Hannah's Critique #2

Buzzard’s Roost Pass is a lithograph/screen print by Kara Walker, as part of the Pictoral History of the Civil War series. The series was made in 2005 and is currently residing in the basement of Bucksbaum. In the center of the frame, is an image of a battle scene. There is another layer on top of the battle, depicting a face, two breasts and a hand. The body parts are done in a solid black silhouette, distinguishing them from the bottom, multi-valued layer. The entire piece, including the frame, is black and white. There is a thick white rim surrounding the battle image, only broken by the outreaching black hand.

                The battle scene consists of a foreground and a background. In the foreground, there are several men and horses. There are two men on horseback, while the rest are on foot. One of the men is carrying an American flag. Part of a canon is sticking out of the right-hand side. Smoke rises from the canon and draws the eyes into the mid/background. In the distance, there are hills of empty land that stop at two mountains. The mountains are divided by a valley and where we should be able to see the horizon, there is instead another cloud, probably smoke. And in the very, very back, there are legitimate clouds in the mostly clear sky. Based on my prior experience and general awesome-ness, it looks like this image was made many years ago, during the time period this battle was taking place. Perhaps the print was made by the artist, or maybe it was borrowed in order to create a more authentic overall piece. Since the series is about the Civil War, I’ll assume this battle of Buzzard’s Roost Pass is from that time.

                The silhouettes collectively resemble what I think is a woman, because there are breasts and the hair is done in even braids with bows. She appears black to me because of her hair, large lips and sloping nose. Her head is lying between the two mountains and her face is turned up. The base of her neck ends in jagged lines that look like tear marks. Her left hand is in the white space. If you think about the position her hand is in, it looks very uncomfortable and strained. The thumb is pointing away from her body, so her hand is doing a strange twist. Mimic her hand and you will understand. The hand and the breasts are also cut off in the same torn endings as the head. Her breasts are in a strange location in relation to her head. If the rest of her body was present, I imagine the proportions would not match up. The breasts are leaning on opposite sides, as though her body was splayed on the ground.

                The “slipping into content” part: Her pose leads me to believe that she is in pain. She is in an unnatural position because of her wrist and her strange breast leanings. Her mouth is open, as if she is crying out and there is only a small slit where her eye should be, making the eye appear closed. Her breasts are an important part of the piece, not only because they are centered in the middle, but also because they make the atmosphere of the work violent. Another aspect of the piece that conjures up violence for me is the explosions. There are explosions in the battle that look like little, white stars. There are also three in her face that the artist recreated. These are the only elements that seem to tie into the first and second layer, therefore, I’m relating the war in the picture with some sort of war within or acting upon the woman.

                Possibly, the woman is suffering for reasons relating to the Civil War, her race and her sex. As a black women, she would have been seen as the lowest social class in the U.S. at the time. It was common then that black women were abused mentally, physically and sexually by rich, white men. This piece very much reminds me of sexual abuse, because of the pain in her face, sprawled pose and exposed breasts. As her hand reaches off the page, it appears she’s trying to get out, of the battle and possible an inner battle? I see themes of sexuality, abuse, racism, sexism, internal/external conflict and white patriarchal dominance. However, I am already over my word limit so you’ll have to work those out on your own.