Can art amend history? | Titus Kaphar

Summary

The speaker shares a personal experience at the Natural History Museum in New York City, where his son's innocent question about the Teddy Roosevelt sculpture sparked a reflection on fairness and representation in public art. He recounts his journey into art history, the disparity in historical representation, and his mission to create art that is both honest and reflective of our diverse present. He advocates for amending, rather than erasing, historical art to include a more inclusive narrative, drawing a parallel to the way amendments work with the American Constitution.

Takeaways

• 🎨 The speaker's love for museums and their educational value is evident, particularly the Natural History Museum in New York City.
• 👨‍👦‍👦 The importance of involving children in cultural experiences is highlighted through the story of the speaker's visit to the museum with his sons, Sabian and Dabith.
• 🗿 The Teddy Roosevelt sculpture at the museum's entrance sparks a conversation about historical representation and fairness, leading to a deeper discussion about public monuments.
• 🤔 The son's innocent question about the sculpture's depiction of power and status leads the speaker to question how we can amend, rather than erase, historical artifacts.
• 👩‍🎨 The speaker's personal journey into art was influenced by a woman who challenged him to think about his future, leading to his discovery of art history.
• 📚 The transformative experience of learning visually in an art history class, which was a stark contrast to the speaker's previous academic struggles.
• 🎓 The significance of the B grade in art history, which represented a personal achievement and a realization of the speaker's visual learning capabilities.
• 📖 The inadequacy of representation of black people in art history textbooks, as experienced by the speaker in a survey class that glossed over the topic.
• 🖌️ The speaker's self-taught journey in painting, inspired by museum visits and a desire to understand and reinterpret historical art.
• 🖼️ The concept of painting as a visual language, where every element in a painting is coded and carries meaning about the subjects' social status and roles.
• 🔍 The speaker's approach to art involves altering historical paintings to shift the viewer's gaze and provoke thought about the fairness and impact of historical representations.
• 📜 The idea of amending, rather than erasing, history is likened to the American Constitution's amendments, suggesting a way to acknowledge past perspectives while reflecting current values.

Q & A

What is the primary setting of the speaker's story?

The primary setting of the speaker's story is the Natural History Museum in New York City.

Who are Sabian and Dabith?

Sabian and Dabith are the speaker's two sons who accompanied him to the museum.

What sculpture of Teddy Roosevelt did the speaker describe?

The sculpture described is of Teddy Roosevelt sitting with one hand on a horse, bold and strong, with a Native American on one side and an African-American on the other.

What question did the speaker's oldest son ask that made the speaker reflect on the sculpture?

The son asked, 'Dad, how come he gets to ride, and they have to walk?', which led to a discussion about fairness and representation.

What is the speaker's profession or passion that led him to museums?

The speaker is passionate about art and its history, which led him to visit museums and learn more about visual intelligence and representation.

How did the speaker's interest in art history begin?

The speaker's interest in art history began when he enrolled in an art history class at a junior college to impress a woman he was interested in.

What was the speaker's academic performance like before taking the art history class?

Before taking the art history class, the speaker was not a great student, with a high school GPA of .65.

Why did the speaker feel the need to learn about the history of black people in art?

The speaker felt the need to learn about the history of black people in art because it was poorly represented and often skipped in his art history classes.

What did the speaker do when his professor skipped the chapter on black people in art history?

The speaker went to the professor's office hours, spoke to the dean, and ultimately decided to self-teach by visiting museums and studying paintings.

How does the speaker view the role of painting in conveying historical and social messages?

The speaker views painting as a visual language where every element is coded and meaningful, conveying messages about economic status, social hierarchy, and more.

What is the speaker's approach to addressing the historical inequities in art representation?

The speaker's approach is not to erase history but to amend it, similar to how the American Constitution works with amendments, to reflect the past and the present.

What did the speaker create to illustrate his point about shifting perspectives in art?

The speaker created an altered version of a painting by Frans Hals, where he made changes to emphasize the importance of shifting one's gaze to consider different perspectives.