Throughout history, Native American people have used art as a form of self-expression. These artworks have taken the forms of dance, paintings, sculpture, fashion, etc. From the pre-contact period to the post-contact period, Native American art has always been evolving. With different methods comes new and different artwork. These different types of artworks can be seen throughout ancient, modern, and contemporary time periods. In this paper, I will discuss the photograph, The Last Thanks, created by contemporary Native American artist Wendy Red Star in 2006, and its take on cultural preservation.
The Last Thanks depicts the artist, Wendy Red Star, in the middle of a traditional Thanksgiving feast. The artist is dressed in a traditional Native …show more content…
The artist describes her work with, “The look pulls people in, but as you look closer you can see the image deteriorate, and if you are more privy to Native history you can see it right away” (qtd in Brien). As one examines The Last Thanks, it is evident that Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous painting, The Last Supper, sparked Wendy Red Star’s inspiration for this photograph. It is obvious in the title itself that The Last Thanks is influenced by The Last Supper. Red Star is even positioned similarly as Da Vinci’s portrayal of Jesus Christ. With the obvious comparisons to Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous piece, Red Star’s artwork “successfully forces the viewer to critique colonialism and religion with every examination of the image” (Tesema). In The Last Thanks, Red Star combines her Native American heritage with Western beliefs to create her unique juxtaposition …show more content…
Red Star describes her artwork and her intention to spark discussion with, “I’m dealing with really heavy topics pertaining to Crow and Native culture and the colonization of people” (qtd in Brien). Red Star’s artwork can be viewed with a special approach and with The Last Thanks, she uses her artwork to subtlety express the ignorance of Europeans towards the oppression of Native Americans. She describes her approach, “I want to pull (people) in with aesthetics first and with more knowledge they can find more meaning” (qtd in Brien). Red Star addresses the issues of colonialism by contrasting the oppression of Native American with the celebrations of Western culture. Dr. Randy Woodley, a Keetoowah Cherokee descendent and Director of Intercultural and Indigenous Studies at George Fox University describes that elementary children are falsely taught the meaning of “Thanksgiving”; instead of being taught the colonization and mistreatment of Native Americans, elementary children are mistakenly taught that the Native Americans saved the Europeans from starvation, resulting in a celebration called the first Thanksgiving (Wallace). When Christopher Columbus came to America in 1492, he carved a description of the Native Americans in a
The Last Thanks depicts the artist, Wendy Red Star, in the middle of a traditional Thanksgiving feast. The artist is dressed in a traditional Native …show more content…
The artist describes her work with, “The look pulls people in, but as you look closer you can see the image deteriorate, and if you are more privy to Native history you can see it right away” (qtd in Brien). As one examines The Last Thanks, it is evident that Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous painting, The Last Supper, sparked Wendy Red Star’s inspiration for this photograph. It is obvious in the title itself that The Last Thanks is influenced by The Last Supper. Red Star is even positioned similarly as Da Vinci’s portrayal of Jesus Christ. With the obvious comparisons to Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous piece, Red Star’s artwork “successfully forces the viewer to critique colonialism and religion with every examination of the image” (Tesema). In The Last Thanks, Red Star combines her Native American heritage with Western beliefs to create her unique juxtaposition …show more content…
Red Star describes her artwork and her intention to spark discussion with, “I’m dealing with really heavy topics pertaining to Crow and Native culture and the colonization of people” (qtd in Brien). Red Star’s artwork can be viewed with a special approach and with The Last Thanks, she uses her artwork to subtlety express the ignorance of Europeans towards the oppression of Native Americans. She describes her approach, “I want to pull (people) in with aesthetics first and with more knowledge they can find more meaning” (qtd in Brien). Red Star addresses the issues of colonialism by contrasting the oppression of Native American with the celebrations of Western culture. Dr. Randy Woodley, a Keetoowah Cherokee descendent and Director of Intercultural and Indigenous Studies at George Fox University describes that elementary children are falsely taught the meaning of “Thanksgiving”; instead of being taught the colonization and mistreatment of Native Americans, elementary children are mistakenly taught that the Native Americans saved the Europeans from starvation, resulting in a celebration called the first Thanksgiving (Wallace). When Christopher Columbus came to America in 1492, he carved a description of the Native Americans in a