embodying the "naked and uncompromising presence of women," employing substantial proportions and rich colors to impart a sense of confidence in the subjects. 1 Her technique invites the reflection of the viewer, using line in a deliberate manner in order to convey both a presence of the black woman as subject, and an acknowledgement of the history of and continuing reality of the objectification of black women. Johnson studied art at Wolverhampton Polytechnic, and said that there were aspects of her work that would not be discussed during her time at art school, as they were "not considered relevant." 2 She found a forum to discuss the work that she was making among other 1 Claudette Johnson, "Issues Surrounding the Representation of the Naked Body of a Woman," Feminist Art
for the villa and may not be therefore an indication of the owner. 3 Della Corte discovered the n... more for the villa and may not be therefore an indication of the owner. 3 Della Corte discovered the name of a freedman, Tiberius Claudius Eutychus, written on a cabinet, and attributed ownership of the villa to him. Von Blanckenhagen believes that Tiberius Claudius Eutychus might have been the manager of the villa or owned it at a later date. Nevertheless, the tiles do provide a date for the construction and original decoration. Based on the quality of the paintings at Boscotrecase, it seems plausible that a member of the Imperial family could have owned it when the preserved walls were painted, but there is no clear evidence. 4
Although nineteenth-century photographs of Native Americans were often created to portray romanti... more Although nineteenth-century photographs of Native Americans were often created to portray romanticized images of a “vanishing race,” they can also represent the agency of those pictured. In this paper, I present research on a collection of photographs taken of Osage Indians by George W. Parsons in Pawhuska, Indian Territory, during the late nineteenth-century. In order to support my claim that the photographs in the collection are examples of silent resistance practiced by Native Americans, I discuss the history of representation of Native Americans and highlight elements of Osage culture illustrated by the photographs. In doing so, I demonstrate how the images illustrate the agency of the sitters to represent their Native identity and culture. I also discuss how contemporary artists re-appropriate images and narratives about Native peoples in order to reclaim and rewrite the history of the Native experiences, and therefore emphasize the continuous narrative of Native American history.
Claudette Johnson’s work is both a reaction against racist and sexist objectification of the blac... more Claudette Johnson’s work is both a reaction against racist and sexist objectification of the black female body, and an assertion of presence and humanity of her subjects. With her portraits, she persistently disrupts the visual stereotype of possession and sexualization by creating images of women who are unconstrained by both the edges of the paper and social boundaries. Her work conveys both a presence of the black woman as subject, and an acknowledgement of the history of and continuing reality of the objectification of black women.
While Picasso has long been credited with “discovering” the stylistic power African art, the reco... more While Picasso has long been credited with “discovering” the stylistic power African art, the recognition pre-assumes a separation between the “modernity” of Europeans and the “primitiveness” of Africans as the “Other,” believing that the two paths had never crossed. It is this assumption that Maud Sulter discredits with her art, exposing to her viewers that the paths not only crossed, but that African culture had influenced and was inseparable from every aspect of European creative output, reaching as far back as the Ancient Egyptians. With her photomontage series Syrcas, Sulter draws attention to the absence and presence of black women’s creativity in Europe, while also scrutinizing issues of identity, stereotype and genocide. Her images, while symbolically complex, also clearly visualize the damaging effects of erasure or disappearance of any group from our historical narrative.
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