Kara Walker

-Walker is a contemporary working and teaching artist.

-Born in California, but moved to Georgia when she was 13.

-She originally went to college for painting and printmaking.

Her dad is also an artist and a college professor. Kara has followed in his footprints by first focusing on her art and then later transitioning into teaching. She currently teaches visual arts at Columbia University in New York.

Walker's work represents a historical narrative, which is art that represents history in the form of a narrative or a story.

Why would an artist choose History as subject matter?

While watching the film clip… think

The 3rd of May, Goya, 1808Spanish resisting Napoleon

Washington Crossing the Delaware, 1851

Battle of Cold Harbor 1888

Sojourner Truth Monument, 1999

1862, Dmitri the Pretender’s Agents Murder the Son of Boris Godunov

The History of Silhouettes

The art of silhouette cutting originated in Europe in the early 1700's. Prior to the French revolution, silhouettists were hired as an amusement for the royal class. The featured artist would attend the many extravagant balls and cut out the distinguished profiles of the Lords and Ladies capturing the latest fashions and elaborate wigs.

While the aristocrats were having their silhouettes cut out and eating like kings much of Europe was starving, especially in France. In the 1760's the Finance Minister of France, Etienne de Silhouette, had crippled the French people with his merciless tax polices. Oblivious to his people's plight, Etienne was much more interested in his hobby of cutting out paper profiles, the latest fad. Etienne de Silhouette was so despised by the people of France that in protest the peasants wore only black mimicking his black paper cutouts.

YOUR ASSIGNMENT

• Choose a narrative (event) from your New Mexico History class, or from Huck Finn or your English class.

• You will depict the event in the style of Kara Walker (silhouette) while also showing your event in the style of a narrative (a visual story)

• Make several sketches for your ideas- what will you include to tell the story?

• Get any reference images you may need• Begin to create your silhouettes! Draw then cut out.

Details matter!