While walking into the Mount Holyoke College museum, there were bright, colored pamphlets, flyers, and a showcase at the entrance introducing the fall’s exhibits. When I first glanced at the art pieces of Kara Walker: Harper’s Pictorial History of the Civil War (Annotated), I was drawn to the simplicity of the work. I would not have called this image art. There was a shadow of a woman’s head enlarged and centered over a real piece of art. I wanted to see the full image that was underneath the huge, black blot. It was the depiction of the Civil War, a historical piece that was more intriguing than the black shape of two faces- a man and woman. However, after further observation, I uncovered the truth: all the white men, women, and children’s faces were all turning towards the silhouette with angry expressions. Meanwhile, the black slaves were oblivious to the silhouette. The image that I accused of blocking the art altogether, was actually the centerpiece and highlight contrasting the past and future. Walker questions whether racism during the Civil War is still prevalent in our time. Her method of enlarging the piece represented the present due to it being larger and closer to the observer. Her usage of silk screen printing, a modern technology, uncovers a biting question of whether slavery truly ended today. She answers this question in her art piece; emphasizing slavery persists in modern society. On a closer inspection, the dark silhouette of the woman’s hair is not curly as I originally thought, but parts of the hair curls, like a burning flame. The rage and fury is evident even without the expressions of the dark silhouettes. This idea also begins to cross into the background image of the Civil War. The woman was portrayed as a larger part in the image than the man, which empowered women as an all-powerful being. However, the image of the woman may even symbolize oppression in women, considering the unequal benefits compared to man in contemporary times, such as abortion, equal wages, or education. Kara Walker emphasizes this by making the massive statement through the black women silhouette: slavery is alive. She challenges the world by throwing criticism of racism, equality, and sexuality stating that all of it exists, even today.
