Critique of William Kentridge’s “Walking Man” (2000)

Right away, I focus on the walking man, which Kentridge emphasizes by its sheer enormous size. My attention then progresses from the man’s neck up to the tips of the branches, which occupy the upper half of the work and create movement in the work. Though the balance is asymmetrical, with the walking man carrying the greatest visual weight due to its size and darkness, the background counteracts with its horizontal cuts and lightness to create balance. Many patterns can be seen in the work, both in the numerous lines that compose the sprouting branches and the repetitive horizontal lines in the background, which help unify the work. With regard to artistic form, Kentridge successfully utilizes line, shape, space, form, and color to incorporate many principles of design into his work, including emphasis, movement, pattern, repeition, and most importantly, unity.

The tone of the work is dark and imposing due to the large and dominating figure, as well as the threatening motion of the man mid-walk. The black and white color scheme (or lack of color) also contributes to the austere mood of the work. Then I spot some trees and electric towers at the bottom right hand corner of the work, miniscule in comparison to the man. This leads me to believe that Kentridge’s message may possibly be one that deals with human encroachment on nature. Subsequently, I learn that Kentridge grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa during the pre-democracy era and that many of his works deal with political and social themes. Thus it may be believable that Walking Man represents change over time with respect to politics and society. The change may be personified by the walking man, and it is likely that this change is seen as a negative process, because the motion of the man appears to be menacing. Furthermore, the medium and process of the artwork may be paralleled with this theme of man imposing change, as the print was ultimately produced by the removal and cutting away of linoleum. In this way, the medium lends itself to content. To conclude, Kentridge employs several principles of design to supply content to his work and communicates this content effectively.

-Emily Yoon