Their Side of the Story

Why is the artist’s point of view important?

Oct / Nov 2020

The artist is always an important part of every artwork’s story. Just as Grant Wood introduces viewers to his version of Midwestern life, the three contemporary artists featured on these pages each approach the stories they share from a specific point of view. As you look at each work, think about the artist who made it. What is her point of view? What message does she convey and how does she do so? These questions will help you understand why the story matters. Then add another layer: What is your role as the viewer?

An artist’s experiences help shape an artwork’s story. The contemporary artists whose work is featured on these pages each have a unique outlook. As you look at each example, consider the artist. What is her point of view? How does she share her message? This will help you understand why the story matters. Don’t forget to think about how you might be a part of the story as the viewer.

In Black and White

Kara Walker’s family moved from California to Georgia when she was a teen. Students at Walker’s new school called the young Black girl racial slurs. Years later, Walker began exploring race, gender, and stereotypes in American history, particularly slavery, in her art. Many of her works are shocking, representing violence against Black people.

“My work always unsettles me,” Walker explains. “If it doesn’t unsettle me, then it’s not right.” She frequently uses black silhouettes on a white ground (wall, paper, or other surface) in her work. In the 1997 example above, Walker creates a pop-up book featuring her distinctive silhouetted figures. Although the images might seem like simple shapes at first, they are packed with details. She adds another layer through the text she includes. “I think my work is all about this conflation of fact with fiction,” she says. Pop-up books often present fairy tales. How does Walker transform this format to unsettle viewers?

When Kara Walker was a teen, white students at her school bullied the young Black girl. Now, as an adult, the artist explores race in American history. She often addresses enslavement and racism in her work. In 1997, Walker created the pop-up book above. She includes black silhouettes of figures on a white background. Look closely. The shapes might seem simple at first, but Walker includes many details.

“My work always unsettles me,” Walker says. “If it doesn’t unsettle me, then it’s not right.” Pop-up books often tell children’s stories and fairy tales. Instead, Walker draws viewers’ attention to enslavement in America in her pop-up book. How does Walker transform the pop-up book format to unsettle viewers?

Secrets and the City

In her 2020 painting Friendship, above, Leigh Ruple depicts three girls making shadows with their hands on a sidewalk. She captures the glow from neon signs and artificial lights. This is a scene familiar to city dwellers.

Ruple’s life in Queens, in New York City, inspired the setting. She passes delis like this one every day. The artist, who teaches art at an elementary school, cites her experiences teaching as another source of inspiration. She sees something special in the relationships kids share, each offering something unique—like the shadows the figures create in this painting. It’s as if they share a secret language.

“As an artist you gather all these different feelings and put them together in one image,” Ruple says. “It tells a personal story about the value of friendship.”

In her 2020 painting Friendship, right, Leigh Ruple paints girls making shadows with their hands on a sidewalk. She uses bright colors to capture the light of the neon signs. This might be a familiar scene to people who live in American cities.

Ruple lives in Queens, New York. The artist passes delis like this one every day. She teaches art at an elementary school, and her students inspire her. She sees something special in kids’ relationships. They each share something unique—like the different shadows the girls make with their hands in this painting. It’s as if the shadows are a secret language they use to communicate.

“As an artist you gather all these different feelings and put them together in one image,” says Ruple. “It tells a personal story about the value of friendship.”

Audience Participation Required

“I think of the viewer as the painter,” explains Brooklyn, New York-based artist Dana Schutz. Her 2010 painting Poke depicts a calm-looking man holding a mug. An arm emerges from outside the picture plane and pokes the man in the eye. Schutz foreshortens the arm, with the forearm appearing to be closer to the viewer than the tip of the finger. This intense perspective brings the viewer right into the bizarre scene.

Schutz invites the viewer to consider who the arm belongs to and why he or she is poking the figure in the eye. Is the poke meant to be unfriendly? Aggressive? Funny? The artist gives the viewer the opportunity to participate in the narrative that is unfolding. “I think paintings always have a second subject. There is the painting and the subject you can write down or title,” Schutz says. “But the real subject is way more open or diffuse or nebulous, something that is not quite nameable. And I think that is painting’s power.” What do you think is the second subject of this painting?

Brooklyn, New York artist Dana Schutz paints a man holding a mug in her 2010 Poke, left. The man appears calm even though an arm from outside the image pokes him in the eye. The intense perspective brings the viewer right into the scene.

“I think of the viewer as the painter,” explains Schutz. She encourages viewers to think about who the arm belongs to. Why is someone poking the figure in the eye? Is the poke meant to be unfriendly or funny? Does the arm belong to you, the viewer? Schutz invites you to participate in the story. What do you think is happening in this scene?