Pang Xunqin (1926) illustration Modern Sketch

Short summary: what, who, when, where. context. connections to other examples

Review: why we chose this image, why it resonates.

Names of who is in our group

Link to animation to screen clips (max 2mins)

Can embed vimeo or youtube links or make gif.

Digging for Honey Ants (Unknown)
Aboriginal Illustration

What:
Digging for Honey Ants

Who:
Debra Nagala McDonald

When:
Unknown

Where:
Papunya, Australia

Group:
Peter Westall, Josh Barker, Henry, and Jake Lavis

Template - single click on background to upload image file, embed video, add text boxes

Context:

Aboriginal art is the manifestation of “the ancestral past, or Dreaming”. The art is a creative expression to give purpose to landscapes, with the wide variety of compositions reflecting different local histories of different regions with shared themes in Australia (page 1) [Howard Morphy and Margo Smith Boles, 1999].

Sometime before Debra’s birth in the 1950s – 1960s “Papunya, would come to dominate national and international appreciation of contemporary Aboriginal art”, however, the White art administrators described aboriginal art “as too contemporary to be authentic”. However, this would lead the art culture into the “world of contemporary practiced as both contemporary and authentic art.” Becoming more popular and accepted by the wider audience. In the 1970s – 1980s, the artwork has evolved from “decorative patterning” to a history of abstract dialogue from many generations (page 57) [Hetti Perkins, 2007].

Debra Nagala McDonald continued the ongoing tradition of Aboriginal art to document and express the stories from her own grandfather’s lineage, in order to keep the stories alive. [Central Art, 2013].


Bibliography:

Morphy, H and Boles, M.A., 1999. Art from the land: dialogues with the Kluge – Ruhe Collection of Australian Aboriginal art. (Accessed: 11 December 2021).

Perkins, H, 2007. One Sun One Moon: Aboriginal Art in Australia. (Accessed: 11 December 2021).

Central Art, 2013. Goanna Love Story. Available at: Goanna Love Story by Debra Nangala McDonald from Papunya, Central Australia created a 50 x 86 cm Acrylic on Canvas painting costing $2,000.00 at the Aboriginal Art Store (Accessed: 11 December 2021).

Kate Owen Gallery, 2015. Debra Nangala McDonald. Available at: Debra Nangala McDonald - Artist Biography (kateowengallery.com) (Accessed: 11 December 2021).

Karntawarra, W, 2010. Colours of Aboriginal Australia: (My Sacred Mountain). Available at: Colour: Design & Creativity (https://aiccolor.org/resources/Documents/jaic_v5_gal1nar.pdf) (Accessed: 9 January 2022).

Sadeghi is an Iranian artist who graduated from the College of Art, University of Tehran. Most of his early works were made using watercolour, and were of illustrations and graphic novels, but after the Iranian Revolution, he devoted himself to painting using various materials. Sadeghi contributed to contemporary Iranian culture through a surrealist painting style that was often based on grand epic poems such as Shahnameh ‘The Book of Kings’. The Shahnameh details the story of pre-Islamic Iran, mythical and historical aspects combined, and was one of Sadeghi’s main inspirations.

Some of his influences include;
Coffee House Painting (Qahveh Khaneh) - A coffeehouse was a popular hangout spot and centre of art / culture in 16th century Iran , where artists would recite their poems or literature .Coffeehouse paintings were an accompaniment to the stories that would be told .They were essentially paintings by Iranian artists based on old Iranian folklore , with festive/ religious themes .Contemporary Examples include Mohammad Boloukifar, Mohammad Modabber,, Mohammad Farahani, Ali Akbar Larni and Javad Aghili.
Qajar Art - artwork/ architecture of the Qajar Dynasty in the Persian Empire ,from 1781 to 1925, characterized by its stylized portraits of people with exaggerated figures .Figures in these artworks often blurred the lines of gender , in its various depictions of ‘Mukhannathun’ (‘effeminate ones’)
Persian miniature Painting - small Persian paintings , with the intention of being stored in a muraqqa (mini album /book ) . Became a significant genre of art in Persia in the 13th century .These are the best known genre of Persian Paintings in the West.

link to video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HYGdv49u0-UHtYwgBPOI1ffGlQ37Kn66/view?usp=sharing
link to bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fqjYOptvCOeVOL-rAzvJP5VkZC-8RZmkMl-XxdHpbDU/edit?usp=sharing

What:
'The Sun King' 1975 Animated short film

Who:
Ali Akbar Sadeghi

When:
1975

Where:
Tehran, Iran

Group:
Hannah Wong, Hashr Saeed ,Jeehee Han, Erru Wang

Ali Akbar Sadeghi (1975)

Context - Chaaya Prabhat is an independent illustrator from Goa, India who graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design with an M.A in Graphic Design before moving into her own studio in Chennai. I believe that Prabhat should be highlighted for her stunning illustrations - which are both eye catching and visually striking, that entice the reader into exploring the worlds that she is able to transport us to, and expanding our horizons by providing access to a portfolio of beautifully diverse storytelling, cultures and avenues of interest.

Within a review for Templar books, Rich Simpson (2021) describes the latest of Prabhat's (alongside Co-Author Giovanna Alessio) ventures; "An incredible journey around the globe, looking at the fantastic national costumes of a stunning range of countries, this is a brilliantly illustrated book to celebrate diversity and differences from the viewpoint of clothes." What separates Prabhat as an illustrator is that to create a sense of intrigue is to create a talking point and bring audiences flocking; The nature of her illustrations is that they can be enjoyed by parents and children alike, and therefore we all benefit as a whole from the exposure and the experience.

The majority of her work (larger pieces and client-directed projects) is created using Photoshop, as well as Illustrator, InDesign and Procreate in order to produce 'tiny thumbnails' which utilise an iterative process to create the mesmerising colour combinations seen from page to page - a journey which could be said to take us across worlds. Her Clients include Penguin UK, Hachette, Facebook and Google, and even her portfolio itself has found notoriety by its accolades in Behance and Adobe.

Particularly in relation to the intricate garments of the
National Dresses she has recreated in The Culture of Clothes, Prabhat has stated that through her creative process, she has been able to gain a real appreciation for the handiwork and dedication of the craftsmen and dressmakers, and the traditional practices that influenced the process - "I would
have easily looked at 200 references before drawing [this] costume (...) I can't imagine how long it would take to create something as intricate as this." (Prabhat, 2021.)

Chaaya Prabhat - The Culture of Clothes (2021).
Illustrator, Graphic Designer and Lettering Artist
based in Goa, India

Modern Day Illustration with a focus on the celebration of Diversity and Differences, with the intention to educate and inspire.

Group Members including Kate Kendall Weiss, Matthew Hunter, Holly Roberts, Lucien McSally and Alys-Jane Peters

What:
The Harihar Kshetra Festival

Who:
Sewak Ram

When:
1826

Where:
Patna, India


Xen Refran

Due to the British imperialization in India, they heavily impacted the art scene which resulted in this hybrid of styles termed as ‘company paintings’ (18th - 19th century). European patrons who were living and working In India at the time would commission paintings from Indian artists working through the East Indian company, because of this the artists' work were generally grouped together as opposed to being credited individually.

Many works under this term are left unknown, but this painting by Sewak Ram we can see the influence of European styles such as a muted palette compared to their traditional art of abstraction and bright colours. A watercolour painting of the Harihar Kshetra festival (a cattle fair lasting over 14 days in celebration with ancient times) which was amongst the popular scenes to be commissioned alongside architecture, plants, animals. Eventually these company paintings also became a way to appeal to patrons who were not fond with indigenous styles.

William Dalrymple expresses ‘You’re beginning to see what will be the final consequences of colonialism, the destruction of indigenous traditions, as patrons want something Westernised’.

Bibliography:

Artreview.com. 2022. William Dalrymple on the Forgotten Painters of the East India Company. Available at: https://artreview.com/william-dalrymple-on-the-forgotten-painters-of-the-east-india-company/ (Accessed 2 January 2022).

Metmuseum.org. 2022. Company Painting in Nineteenth-Century India. Available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/cpin/hd_cpin.htm (Accessed 2 January 2022).

Vam.ac.uk. 2022. Indian company paintings - Victoria and Albert Museum. Available at: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/i/indian-company-paintings/ (Accessed 2 January 2022).

The Harihar Kshetra Festival(1826) , Sewak Ram

Above image shows a spread featured within the work 'A Culture of Clothes', by Giovanna Alessio and Chaaya Prabhat (2021).

Bibliography

Chaaya Prabhat (2021) Work. Available at: https://chaayaprabhat.com/work
(Accessed:06/01/2022).

Alessio G, Prabhat C. (2020). A Culture of Clothes: Fulani Woman, Mali [Image]. Available from: http://static.wixstatic.com/media/
a0a47b_a13b3fc875704f3ab1701a58fea5dbd0~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_2446,h_1611,
al_c,q_90/a0a47b_a13b3fc875704f3ab1701a58fea5dbd0~mv2.webp [Accessed 06/01/2022].

Prabhat, C (2021). @Chaaya23 [Instagram]. [Date accessed: 06/01/2021]. Available from: https://www.instagram.com/chaaya23/

Simpson, R. (2021) The Culture of Clothes - Giovanna Alessio and Chaaya Prabhat. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).Available at: https://www.whatiread.co.uk/post/the-culture-of-clothes-giovanna-alessio-and-chaaya-prabhat#:~:text=
The%20Culture%20Of%20Clothes%20-%20Giovanna%20Alessio%20and,diversity%20and%20differences%20from
%20the%20viewpoint%20of%20clothes.

Chaaya Prabhat (Practising 2017-Present) Illustration, Digital Media

What: The Jungle (La Jungla) - Gouache on paper mounted on canvas

Who: Wifredo Lam (1902-82)

When: 1943

Where: Cuba

Why: This image resonated with me because of the richness of culture that Lam expresses. The colours effectively compliment the subject matter of African tribal mask-wearing figures, which he has presented in an abstract and geometric way, taking inspiration from a variety of art movements, such as: Surrealism and Cubism. The context intrigued me further; Lam was a Cuban-born artist who had studied art and travelled to Europe at the height of the 'art boom' of the interwar period. He befriended influential artists such as Breton and Picasso and his creative style has clearly been impacted by these links. He returned to Cuba in the early 40s. Cuba had been colonised since the 16th century and due to the Atlantic slave trade, over a million Africans were brought there, creating an Afro-Cuban culture which Lam presents in his work. He is a reputed challenger of assumptions regarding non-europeans art and has aimed to return different aspects of not just Cuban culture, but also black culture to their own landscapes, effectively presenting this idea of decolonisation. He stated "I wanted with all my heart to paint the drama of my country [...] to disturb the dreams of the exploiters".

Sophie Pizzy

https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/wifredo-lam-the-jungle-1943/

https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/ey-exhibition-wifredo-lam/who-is

https://www.moma.org/collection/works/34666

National Film Board of Canada: Vistas Animations (2009)

Review:

A whimsical animation that follows medicine man Walk-in-the-Forest, as he searches the forest to cure an ailment - appearing as a flower beside a seemingly restorative lake. Injured animals flock to this lake, submerge themselves within, then emerge replenished - reflecting the rehabilitating powers of the natural world. This vision is crushed - when suddenly, plastic bags and damaged trees dominate the scene - alluding to the impact of pollution on nature - our greatest healer, and how we as a society discard and mistreat our natural world - further emphasised in the injured animals. The sound mixes First Nations music and natural sounds reflective of the themes and guides the viewer through the aesthetics and tone of the film. The playful characters and fusion of collage conjure a perky, whimsical atmosphere - which is then contested with the sudden view of damaged scenery and plastic bags- which adds a bittersweet feeling. Though, the medicine man returns at the end with the antidote - resolving the conflict of the narrative. The overarching theme and topic of nationhood are evident throughout the animation, viewed in the use of Indigenous music and use of natural aesthetics.

Context:

Aboriginal, Indigenous, Inuit, and many other communities are the original owners of the world. They have been exploited, mistreated, ignored, and denied. For hundreds of years, there has been a Eurocentric view on art. For many people decolonisation is new, but it’s not. For decades indigenous people have tried to decolonise through their art. A certain amount of awareness has been raised but so many communities remain in the shadows.

We first researched and wrote to multiple illustrators on social media their opinions and any resource or artist suggestions. Thanks to Simon Hamlyn’s response we found the National Film Board of Canada. He told us; “I also know that the NFB (National Film Board of Canada) does a lot of work to highlight and present Indigenous voices within Canada, so it works with lots of animators with that heritage to get their stories presented. Their mission is really just about supporting and sharing Canadian culture and they have a long history of being an incredible public institution with amazing support for Canadian animators”

The National Film Board of Canada has released over 13000 productions and won over 5 000 awards. When looking through their catalog I noticed their diversity not only in animators but in artistic style and ways of storytelling. There are types of animations I have never seen before and interactive ways to watch an animation for educational purposes.

Their mission is to support emerging filmmakers and, people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, indigenous communities, and people with disabilities. They want to capture the changing social realities through their films.

On this platform, many indigenous artists or people from multiple backgrounds get to have a voice to share their art. Specifically, they have a project called Vistas. Vistas is a series of films animated and live-action by indigenous filmmakers. The purpose is to create awareness, represent and give a perspective of indigenous stories to a wide world audience.

From Abenaki descent, Graphic Artist and Animator Diane Obomsawin stands for many important causes and expresses them through her works, including sexual identity and nationhood. Her animation that’s part of this series is about a walk in the woods that leads to the discovery of a secret world.

Arguably her most well known work is a comic named “On Loving Women” - a comic based around Obomsawin’s identity as a lesbian, utilising stories from friends and lovers alike to reject upon adolescence in love, first times and crushes on teachers, and the discovery of attraction to women. Then adapted into a short film by the name of “I Like Girls”, a series of 10 stories.

“I went to about fourteen different schools and I would unconsciously find a girl who I would fall in love with intuitively, from the age of four. That was my raison de vivre, I’d want to go to school to see her and focus on that.”

“I like to tell stories, I think if I didn’t have the capacity to draw I would be a verbal storyteller.”

“So my question for my friends was not about their very first love, it was the very first attraction, even semi-unconsciously, toward a woman."

"Animation is the opposite, I just do what I’ve decided to do and don’t think so much. With comics it’s more difficult, I’ll want to make coffee and muffins all the time, do other things, but when I have a film I have to run after it, I run and run and don’t stop."

What: Animation
Who: Diane Obomsawin
When: 2009
Where: Canada
Group: Naia Cancela Okking, Asia de Rosa, Asimina Hollingworth, Ella King, Erin Christopher, Tilda Crossley, Anna Jentsch

Diane Obomsawin

From the 2009 short illustration animation film called ‘Vistas: Walk-in-the-forest' from a personal perspective, we are shown this walking montage of a person going somewhere to look for medicine for their friend or partner because they are shown as sick in the beginning of the short.

At times there are some comedic elements in the short. During the walking montage there are long pauses between animals they come across in the forest creating a comedic silence that’s also slightly awkward. However, you could say they were admiring each being they came across.

Finally, they come across a lake surrounded by animals of the land going in injured and coming out healed. The protagonist then plucks a flower growing by the lake and brings it back to the sick character in the beginning.

On another perspective, the music and sound effects are related to the indigenous background of the artist giving a nice tone that’s not always shown in media. The elements of giving the animals screen time and the appreciation of the nature makes a nice touch.

Bibliography:

The film ‘Walk-in-the-Forest’, as well as another film in the collection ‘Little Thunder’ show elements of indigenous humour. This is described as making light of bad situations, which can include things such as death, illness and violence, and also social issues and combating racism. Dark topics and tough times are coped with by laughing at them instead. This can be seen in both of the animations with topics such as illness and danger in the wild, and makes stories that could have been very serious more lighthearted instead.

The simplistic style of the animation 'Walk-in-the-Forest' allows the attention to be drawn to the subjects almost easily as to regard their importance and/ or impact on the story. For example, the bird that the character encounters on their quest appears to be more of an image than a simple illustration, like the squirrel previously encountered. Another subject that presented as a photograph rather than an illustration was the plastic bag carelessly dotted around the lake (possibly by the people who heavily exploit the land for resources).

Artwork：Voyager
Artist full name：Kerry James Marshall
Dates：1992
Medium：acrylic and collage on canvas
Size：91 7/8 x 86 1/2 in. (233.4 x 219.7 cm)
Description
In the mid-1990s, Kerry James Marshall began using water and boats as metaphors for spiritual transformation, the African Diaspora, and the Middle Passage. Voyager alludes to the schooner Wanderer, the last ship to secretly carry African slaves to the United States. Marshall evokes birth, death, and regeneration through images such as embryos and egg shapes, as well as drawn symbols and numbers referring to West African gods worshipped in the Americas. The picture remains ambiguous, evoking a world of rich emotional connections and layers of history that cannot be separated.

You can’t be born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1955 and not feel like you’ve got some kind of social responsibility. You can’t move to Watts in ‘63, and grow up in South Central near the Black Panthers headquarters and see the kinds of things that I saw in my developmental years, and not speak about it. That determined a lot of where my work was going to go.
—Kerry James Marshall, 1998
Interview between Kerry James Marshall and Calivin Reid

Artwork：Lost Boys:AKA BB
Artist full name：Kerry James Marshall
Dates：1993
Medium：Acrylic and collage on canvas
Size：28 in. x 30 in. x 1 ½ in.
Description
Lost Boys AKA BB is part of Marshall’s Lost Boys portrait series, and its name refers to the band of young orphaned characters, who never grow up, in J.M Barrie’s book Peter Pan. In naming his memorial portrait series Lost Boys, Marshall compels the viewer to extend the allegory and recognize that Peter Pan’s Neverland is America, a place where discrimination, oppression, incarceration, violence, and death deprive young black men and women the chance to grow up. Marshall’s work reflected a bitter reality for young black men and women in this country that unfortunately is still a reality twenty-seven years later.

Kerry James Marshall (b.1955 in Birmingham, AL; lives and works in Chicago, IL) is recognized as one of the leading contemporary artists of his time. Internationally renowned for his revolutionary portraits of Black subjects, Marshall’s work interrogates Western art history—from the Renaissance to 20th-century American Abstraction—challenging and recontextualizing the canon to include themes and depictions that have been historically omitted.

In his own words, he uses blackness to amplify the difference as an oppositional force, both aesthetically and philosophically. One such “black” issue Marshall takes up is that of beauty. He stated that since most figures in advertising are white, he wanted to produce images of black bodies to “offset the impression that beauty is synonymous with whiteness”，"Black is beautiful" was one of the Black Arts movement's slogans to counter the prevailing view that blackness was inherently unattractive.

Marshall's work explores race in context with the "Civil Rights Movement, Black Power Movement, housing projects, black beauty, and the political and social invisibility of blacks". 

KERRY JAMES MARSHALL(1955)

Marshall’s works combined rough-hewn realism with elements of collage, signage, with lively and highly patterned settings. Viewers often will see ornate texts and figures looking directly into them.

His images often suggest populist banners.

Some of his works often are under-represented black middle class and many employ pictorial strategies. His artworks are closely related to the Black Arts movement.

Influence on KERRY JAMES MARSHALL
from education, work and society

Education
In high school, Marshall began figure drawing under the mentorship of social realist painter Charles White, which continued on into Marshall's college career. He stated that during the years of his training, White "became as much as a friend as a mentor; I kept in touch with his family, even after his death. “While studying at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, Marshall worked to "not have a representational image or a specific story to tell," over abstraction. Marshall earned a B.F.A. degree in 1978 from Otis College of Art and Design.
Marshall believes that the gears of historical and institutional power in Western art resided primarily in painting. When he studied at Otis, he was fascinated by the work of Bill Traylor, the self-taught artist who was born into slavery in Alabama, which inspired him to create more artwork relating to old-timey, grinning racial trope.
Work
Marshall was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 1997. He was a professor at the University of Illinois in Chicago in the School of Art and Design from 1993 until 2006. In 2013, he was named for the Committee on the Arts and the Humanities by President Barack Obama, one of seven new appointees chosen.
Society
Most of Marshall's painting engages allegory and symbolism. Most of his work's subject matter relates to the iniquities of colonial regimes.
Marshall's work was heavily influenced by his upbringing in Alabama in the 1950s and LA in the 1960s. His works were always based on the experience of being black in America during these time periods.

Artwork：Great American
Artist full name：Kerry James Marshall
Dates：1994
Medium：acrylic and collage on canvas

Bibliograghy
Jackshainman.com. 2022. Kerry James Marshall « Artists « Jack Shainman Gallery. [online] Available at: [Accessed 6 January 2022].
Google.com. 2022. Redirect Notice. [online] Available at: [Accessed 6 January 2022].
Corcoran.org. 2018. Voyager | Corcoran. [online] Available at: [Accessed 6 January 2022].
Team, E., 2020. Kerry James Marshall's Lost Boys AKA BB - The Westmoreland Museum of American Art. [online] The Westmoreland Museum of American Art. Available at: [Accessed 6 January 2022].
En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Kerry James Marshall - Wikipedia. [online] Available at: [Accessed 6 January 2022].

What: La Go Choco, Les Ambassadeurs Dan series (Acrylic on canvas)

Who: Obou Gbais

When: 2020

Group: Numing Limbu, Amy Canning, Sid Duval & Marianne Hernandez

Context: Upcoming artist Obou is a well known figure in Ivorian art. Art from the Ivory Coast is one of the top contemporary markets in French speaking Africa. Obou’s art is heavily influenced by his culture and challenges the representation of poverty and encourages viewers to find the beauty in the ugly. Additionally, through his Les Ambassadeurs Dan series, he depicts life from Abidjan and raises concerns about the cultures and traditions of the country he is from (Wetsi Art Gallery, 2020).

La demeure du ciel

What : La demeure du ciel; a children's book

Who : Laura Nsafou and Olga Guillaud
When: 2021

Where : Publishing House éditions Cambourakis

Anna Jentsch

Laura Nsafou (writer), and Olga Guillaud (illustrator)

Laura Nsafou is a writer and Afrofeminist blogger. On her blog (“Mrs Roots”) she discusses issues related to Afrofeminism in France and the visibility of Afro literatures. She is interested in the lack of representation in French literature, and not only created her platform, but also participated to to the animation of several cultural projects, mostly dedicated to raising awareness about feminism and representation, and wrote four books, three of them being for children.

Olga Guillaud is an animation student, and La demeure du ciel is their first book. They enjoy writing about nature, love in all kinds of forms, and working with watercolors and pastel colors.

Summary : La demeure du ciel examines with tenderness the question of mourning through a young girl who is having difficulty understanding her grandmother's death. On the day of her birthday, she wants to organize a party for her, and even though she “went to heaven”, is convinced that she can be found. The book celebrates life and encourages the readers to overcome grief through a story about transmission and cultural inheritance.

The publishing house les éditions Cambourakis are trying to diversify the stories that can be found in french literature for children. To achieve their goal, they work with writers and illustrators that have different backgrounds, as well as a variety of stories to tell. For Laura Nsafou and Olga Guillaud for instance, the aim is to tell a story that can be enjoyed by both parents and children, in a way that includes subtly the culture of the main characters.
This project resonated with me because I believe it is a simple way to help normalize representation for everyone. In many ways, picture books are challenging to write and illustrate because of having to find the right tone to speak to children. I chose to write about this book and these artists because they tackle certain issues in a very subtle and approachable way.

https://www.cambourakis.com/tout/sorcieres/la-demeure-du-ciel/
https://www.instagram.com/mx_scratch_
/https://www.instagram.com/mrsrootsbooks/

PIENTRE OBOU

Review:
One of the first elements that immediately catch our eyes is Obou’s use of colour, both on the figure’s clothing and in the background. The figure is dressed in flamboyant and extravagant patterns that compliment the bright blues and yellows of the buildings behind them. From the structure and the crowded composition of the buildings, we are able to deduce that they are in the slums - a place of poverty, but Obou has added extra meaning to this representation of poverty by using the same vibrant colours from the clothing onto the buildings. Through creating a visible connection between these two elements - the colourful figure and the equally colourful slums, as viewers, we are able to feel warmth, vibrancy, pride in their identity, and most importantly a sense of community - which is another key theme Obou explores in his works. Slums are a recurring motif in this series. Although the reality of slums may not be as glamorous as the privileges of living in the Western world, we are challenged to fight this prejudice that the slums and poverty are entrenched in only sadness and trauma. When, in fact, it was the people of Abidjan that welcomed him with open arms and encouraged his talents; he states in an interview “I lived in a sort of slum and there I knew many moments of joy and warmth and it was important for me to incorporate this fact”.
In contrast to the bright and bold colours, a moody, shadowed brown and black mask stares back at us; the round black holes draw viewers in immediately and add depth to the image, providing us with more context and a strange switch in atmosphere. We felt this particular image is an intriguing depiction of the history of Modern art through culture and how we can see influences of both African art and early Modernism. Elements of African illustrations and sculpture are visible through the colours and patterns used, with the traditional African masks (specifically a mask from his Dan - an ethnic group in northwestern Cote d'Ivoire - origins) being a highlighting factor of Obou’s art. He mentions “it has really allowed me to dive deeper into my artistic research. By wearing the mask, I become the ambassador of my culture. I can tell stories from the narrator's point of view.”. In addition, he states “Now my mask is my alter-ego. I like to paint masked characters. Thus, I can bring this traditional and artistic element to the forefront.” (Animeredac, 2020).
Linking this to early Modern art, traditional African art styles and aesthetics became an influence on experimental European artists in the early 1900’s. Through this, the human figure form became more stylised whilst being integrated painting styles from Post Impressionism. These are seen in famous artists' work like Picasso, Matisse and more artists.(Murrell, 2008) Moreover, we can see elements of Cubism that even then were inspired by African tribal masks.
By presenting Obou’s work we hope to highlight the cultural significance of his work and how he has incorporated traditional Ivorian styles, reimagined in a new context. We hope that by including this artist in the screening we can showcase his work to a wider audience who will feel encouraged to further research into Ivorian art.

Bibliography:
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/aima/hd_aima.htm - African Influences on Modern Art
https://special.amanie.news/peintre-obou-ivorian-artist - Significance of the mask in Obou’s work
https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/La-go-choco/2C6DD34EE0328E2B - La Go Choco picture and info
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artterms/c/cubism#:~:text=Cubism%20was%20partly%20influenced%20by,present%20a%20vivid%20human%20image. - Cubism influences
Interview: Ivorian Artist Peintre Obou Speaks on His Masks - OkayAfrica
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_nByYCHGM7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link - Wetsi Art Gallery instagram page post on Obou - La Go Choco

Bearden(1911-1988), this artist used personal memories, African-American cultural history, and literature as the source of his subject matter. He placed aspects of African-American life within the context of universal themes.

-About his life
In 1961, he joined the Cordier Ekstrom Gallery and was represented by them for the rest of his life. In 1963, Bearden, Hale Woodruff, Charles Alston, Norman Lewis and others formed the Group "Spiral" to promote the work of black artists and explore ways they could contribute to the ongoing civil rights movement. To further demonstrate his lifelong commitment to the African American art community, he, Lewis, and Ernest Critchlow later established five galleries dedicated to supporting and exhibiting the work of emerging black artists. Bearden was a founding member of the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Academy of Black Arts and Letters. In 1964, he was named the first artistic director of the Harlem Cultural Council, a prominent African-American advocacy organization. In 1972, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He died in New York in 1988.

-About his artwork …
Bearden, during his abstract period that comments on the importance of abstraction for artists. One of the founding members of the Black Academy of Arts and Letters, his early work commented on racism and the marginalization of Blacks in America.He was influenced by numerous sources, including Western European art, African sculpture, the art of contemporary artist, and music.

‘When people talk about Great American artists, I may get angry because they rarely mention Bearden. His name should be synonymous with Jackson Pollock and others, because he is clearly one of the greatest American artists of the 20th century. Of course, We both know tha he was excluded because he is a black people artist…’
Robert, G.,O’Meally. (2019,Jun 14).The Romare Bearden Reader

His artwork was also influenced by music…
-He painted scenes of jazz performances and pasted the names of his favorite performances into collages while portraying African American culture, he said that jazz music was one of the reasons he wanted to paint, and that he thought jazz influenced his energetic style of painting.

Romare’s artwork style…
black and white Edition Prints
Monotypes
Oils
And One Sculpture
Bearden’s Techniques
Watercolor
Gouache
Collage

Romare Bearden

’Although the performance of African artists has almost set the trend of contemporary art, the academic community has also made great efforts, but most museums have always been cautious about collecting works by African artists -- African artists are not the only ones pushed to the marginalized.’ said by Romare Bearden.

In Kinaya Hassane discusses Homage to Romare, 1976 , Kinaya Hassane said he think this is important and meaningful because these experiences (That Capture 20th Century Black American Life) are often marginalized and not seen as part of the discussion. They are regarded as country folk and do not deserve to be part of academic and philosophical questions and dialogues.

Biography：
https://www.nga.gov/content/dam/ngaweb/Education/learning-resources/teaching-packets/pdfs/bearden-tchpk.pdf
https://www.artsy.net/artist/romare-bearden
https://www.dcmooregallery.com/artists/romare-bearden
https://beardenfoundation.org/art/
https://www.theartstory.org/artist/bearden-romare/
https://www.wikiart.org/en/romare-bearden
https://www.moma.org/artists/412
https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.6845.html
https://americanart.si.edu/artist/romare-bearden-296
https://www.biography.com/artist/romare-bearden
https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/9781478000440?gC=5a105e8b&gclid=CjwKCAiA5t-OBhByEiwAhR-hm7ZJSeTMwRyziXzBDwr9z8W_JarIBiMNIAXLU5O
J92Pt5F5TzHdSHxoCbhoQAvD_BwE
https://www.collegeart.org/pdf/artbulletin/Art%20Bulletin%20Vol%2076%20No%203%20Glazer.pdf
https://www.nga.gov/content/dam/ngaweb/Education/learning-resources/teaching-packets/pdfs/bearden-tchpk.pdf

Romare’s childhood had a great influence in his art work.
-‘His memory of these experiences, as well as African- American cultural history, would become the subjects of many of his works. ’Throughout his childhood, Bearden spent time away from Harlem, he staying most often in Mecklenburg County and Pittsburgh. Trains, roosters, cats, landscapes, barns, reflected the rural life of his early childhood and summer vacations…

Romare Bearden fought hard against marginalization…

Group: Luming Jiang, Yinyi Li, Zheng Yawen

Enas Satir, a Sudanese illustrator based in Toronto. I first came across her activist work and that of her sister Alaa in Shado Mag. (Maggie - Related CHS topic alternative, sub-, countercultures: ideology and activism)

Adding further examples

Relevant exhibition -
Lu Xun's Legacy: Printmaking in Modern China
at the Brunei Gallery SOAS, London
20th Jan - 19th March 2022
https://www.soas.ac.uk/gallery/lu-xun/

We talked about making the gallery open for future / further additions.

We could add any illustrators animators we come across in studio projects or in relation to CHS topics in the coming weeks (could just be images and a links e.g. to social media accounts).

We also talked about making it open to adding further details to images already posted, e.g. influences, collaborators, other connected animators and illustrators (to avoid tokenism)

Our Brief:
We will make a gallery of examples of work by animators and illustrators excluded from or marginalised in mainstream histories of illustration animation, that we will research and select. It will include images, plus links to films, and links to further information and sources we have used.

This will be an archive that can be added to in the future / used as a starting point.

Our Aims:

To educate ourselves about animators and illustrators excluded from or marginalised in the mainstream history / the Eurocentric canon and timeline.

To broaden the range of illustration animation we are aware of, particularly work by PoC animators and illustrators.

To recover work lost or overlooked

Menhat Helmy, an Egyptian artist, designer and illustrator who created incredible etchings in the 1950s documenting her time studying in the UK and everyday life in Egpyt at a time of great social change. I came across her work when researching abstraction and modernism
(Maggie - related to CHS topic reportage, visual journalism and animated documentary).