Needing help on understanding Kara Walker's "Gone"

Artfilicious · 05:02 AM

Hello,

I'm a student from Germany and I've got some problems understand Kara Walker's art. I know that she works a lot with the topic "American Civil War" and i also know she's trying to show racism and slavery and all these things, that happened in the American history.

But I can't figure out what she means with single symbols on her images. Like on her work "Gone: An Historical Romance of a Civil War as it Occurred b'tween the Dusky Thighs of One Young Negress and Her Heart".

(http://nyclovesnyc.blogspot.com/2010...n-at-moma.html some pictures of it)

I see how she included topics like racism with the stereotypes and rape. But I can't figure out what she wanted to tell with the boy floating up there having a swollen penis for example. Or why the girl on the left has someone (possibly someone black) under her skirt.

I can only find websites that tell me the basics I already know about her work, but non of them tell me something about specific figures in her work.

Anyone who could help me?

January 6th, 2012, 06:37 PM

Would be intrested too.

January 6th, 2012, 07:55 AM	#1
Artfilicious Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 1	Needing help on understanding Kara Walker's "Gone" Hello, I'm a student from Germany and I've got some problems understand Kara Walker's art. I know that she works a lot with the topic "American Civil War" and i also know she's trying to show racism and slavery and all these things, that happened in the American history. But I can't figure out what she means with single symbols on her images. Like on her work "Gone: An Historical Romance of a Civil War as it Occurred b'tween the Dusky Thighs of One Young Negress and Her Heart". (http://nyclovesnyc.blogspot.com/2010...n-at-moma.html some pictures of it) I see how she included topics like racism with the stereotypes and rape. But I can't figure out what she wanted to tell with the boy floating up there having a swollen penis for example. Or why the girl on the left has someone (possibly someone black) under her skirt. I can only find websites that tell me the basics I already know about her work, but non of them tell me something about specific figures in her work. Anyone who could help me? Last edited by Artfilicious : January 7th, 2012 at 05:02 AM.

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January 6th, 2012, 06:37 PM	#2
Unregistered Posts: n/a	Would be intrested too.