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Ellen gALLAGHER On Prettiness and Politicscenter850008549640 Author Artist and OtherAlyssa Graham 1000000 Author Artist and OtherAlyssa Graham 1917700229870 INCLUDEPICTURE "/var/folders/n3/6gzgr9vj4418_r777msck06m0000gn/T/com.microsoft.Word/WebArchiveCopyPasteTempFiles/ChMoNv9KHaR1_1140x1140.jpg" \* MERGEFORMATINET 00 INCLUDEPICTURE "/var/folders/n3/6gzgr9vj4418_r777msck06m0000gn/T/com.microsoft.Word/WebArchiveCopyPasteTempFiles/ChMoNv9KHaR1_1140x1140.jpg" \* MERGEFORMATINET 121920-223520Table of Contents Biography Watery Ecstatic Bird In Hand Blubber The Public’s OpinionConclusionBibliography 00Table of Contents Biography Watery Ecstatic Bird In Hand Blubber The Public’s OpinionConclusionBibliography Biography righttop00Ellen Gallagher was born in Providence, Rhode Island in 1965. Before she became an artist, she first studied Marine Biology and then creative writing at Oberlin Liberal Arts College. From there she was accepted to the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in Maine, to study Fine Arts. Her early fascination with marine life is evident in much of her diverse work, particularly the renowned Watery Ecstatic collection (more on this later). She is well known for her characteristic use of a pretty aesthetic and design to convey a political message. In 2000 she received the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Fine Art, for her dedication to commentary on historical and current issues affecting the lives of African American women.-243205491172500Ellen Gallagher is a mixed media and mixed interest artist. She has worked in sculpture, poetry, collage, photography, drawing, videography and painting. Her interests expressed in her works include, Oceanography, microscopic life, popular media, Black Vernacular language and post war abstraction. The following booklet will explore Gallagher’s use of these themes and how they are expressed in her most famous collections and pieces. INCLUDEPICTURE "/var/folders/n3/6gzgr9vj4418_r777msck06m0000gn/T/com.microsoft.Word/WebArchiveCopyPasteTempFiles/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcTU5t7ZCnGRoAV3ftu6qZzhhwT8h31GFg69dZrvLSutSoPkr6cf&usqp=CAU" \* MERGEFORMATINET Sample of Gallagher’s Work 3390900-41910000Watery Ecstatic INCLUDEPICTURE "/var/folders/n3/6gzgr9vj4418_r777msck06m0000gn/T/com.microsoft.Word/WebArchiveCopyPasteTempFiles/Ellen-Gallagher---Watery--010.jpg?width=300&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=0b38f222859bb50e53e9451e73abb1be" \* MERGEFORMATINET -190500322897500The Watery Ecstatic series is a collection of various works including drawings, collages, paintings and sculptures created by Ellen Gallagher. All works are simply titled, Watery Ecstatic. The collection began in 2001 and Gallagher continues to add to it today. In Watery Ecstatic Gallagher uses her knowledge of marine life to create a fantastical future which acts as a commentary on the history of murdered African women. Each work in the series depicts an Aquafuture where African women who died during the ship crossings of the trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, transformed into mythical underwater beings. The pictures depict both these women, their descendants and the magical sea kingdom they created.The lore created by Gallagher in her Watery Ecstatic continues to compel audiences and press to this day, as shown by the reviews described in the “Public Opinions” chapter of this booklet. Both the mythical and the political nature of these pieces are extremely compelling to audiences. Gallagher’s pieces work as a form of resistance to the dominant “white centered fantasies of the future.” These works also draw attention to a historical perspective often ignored and act as a powerful tool for encouraging her audience to explore the perspective of African women during the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. 2927350000Bird In Hand INCLUDEPICTURE "/var/folders/n3/6gzgr9vj4418_r777msck06m0000gn/T/com.microsoft.Word/WebArchiveCopyPasteTempFiles/75e35c98c391c704fb912ed0460d08d2.jpg" \* MERGEFORMATINET Bird In Hand is another piece created by Ellen Gallagher in 2006. It is a singular oil painting complete with various collage materials including gold leaf, polymer, salt and ink. It depicts Clayton “Peg Leg” Bates, an exceptional African American dancer in the 20th century, reimagined as an alienlike being. 0523684500Bird in Hand is a futuristic mixed media piece which eliminates the restrictive nature, society places on any known gender or race. Art historian Suzanne Chan explains that because of the reinvented alien-like nature of Clayton Bates, Bird In Hand “Suggests we will think about what remains to be imagined, once we get past identifying humans by a sex or race we are familiar with” Gallagher’s piece suggests her appreciation for Bates’s work but also the lack of public appreciation or serious appreciation for his skill because of his race. In Bird In Hand, Gallagher imagines a world where race and gender are unidentifiable and as consequence everyone is appreciated for skill and talent alone. This idea behind Bird In Hand could possibly stem from Gallagher’s initial rejection from Skowhegan school and her consequential hard work to be considered a viable applicant as an African American woman. 3862705-39243000Blubber Blubber is another collection by Gallagher which is widely known amongst the art community. Gallagher started her Blubber collection in 2001. The collection has amassed to over ten pieces of various medias including, collage, painting, drawing and mixed media. The majority of Gallagher’s paintings strive to devote attention to or disregard gender and race norms, Blubber is no different. -280035462788000The pieces include repetitions of various depictions of harmful and negative Black stereotypes. These stereotypes include such physical attributes as large eyes, large lips and whitened mouth. These traits are minstrel like in nature and similar to those discussed in our documentary about the depiction of African Americans in the United States. Gallagher has described these traits as “White imaginings of ‘Blackness’” By painting these images and repeating them hundreds of times on one piece of canvas ,Gallagher forces her audience to come to terms with these constantly perpetuated images, in both history and our modern day. The images neither disappear or change positively over time. They remain the same ever present, harmful stereotypes only changed slightly. This unaltered nature of these depictions strongly parallel the history of the “Black” image. While stereotypes may alter slightly overtime, they remain the same damaging images underneath. INCLUDEPICTURE "/var/folders/n3/6gzgr9vj4418_r777msck06m0000gn/T/com.microsoft.Word/WebArchiveCopyPasteTempFiles/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcRVrm_8kL08x4wDu1VZF_Xq_3BE2U2dY2v8StD5GQzjIrttxV_Y&usqp=CAU" \* MERGEFORMATINET 3460615690664The Public’s Opinion INCLUDEPICTURE "/var/folders/n3/6gzgr9vj4418_r777msck06m0000gn/T/com.microsoft.Word/WebArchiveCopyPasteTempFiles/?resize_to=fit&width=581&height=640&quality=80&src=https%3A%2F%2Fd32dm0rphc51dk.%2Fhkb20L6Am9unR4tvsP3KdA%2Flarge.jpg" \* MERGEFORMATINET INCLUDEPICTURE "/var/folders/n3/6gzgr9vj4418_r777msck06m0000gn/T/com.microsoft.Word/WebArchiveCopyPasteTempFiles/ellen-gallagher_oh-susanna_1993_detail_aware_women-artists_artistes-femmes-1500x1415.jpg" \* MERGEFORMATINET Ellen Gallagher has works in galleries all over the world. She has pieces established in permanent exhibits in Chicago, Boston, New York, London and Paris amongst other cities. Despite Gallagher’s global status, her work often meets differing opinions amongst the art community. Blubber in particular was met with mixed reviews. This could be due to her alteration in style from Watery Ecstatic to Blubber. Her style changes from a characteristically pretty aesthetic (think soft lines and pastel colours) to a more hardened and blunt look. In 2013, Laura Cumming of the Guardian described Gallagher’s aesthetic well when stating, “ Her distinctive combination of politics and prettiness has been catnip for collectors and critics alike these last 20 years.” However in the same year Charles Darwent of the UK Independent , described Gallagher’s Blubber collection saying, “the exploitation of racial insecurity for commercial gain- is not a pretty one, and Gallagher’s images would have no business being pretty.” One could argue that Darwent’s comment could be seen as a complement of how Gallagher conveys her messages. However, Darwent continues to criticize Blubber describing the collection as confusing, blunt and repetitive. Similar to the Independent, The New York Times met Gallagher’s work with confusion but also awe. In 2005 Alexander Ros wrote, “What you would call these new prints in the Whitney show- I honestly don’t know. But with a virtuosic flash they sure are dissing something and spreading the acid in many directions.” While confusing, it is true that Gallagher’s work has received much attention from the art community these last ten years. Regardless of criticism of her technique Gallagher has drawn attention to the political issues she is passionate about, everything else is arguably irrelevant. 797492347203100 INCLUDEPICTURE "/var/folders/n3/6gzgr9vj4418_r777msck06m0000gn/T/com.microsoft.Word/WebArchiveCopyPasteTempFiles/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcSZf8vx7undkJdDe_F_86xKVyKoVltnUubw1IFrGZK1q2nqh904&usqp=CAU" \* MERGEFORMATINET 400812062039500 Conclusion INCLUDEPICTURE "/var/folders/n3/6gzgr9vj4418_r777msck06m0000gn/T/com.microsoft.Word/WebArchiveCopyPasteTempFiles/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcSTaJNb0Sduyp9jZdr0txilu7oYy4R6vOluTZLSMAXq0LJH0cCR&usqp=CAU" \* MERGEFORMATINET 3829332491116100-260350289560000Although Gallagher’s work meets differing opinions, one consistent among reviews is that her work and even Gallagher herself, seem to exist in an alternate plane from others. Gallagher creates her own lore and uses fantastical imagery to create multiple universes. Universes similar enough to our own, to convey themes of racial and gender norms, but different enough to give her audience a sense of wonder, fascination and enchantment. Gallagher strives to reveal complex and relevant political issues using inviting images of pastel blues and pinks, soft cascading lines and shining gold leaf. By creating these welcoming images to the eye, Gallagher draws her audience in and invites them to greater themes and understanding. This “prettiness of politics” is Gallagher’s signature trait and truly showcases her genius. Darwent sums up Ellen Gallagher’s career perfectly when stating “Gallagher is part of her own mythology.” Bibliography Chan, Suzanna. “‘Alive...again." Unmoored in the Aquafuture of Ellen Gallagher's ‘Watery Ecstatic.’”?Women's Studies Quarterly, vol. 45, no. 1/2, 2017, pp. 246–263.?JSTOR, jstor-jac.orc.stable/44474132. Accessed 30 Apr. 2020.Cotter, Holland. “Art in Review; Ellen Gallagher.”?The New York Times, The New York Times, 1 Apr. 2005, 2005/04/01/arts/art-in-review-ellen-gallagher.html.Cumming, Laura. “Ellen Gallagher: AxME – Review.”?The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 4 May 2013, artanddesign/2013/may/05/ellen-gallagher-axme-tate-review. INCLUDEPICTURE "/var/folders/n3/6gzgr9vj4418_r777msck06m0000gn/T/com.microsoft.Word/WebArchiveCopyPasteTempFiles/dc5f3f7fe8117bcee8e8f0387294b364_f3372.jpg" \* MERGEFORMATINET INCLUDEPICTURE "/var/folders/n3/6gzgr9vj4418_r777msck06m0000gn/T/com.microsoft.Word/WebArchiveCopyPasteTempFiles/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcSN5mfrXf0MBpWvq_tKDjj-YqEyRWy0lfEy1KC6YivqSsnTLuxp&usqp=CAU" \* MERGEFORMATINET INCLUDEPICTURE "" \* MERGEFORMATINET INCLUDEPICTURE "/var/folders/n3/6gzgr9vj4418_r777msck06m0000gn/T/com.microsoft.Word/WebArchiveCopyPasteTempFiles/EllenGallagher-Morphia-2012.-225x300.jpg" \* MERGEFORMATINET INCLUDEPICTURE "/var/folders/n3/6gzgr9vj4418_r777msck06m0000gn/T/com.microsoft.Word/WebArchiveCopyPasteTempFiles/Z" \* MERGEFORMATINET Darwent, Charles. “Charles Darwent on Ellen Gallagher: AxME - The Dog Ate My Homework.”?The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 4 May 2013, independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/reviews/charles-darwent-on-ellen-gallagher-axme-the-dog-ate-my-homework-miss-gallagher-8603837.html“Ellen Gallagher.”?Gagosian, 12 Apr. 2018, artists/ellen-gallagher/.Wilson, Judith. “Sniffing Elephant Bones: The Poetics of Race in the Art of Ellen Gallagher.”?Callaloo, vol. 19, no. 2, 1996, pp. 337–339.?JSTOR, jstor-jac.orc.stable/3299181. Accessed 30 Apr. 2020.More Gallagher (Biography of Gallagher and close up of other paintings) ( Gallagher on Videography and “Fighting the boys.”) (A different interpretation of Bird in Hand) ................
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