Roots
medium: block print
Size: 45.72cm x 60.96cm
COmpleted: october 2016
exhibition textRoots is a mixed media piece inspired by Jean-Michel Basquiat and the Neo-Expressionist movement. Incorporating the block print technique as well as acrylic and chalk on a Masonite board, I wanted to create a piece that reflected on the origins of Afro-American culture as well as the root causes of the problems that many African Americans still face in the U.S. today. All of the images and figures included in this piece are inspired by key symbols commonly seen in African culture, in which can also be used in representation of the struggles that they are commonly faced with.
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artistic inspiration
For this piece, I took inspiration from 80's Afro-punk artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. Basquiat often made works following the ideas of Neo-Expressionism, including images that often reflected on African American culture. In his piece Untitled (History of the Black People), he embraces his cultural origins with his use of symbolism often seen with African American culture. He connects ancient Egypt to America, combining symbols of each culture to convey similar messages. I was inspired by this piece and Basquiat's ideas in which I wanted to create art work that showed the roots of African American culture and where many of its symbols and ideas originated from.
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cultural inspiration
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Taking cultural inspiration from the modern civil rights movement, I wanted this piece to reflect upon the impact and influence of the events during this era on modern African American art. Many of the pieces created within this period resonates with ancient African art while still incorporating modern storytelling of the movement. The piece seen on the left, also by Basquiat, conveys this style with modern and ancient symbolism, where the face half resembles an ancient African mask and half resembles a modern cartoon-like portrayal of a face.
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meaning
Roots was intended to tell a story to the audience. With the figure, I wanted to portray an African American man who was tired and overworked. His slender body and lack of clothing was intended for the figure to resemble a slave. A grainy background was kept to convey a sense of the figure being worn out. The overall project was made to look back at the history of African Americans and how it has affected and seen to influence the upcoming generations who experience modernized versions of these same problems.
planning/experimentation
process
I began this piece by drawing the sketch I chose to use on two large block printing canvases. I split the overall image in half, having the torso/upper body of the figure being on the top print canvas and the lower body being on the second canvas. Once the entire image was sketched onto both canvases and I was satisfied with the proportions, I began to carve only the dark lines of the sketch so that they would appear white on the final piece.
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Once the block print image was carved out and ready, I began printing. To print, I had to gather my materials, including a brayer, black ink, metal tray, and a baren, and printing paper. Using the brayer and black ink, I started by spreading the black ink across the entire printing canvas. Then I transferred the canvas to the printing paper and used the baren to make sure that the image was transfered completely. I did this process a total of two times for each carved printing canvas until I was satisfied with the result.
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reflection
While this piece isn't necessarily one of my favorites, I was still overall excited with the results. I think that this piece has a lot of potential and I am hoping to add more to it in the near future. I want to be able to make the piece out as a mixed media piece, hopefully including acrylic and paper from magazines/newspaper to add more symbolism and depth to the final.
act questions
- I was inspired by the works of Jean-Michel Basquiat, in which the composition and cultural background of his pieces have caused me to make choices in how I completed my piece. For the composition, I was inspired to incorporate his use of figures and chaotic sense of organization. For the cultural background, I too wanted to convey African American culture through the colors and symbolism included like Basquiat does.
- The approach Basquiat has regarding the topic of inspiration was to address his origins and the history of African Americans. He often connects African culture to black America with his use of symbols, such as the gold boat in his piece Untitled (History of the Black People).
- Generalizations and conclusions I have discovered while researching contemporary African American art are the symbols and motifs that can be interpreted through the works. Many contemporary pieces provide details that tell the story and history of African American culture.
- The central theme around my inspirational research was history and storytelling, and how I can include both modern and ancient symbolism to tell a story.
- Inferences I have made while researching is that with conveying culture through works it is important to include symbolism that has both modern and historical origins, as well as modern and historical interpretations and perspectives.