Blk Art: the Audacious Legacy of Black Artists and Models in Western Art by Zaria Ware
A review by Katrina Kushinga
I found BLK Art a fascinating book that covers a whole range of issues in one volume. Even if just viewed as a collection of works from the body of Western art, the book would provide much interest and pleasure. However, Zaria Ware’s greater purpose is to uncover the history behind the depiction of people of colour in these works and, where possible, the histories of the models who were painted. In the second part of the book she also recounts the histories of black artists working in the Western art genre and shows us examples of their work.
Ware explains the background to common occurrences of black figures in art works, such as the tradition of a black king being one of the magi who visited Jesus, in nativity scenes, depictions of particular saints, who were traditionally believed to be people of colour and the fashion amongst 18th century wealthy white people for having black household servants. I found most interesting the attention Ware draws to black figures in group and crowd scenes, about which she points out the obvious, but somehow often overlooked fact that people of colour were depicted because they were present and have been part of town life down the centuries in Europe albeit in small numbers. Ware prompted me to look again at other paintings of “busy” scenes in the 15th and 16th century and check the faces in the crowds and indeed I did pick out depictions of black people, which I had not observed before. Another thought-provoking aspect of the first part of the book is the portraits. Some are evidently commissioned by their subjects to demonstrate their standing in society. Others are artists’ models and Ware has succeeded in finding the “back stories” of some of these individuals.
Ware uses the 1920s Harlem Renaissance as the cut off point for Part 2, The Artists. She focuses in particular on four figures- Robert Seldon Duncanson, Edward Mitchell Bannister, Edmonia Lewis, and Henry Ossawa Tanner but she does not ignore a number of other Afro-American artists of the 18th and 19th centuries. By the very nature of being black artists in the era Ware addresses, they all have interesting stories. Two stood out for me in terms of their stories. One was David Drake, a potter who illegally inscribed verses on the pots he made, whilst a slave working in a pottery factory. The second was Edmonia Lewis who seems to have led a roller coaster life moving to Italy becoming, for a time, an acclaimed sculptor. Nevertheless, from the point of view of the art works, my favourite remains the one I was familiar with before reading the book namely, Henry Ossawa Tanner.
Zaria Ware states that she wanted to write a serious but not very serious book displaying the intersecting themes of history, art and black presence. In this, she seems to succeed very well and yet this is where my slight criticisms lie. There is no doubt that the commentary and background texts are enlightening and easy to read, yet at times I found the writing just a bit too flippant and superficial. I feel a little guilty for saying this as she is making the subject accessible and entertaining and simultaneously spotlighting the often overlooked black presence in European history – objectives that I thoroughly support. So, the criticism is probably merely a reflection of my reading habits. Overall, this is a beautiful book of special interest to those who enjoy history.