Transcript of Audio
Hello, my name is Sylvia Marshall and today I will be talking about Kara Walker’s Resurrection with Patrons.
Kara Walker created Resurrection with Patrons in 2017. Resurrection is a series of three etchings created with aquatint, spit-bite, sugar-lift, and drypoint on metal plate, and then printed onto woven paper. Agnes Scott College has the 5th edition out of 25 prints.
Walker did a smaller study of the center panel in 2016 entitled Monumentality. The work was a part of an exhibition called the “Ecstasy of St. Kara”. The exhibition sought to grapple with the questions of race relations in the United States, both past and present. In the exhibition, Walker draws inspiration from contemporary America rather than Southern plantation life as she does in her other works. Resurrection with Patrons represents a more refined version of the thematic and formal elements seen in Monumentality. In both pieces, Walker speaks to the legacy of America’s struggle of racial violence.
Walker unfolds her narrative across three panels. Two figures, a male and female, act as the patrons. Both are placed in profile, flanking the sides of the center panel on the left and the right. The figures are white against a dark background in a reverse silhouette, a choice that allows Walker to add dimension and detail to the clothing and faces of the patrons. The gray shadows accentuate the prominent brow and enlarged lips and noses of the patrons. The shadows also give shape to the clothing and suggest that these figures are from the Antebellum period. Evidenced by the style of the jacket and ribbons upon the male figure and the apron and headwrap on the female figure.
The patrons help to guide the viewer to the main narrative in the middle panel. The positioning of the patrons in profile sets their attention toward the center, their eyes and extended arms providing a guide towards this narrative. In the background of the patron panels, one can see diagonal planks crossing in the background. These planks connect to those framing the center panel and help guide the viewer’s gaze as well.
The middle panel contains the main narrative of this piece. It is composed of a three-part division of space: the foreground, midground, and the background. Moving from the planks and further into the foreground reveals natural lines and forms which indicate shrubbery and earth and provides contrasts to the linear lines of the planks that lie along the edges of the panel. The introduction of a white and gray free-flowing form breaks up the darkness in the foreground and mimics water. A connection is created from the intersecting planks along the panel to this flowing form. This rush of water receding into space draws the viewer’s gaze into the midground.
The midground contains the most movement. Figures of Black women, men, and children struggle to raise the figure of a black woman from the ground. Her size and position mark her as the protagonist of the scene. The entire scene is in motion with the smaller figures leaning and contorting themselves around this woman. The pattern of movement is broken by a lone male figure standing on top of a mound to the right of the scene. He stands separated from the group, with a straight spine facing the background while his head tilts towards the action on his left. His stillness signals that his task is done and connects to the stillness seen in the background.
The background holds the least amount of movement but contains elements that highlight the large female figure. The triangular clouds frame the protagonist in the center. Shadows are cast on the surface of the ocean which points towards her. The sharp vertical peaks rising from the horizon line adds visual interest and gives the viewer a setting for the scene suggests that this narrative is taking place along the coastline, overlooking a body of water. The peaks in the distance indicating another place just out of reach.
The most striking element of Resurrection is the centrality and importance of the large female figure. Every element across all three panels relate to her in some way. The patrons act as a bridge to her, their stance directing the viewer towards the middle panel–towards her. She towers above the other figures in the center panel, the bodies of the Black men, women, and children contorting themselves around her. The smaller figures on her left connect with her through the lines attached to her neck. The figures on the right relate to her through touch, their hands pushing on the back. The lone male standing on the right side of the center panel connects with her through sight. He faces the ocean in the background, however, his head is turned towards the protagonist. Additionally, she stands as the darkest element across all three panels. Looking closer at the piece, the smaller figures are all off- black whereas the protagonist is a deeper, rich black. Her darkness is emphasized through the triangular clouds in the background which centers her as the focal point of the piece and brings out her darkness through its contrasting black and gray coloring. The lack of movement from the protagonist adds to her distinction. While the figures around her move in some fashion in relation to this figure, no action arising from her and she is mostly being acted upon rather than engaging with those around her. The inclusion of the eye on her profile elevates her from the other figures in Resurrection. It gives her expression and breathes life into her. The eye distinguishes her from an inanimate shrine and directs her gaze outward towards the viewer. The display of the narrative carries a religious connotation and adds greater meaning to the centrality of the female figure.
Walker unfolds her narrative in the form of a traditional triptych, a style usually associated with the Renaissance and religion. Triptychs were traditionally used for altarpieces to tell biblical stories and relay religious themes. Portraits of those who commissioned the works would commonly be placed along the side of the main narrative. These were usually powerful and wealthy individuals. However, the patrons that Walker gives us do not necessarily fall within that definition, and contrast with the traditional images of wealth and status seen among patrons in traditional triptychs. However, the patrons do create a distinct story.
The female patron reaches forward, the motion indicated by the bend of her elbow and the line of her arm which extends until she nearly touches the edge of her frame. The positioning of the hand and the outstretched arm implies a sense of devotion, or a desire to become a part of the scene. In contrast, the male patron does not reach. Instead, he illuminates. The male holds a lit candle outstretched in front of him, the wax melting in between his fingers. The candle pushes in the direction of the center panel. The candle could be symbolic of prayer, like a votive candle.
Resurrection with Patrons leaves more questions than answers and forces the viewer to question what they are seeing. We are placed into the middle of a story, and the more you look at the piece the more ambiguous the story becomes. There are many different interpretations of Resurrection with Patrons. The scene could be symbolic of trying to reclaim lost heritage, the struggle of identity among African-Americans, or the piece could be alluding to the centuries of struggle with race in America. In Resurrection with Patrons, Walker challenges the viewer to engage with the broader social and political questions left by the legacy of slavery in the United States.
Thank you
