The Role of Stereotypes in Art

          Stereotypes are a powerful lens through which, if gone unnoticed and unchecked, people begin to develop their worldview.  When certain images conveying specific messages are consistently fed through the media, art, and culture, it is only human that they would begin to seem believable, even if they were not at first.  Especially throughout the 1800s to the mid-1900s, stereotypes of African Americans have been spread through many different art forms.  These messages were widely spread and encouraged through postcards, photographs, paintings, etc.  In the past, these pieces were widely accepted by a nation whose principles aligned with the messages these artists conveyed.  However, as our nation has begun to take steps of growth, the blatant stereotyping in art has begun to receive a response from many African American artists through their personal avenues of art.  This exhibition seeks to display the role of stereotypes in the world of art, throughout history, and to emphasize how the images we are fed can deeply effect the way we view one another.  

J.H. Bufford’s Sons Lith. Wilmot Clothing Company, In the Land of Cotton, 1882, American, Multicolored lithography on paper, 4.375 x 2.625 in., The Henry Ford Art Museum

This American piece was used by a clothing company that displays the stereotype of having African American slaves gathering the cotton the company uses for their products.  There are eight African American people shown working in the field.  Toward the top right corner, there is a white man on a horse in the background who, upon closer examination, appears to be giving two of the workers a thumbs up.  This piece reflects the stereotype of having African Americans working in the fields even though slavery was technically ended by the time this work circulated.

Charles Ethan Porter, Untitled (Cracked Watermelon), 1890, American, oil on canvas, 19 1/8 x 28 3/16 in., MET Museum

This piece by Charles Ethan Porter, a prominent African American artist, uses a still life of a watermelon to challenge a racist stereotype that was, and continues to be, widely circulated throughout America.  The large watermelon is cut open with pieces partially eaten and the black seeds scattered throughout the juicy, pinkish-red inside.  The watermelon is half-eaten, which is uncommon for a still life painting of food.  However, Porter uses his creativity as a statement to challenge the norm and the watermelon stereotype, unlike Martin whose piece was a part of embracing the stereotype.

William H. Martin, Carving One of Our Watermelons, 1909, American, gelatin silver print, 3 7/16 x 5 1/2 in., MET Museum

This tall-tale postcard by William H. Martin again uses the stereotype associating African Americans with watermelons.  The tall-tale postcard was common especially in the midwest as a way of communicating a message of being relatable and humorous.  However, sometimes humor can be at the expense of another.  In this piece, African American men are scattered throughout a field of giant watermelons as they collect them, cut them, and eat them.  The absurdly huge watermelons are a form of surrealism and the pairing of African Americans with a field of watermelons was a common stereotype especially following the Civil War.

Albert A. Smith, Les Danseurs (The Dancers), 1930, American, Lithograph, 7 5/8 x 10 1/2 in., MET Museum

This piece was created by American artist Albert A. Smith for Europeans who were unfamiliar with the African American ethnicity at that point in history.  Four African American people, consisting of two adult men, a young boy, and a young girl, are shown here.  The older of the men is playing the banjo, while the other man appears to be clapping and the children dance along.  Smith contributes to racial stereotypes through his depiction of African Americans in this piece, spreading these harmful notions throughout the European nations.

Hank Willis Thomas, The Cotton Bowl, 2011, American, Digital C Print Photography, 65 x 96 in., The North Carolina Museum of Art

This piece speaks loudly about the stereotype of African Americans in the world of sport.  Thomas creates two halves of the picture, one being an African American man picking cotton in a field, with an African American football player lined up directly in front of him on a football field.  The two appear to be looking at each other, though you cannot fully see their faces.  Drastic statements like this are a common tool Thomas uses throughout his art in order to point out certain harmful stereotypes.  In this piece in particular, he correlates the slavery of old with the way African American athletes are treated as commodities today in the world of sport which some consider to be the new form of slavery.