by Shiona Herbert
Art is a powerful platform for people to protest the unjust treatment of individuals or groups. Art is also a commanding realm to celebrate the value and beauty of those who are discriminated against. These two viewpoints are keen themes in the work of Elizabeth Catlett who highlighted and celebrated oppressed peoples’ through her art.
“I admire things that I think are true.
I admire things that I think are just.”
Born in America in 1915, Elizabeth Catlett was the youngest of 3 children. Her mother was a truant officer for the public-school system who investigated why students were absent from school. Her father was a math professor, but sadly, he died before Elizabeth was born.
As a child, Elizabeth was often in the care of her grandmothers. They told her of the hardships they had endured as enslaved workers. This awareness formed Elizabeth’s drive to highlight oppressed groups and contribute to social change.
Catlett knew that she wanted to be an artist from an early age, but as a young girl, she didn’t see many Black women in the arts. This motivated her to create art depicting Black women as sleek, elegant and strong.
“ I have always wanted my art to service
Black people -
to reflect us,
to relate to us,
to stimulate us,
to make us aware of our potential. ”
Triangular Woman, 1979. Wood and bronze.
Completing a Masters of Fine Art (majoring in sculpture), Catlett went on to teach art history, drawing, print making and painting at Dillard University in New Orleans.
An art fellowship in Mexico expanded her knowledge and practice of print making. While living there, Catlett felt a strong affinity with the Mexican artistic community who made art to progress their political and social goals.
Staying on in Mexico, Catlett became the first female professor of sculpture at the National Autonomous University of Mexico and eventually became a citizen of Mexico.
Catlett’s work has been shown all over the world and can be seen in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico. Her sculptures have sold for up to six figures at auction.1
You can view Catlett’s art via the Points of Contact online exhibition displayed at the SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) Museum. You can also discover more about Elizabeth Catlett and her art via the engaging Art History Kids Magnificent Modern Art program.
“I’m always looking at people to
see what forms they have.”
Faces for Two Worlds, 1980. Wood and bronze
Which Way? 1973–2003, lithograph, edition 4 of 25.
Now it’s Your Turn - Observing your Form
Taking inspiration from Catlett’s Which Way: a lithograph that features the three sides of a woman’s face, create a digital portrait that includes the three sides of your own face to examine your ‘form.’
When you think about it, our form is literally a truth of who we are; how others see us; how we see ourselves…etc., so let’s examine that truth in more detail.
Steps
Using a phone, iPad, or tablet, take a photo of yourself:
front on
profile right side
profile left side
1. Download the Pic Stitch App suitable to your SMART device. (Or, Instagram Layout App.)
2. Follow the steps to select a filter featuring three vertical frames to position your photos within.
3. Save your image and spend a bit of time examining your digital portrait.
What do you notice about your face, neck, head, that you may not have noticed before?
How is your neck shaped compared to your chin?
What form lines do you see from your nose to your forehead?
How does the texture and color of your hair frame these lines and forms?
If you don’t have access to a layout App, try drawing someone in the old fashioned way of sketching their face, plus both side profiles, merging them together in the fashion of Catlett’s Which Way. You may even like to take this experience a step further and honor Catlett’s love of sculpture by sculpting the three sides of a head using playdough, clay, kinetic sand…etc.
We’d love to see the creations you make inspired by Catlett’s art. Post photos or a written reflection of the experience to our Art History Kids facebook page.
Want to learn more about inspiring African American artists?
View our comprehensive list of Black History Month Art Books for Kids
Register for the Art History Kids African American Art History Workshop
Enroll in the Magnificent Modern Art program that highlights many impressive international artists including Elizabeth Catlett.
