English Darby’s book How to See a Work of Art in Total Darkness the topic of “Black Representational Space” is discussed amongst other things. The book talks about “black art” and the proper representation of black art as far as agency goes. To start I would like to state the supposed functions of “black representational space.” The first function is to “designate a cultural territory related to struggle over relations of representation in regards to survival of black people”(English .29). This would include the history of resistance that gets erased through a white-supremacist narrative. This form of history justifies slavery by imposing the economic progress the West has gained from slavery, as well as the passiveness within society that
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The White art establishment has managed to sugarcoat slavery and frame it as a process of development, and something which is innate to nature and evolutionary processes. Her artistical technique is crucial, as she aims to retell oppressive legacies of slavery, instead of creating a piece of artwork for passive viewers that romanticize and help desensitize the realities of slave-based societies. Her artwork is designed to get audience attention, thereby ensuring they do not walk away, but making them reflect and realize the relations of how this era has shaped current reality and knowledge. However, The art is not as progressive or uplifting, and this highlights the controversy of Walker’s art because of its ability to represent black art by not be as radically transformative. English advocates for black art to debunk whiteness in order to platform blackness. For example, the piece of work Uncle Tom’s Cabin highlights the sugarcoating of slavery, in which it dilutes the actual reality and violence through art. The drawing of the overpowering tree signifies the reliance of a slave-based society as being a driving factor of progress and development, thereby erasing the violence and legacies it has created. The author highlights the role of romanticising
The White art establishment has managed to sugarcoat slavery and frame it as a process of development, and something which is innate to nature and evolutionary processes. Her artistical technique is crucial, as she aims to retell oppressive legacies of slavery, instead of creating a piece of artwork for passive viewers that romanticize and help desensitize the realities of slave-based societies. Her artwork is designed to get audience attention, thereby ensuring they do not walk away, but making them reflect and realize the relations of how this era has shaped current reality and knowledge. However, The art is not as progressive or uplifting, and this highlights the controversy of Walker’s art because of its ability to represent black art by not be as radically transformative. English advocates for black art to debunk whiteness in order to platform blackness. For example, the piece of work Uncle Tom’s Cabin highlights the sugarcoating of slavery, in which it dilutes the actual reality and violence through art. The drawing of the overpowering tree signifies the reliance of a slave-based society as being a driving factor of progress and development, thereby erasing the violence and legacies it has created. The author highlights the role of romanticising