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CHANGING THE PORTRAYAL OF BLACK FEMALE BODIES IN WESTERN ART: AN ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

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Date Issued:
2021
Abstract/Description:
This thesis analyzes the creative strategies of African American female artists used to recreate the visual narrative of black female bodies in Western Art. Four artists are examined: Emma Amos, Adrian Piper, Alison Saar, and Simone Leigh. Emma Amos uses acrylics and textiles to address the strategies used by white male artists in the portrayal of black female bodies. Adrian Piper centers her performance piece on stereotypes to question racial stereotypes directed at black women. Alison Saar examines Topsy, a character from Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, who regains agency from slavery tropes. Simone Leigh interprets Harriet Jacobs autobiographical experience by using utilitarian objects and architecture to contest the ideologies of slavery. The perspectives of these artists are critical to understanding how they view themselves through their own lenses as opposed to those of the dominant white culture, addressing the origins of ideologies surrounding black female bodies. Examination of each artist's work shows that the black women’s lived experiences are not monolithic or stereotypical.
Title: CHANGING THE PORTRAYAL OF BLACK FEMALE BODIES IN WESTERN ART: AN ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE.
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Name(s): Lundy, Ashley Briana , author
Brown, Susan Love , Thesis advisor
Fradkin, Arlene, Thesis advisor
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Department of Anthropology
Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Created: 2021
Date Issued: 2021
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 105 p.
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: This thesis analyzes the creative strategies of African American female artists used to recreate the visual narrative of black female bodies in Western Art. Four artists are examined: Emma Amos, Adrian Piper, Alison Saar, and Simone Leigh. Emma Amos uses acrylics and textiles to address the strategies used by white male artists in the portrayal of black female bodies. Adrian Piper centers her performance piece on stereotypes to question racial stereotypes directed at black women. Alison Saar examines Topsy, a character from Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, who regains agency from slavery tropes. Simone Leigh interprets Harriet Jacobs autobiographical experience by using utilitarian objects and architecture to contest the ideologies of slavery. The perspectives of these artists are critical to understanding how they view themselves through their own lenses as opposed to those of the dominant white culture, addressing the origins of ideologies surrounding black female bodies. Examination of each artist's work shows that the black women’s lived experiences are not monolithic or stereotypical.
Identifier: FA00013850 (IID)
Degree granted: Thesis (MA)--Florida Atlantic University, 2021.
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Includes bibliography.
Subject(s): Women, Black.
African American women artists
Art
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00013850
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
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Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.