Overview
In this book, artist and art historian Michael Harris investigates the role of visual representation in the construction of black identities, both real and imagined, in the United States. He focuses particularly on how African American artists have responded to—and even used—stereotypical images in their own works.
Harris shows how, during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, racial stereotypes became the dominant mode through which African Americans were represented. These characterizations of blacks formed a substantial part of the foundation of white identity and social power. They also, Harris argues, seeped into African Americans' self-images and undermined their self-esteem.
Harris traces black artists' responses to racist imagery across two centuries, from early works by Henry O. Tanner and Archibald J. Motley Jr., in which African Americans are depicted with dignity, to contemporary works by Kara Walker and Michael Ray Charles, in which derogatory images are recycled to controversial effect. The work of these and other artists—such as John Biggers, Jeff Donaldson, Betye Saar, Juan Logan, and Camille Billops—reflects a wide range of perspectives. Examined together, they offer compelling insight into the profound psychological impact of visual stereotypes on the African American community.
Synopsis
Artist and art historian Michael Harris examines the racial stereotypes prevalent in 19th- and 20th-century American art. He argues that these images substantially reinforced social power and undermined the self-esteem of African Americans. He traces black artists' responses to racist imagery across two centuries and a wide range of perspectives and offers compelling insights into the profound psychological impact of visual stereotypes on the African American community.
Black Issues Book Review
A lucid and thought-provoking investigation of the role of racial stereotypes in American art.
Editorials
From the Publisher
"An important achievement in encouraging scholarly awareness about the depiction of minorities in contemporary art history. [Harris] does a commendable job of tracing the complex historiography of the subject matter in the United States."— H-AfrArts
"Highly recommended reading for anyone interested in the intersection of race and art in America."
Library Journal
"A lucid and thought-provoking investigation of the role of racial stereotypes in American art."
Black Issues Book Review
"The quality of thought and writing make [Harris's] analysis relevant to everyone connected to how slavery has inflected, and currently affects, Western visual art."
Print
"Michael Harris has written the most comprehensive book ever published on the subject of race images."
David C. Driskell, University of Maryland
"This needs to be read by anyone interested in African American studies, American studies, media studies, or the visual arts."
Kenneth W. Goings, Ohio State University
Black Issues Book Review
A lucid and thought-provoking investigation of the role of racial stereotypes in American art.African and African American art history professor Harris (Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) provides an interpretive analysis of the image of African Americans in art and popular culture, contrasting how the dominant white culture of the 19th and 20th centuries created and used images of blacks with the ways that African American artists appropriated those same images to make distinctively different statements. As a fascinating example, Harris traces the century-long history of the image of Aunt Jemima and then discusses works by such notable African American artists as Joe Overstreet, Betye Saar, and others who have reused the stereotypical figure for their own purposes. While one might quibble with some of the finer points of Harris's interpretations, the weight of his arguments is quite convincing. The limited number of illustrations and the density of the scholarly text will limit the appeal of this book, but it is highly recommended reading for anyone interested in the intersection of race and art in America.-Eugene C. Burt, Data Arts, Seattle Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.