In my ode to mothers,
after Mother’s Day, I dedicate this blog to my blessed mother who passed
several years ago, and my dear mother-in-law. When I think of how much grief my
mother put up with raising twin sons alone after my daddy was killed, I always
think of mothers who put up with a lot worse, including losing children in
wars. We certainly now have many mothers who have lost sons and daughters in Afghanistan
and Iraq, and I’d like to offer this print by Charles White as a tribute to
mothers who have put up with a lot more than just a pair of “tornado twins,”
and who represent the backbone of every society on the planet. Often I feel
that just having one day devoted to mothers is entirely not enough. They’re on
duty 24/7 year round!
Charles White (1918–1917
US) benefited greatly from the impetus given black artists during the Harlem
Renaissance (ca. 1918–1939). The Harlem Renaissance gave him, and other black
artists, a cultural orientation. White felt that the writers and artists of the
movement gave African Americans an awareness of their cultural identity. There
was intent by black artists of the period to reflect African American life
rather than follow trends in European modernist
circles. That being the case, White’s marriage to artist Elizabeth Catlett (1919–2012) helped introduce
him to trends in European modernism that he adopted in his art from the 1930s
to mid-1940s. While painting murals for the WPA in the late 1930s, White
learned that art could help uplift black people and give them pride in their
culture. He decided during this period to concentrate of drawing and graphic
arts as his preferred medium.
This print shows the cubist influence in White’s work of the late
1930s and early 1940s, an aspect that he eventually abandoned in the late 1940s
because he felt it lessened the human impact of his subjects. Nonetheless, this
work makes an important statement in the history of American art, and American
society.
It was not just white mothers who suffered the loss of their
sons and daughters in World War II (1939–1945). African American mothers also
suffered the loss of sons and daughters serving their country in segregated
regiments. This print serves to show how mothers are the backbone of every
society. Despite the cubistic treatment of the subject, White created a
monumental image in a Renaissance-style
pyramidal composition. It’s a solid statement about mothers.
Visit www.goldstarmoms.com
For more about Gold Star Mothers (those awaiting missing children during war).
Another Mother theme by White: Take My Mother Home
Activity: Exploring different media to capture
expression or mood. Draw a real or imaginary face, making sure to consider
realistic proportions. By paying attention to extreme changes in value (light
and dark), the portrait can capture a mood or expression. Use media like
charcoal, crayon, or soft pencil so that it is easier to achieve a wide range
of dark and light values.
Correlations to Davis
programs: Explorations in Art Grade 1:
2.8; Explorations in Art Grade 2: 2.8; Explorations in Art Grade 3: 1.2, 1.3; Explorations
in Art Grade 4: 2.7; Explorations in Art Grade 5: 1.1, 1.2; Explorations in Art Grade 6: 1.1, 1.2, 6.32; A Personal
Journey: 2.2; A Community Connection: 7.1; Exploring Visual Design: 1, 2, 3, 6,
7, 9, 10; The Visual Experience: 4.4; Discovering Art History: 15.4
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