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3: Mrs. Pickney and the Emancipated Birds of South Carolina - Yinka Shonibare

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3: Mrs. Pickney and the Emancipated Birds of South Carolina - Yinka Shonibare

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5: Battle of Lights, Coney Island, Mardi Gras - Joseph Stella

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5: Battle of Lights, Coney Island, Mardi Gras - Joseph Stella

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Islam was centered in Baghdad, a city where many ideas surpassed all intelligence that was previously known to man. This society created paper, translated texts, advanced all optics and lens technology, discovered new medicine and medical advancements, and invented the number ‘zero’. Baghdad's House of Wisdom was a building that was interpreted as a library and study center (Culture & Values). Based on Islam’s new discoveries, value of using natural elements, and the many drawings that look similar to today’s modern textbook, one can infer that Islam was a society of thinkers, and although it valued producers almost equally. They cared for producers to put their ideas to use, and admitted there was a “superiority of the learned man over the devout” (abu Dauwd Hadith Collection). This means being able to question common knowledge and have a mind of one’s own was very important, because who would be able to produce without having the idea to produce first? The society centered in Baghdad is a perfect example of how quickly a society can advance and progress when thinkers and producers learn to value each other.

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The language in Yourself is very easy to understand, using thesis-like statements to create an inspirational feelings. "Never neglect your work For another's," the anaphora of 'yourself' and 'your' emphasizes Buddhism's main testament that we are all built with inner strength, and we can find it through introspection (Culture & Values). Yourself also urges its readers to establish their own faith- to learn it and believe it. "First establish yourself in the way, Then teach," teach others what you believe in, but don't be tempted to give up everything you have given yourself. I find it interesting that nowhere in this poem is Buddhism mentioned, even though it is a work of Buddhist literature. The only reference to Buddhism is the line about 'dharma', which many non-Buddhist people can easily interpret as a philosophical duty or way of life. This poem invites people of all backgrounds to change their way of thinking and looking at the world, and to find their own inner strength before giving it away to anyone else.  After a class debate at DHHS, it is evident that many people look at producers as the people who do the work, and the thinkers as the people who have the ideas. However, Yourself ties together the two ideas by making them a unified trait and duty, "Your work is to discover your work. And then with all your heart, To give yourself to it."  The duty, as can be interpreted here, is to think of your 'work' (your producing side) as a sense of discovery (your thinking side) as to who exactly you are and what you believe in. Yourself establishes the idea that one person cannot solely be a thinker or producer, one must be both. Once a person is both, they can give what they've learned to the world, fusing the world between thinkers and producers.

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While First Steps depicts a warm relationship and a loving story, the colors of the painting show how the outside world has affected the two. The colors- grey, blue, white, and black- invite the feeling of struggle and cries for help. The shapes are very defined, implying that the feeling of the war in Paris was very rigid- you were either on the 'right' side, or not (A History of Paris during Nazi Occupation). However, I believe it is important to note that the faces are very easy to see, as well as the hands. The faces are important because they show the determination and care between the two subjects, and the hands display the support and aid between the mother and son. While WWII is subtly shown as a definite background thought in First Steps, the care taken to paint the faces and hands seems to imply that the act of working together was much stronger than the division occurring outside the home.

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This sculpture was created in 1962 to depict the exchange of birds between English Enlightenment Princess, Augusta, and Mrs. Pickney, slave plantation owner in South Carolina (Yale Center for British Art). While the birds are free as a sign of the promoted liberation during the Enlightenment, the cage is closed, emphasizing that liberation was only promoted for certain people (Enlightenment, Freedom, and Slavery). The producer in this situation is Mrs. Pickney, the slave owner concerned more with increasing her reputation by giving birds to a Princess, rather than the oppressive acts she is performing. The thinkers in this situation are the unseen backbones of the development of the world, the slaves. Although subjected to unreasonably cruel environments, the slaves persevered and eventually freed themselves from the hands of others.  The globe represents the need for a balance between producers and thinkers; black culture might not be as strong as it is today if not for the persistence of the fight for equality.

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The lack of blank space in this painting gives the viewer an accurate depiction of the endless possibilities at Coney Island (Coney Island | Attractions), and the endless festivities of Mardi Gras (Mardi Gras History). The intensity of the brightly colored objects is much higher than the darker colors at the edges, which makes the viewer's eye drawn to the excitement towards the center of the painting. The abstract lines and shapes leave the viewer with a curiosity for looking at the piece a little closer, as well as joy from the enthusiasm of the piece. While there seems to be very little balance or proportion in the painting, the rhythm and movement of the Stella's piece bring the art to life, making the viewer want to jump in.

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While the painting seems to be extremely chaotic, a closer look will allow the viewer to recognize the intricacy of the chaos. Joseph Stella, the artist, believed that Coney Island was a constant Mardi Gras- a frenzy of color, euphoria, and music (Yale University Art Gallery). Looking into the painting will reveal key details: signs referencing Coney Island's popular attractions  such as Steeplechase Park, radiating Ferris wheel beams, and more. The letters C-O-M were painted to reference the Commedia Dell'arte, a European equivalent to the non-religious side of Mardi Gras (Yale University Art Gallery) I believe Coney Island is the result of producers, the product of the culture and excitement of Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras is the result of thinkers, a Fat Tuesday celebration bringing together all kinds of people under the lights, music, and culture of New Orleans (Mardi Gras History). This painting is chaotic, but alludes the power of spreading culture between thinkers and producers: how much fun we can have when we learn from others. This is a celebration of human life and what it means to be unified with the people around you.

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-Cunningham, Lawrence, et al.  Culture & Values: A Survey of the Humanities. Cengage Learning, 2015.
-Monticello.org. (2018). Enlightenment, Freedom, and Slavery. [online]
-Art descriptions from the Yale Center for British Art and the Yale University Art Gallery
-“The Dashiki: The History of a Radical Garment.” OkayAfrica, OkayAfrica, 26 Apr. 2018.
-Yardley, Jonathan. “A History of Paris during Nazi Occupation.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 29 Aug. 2014.
-"Coney Island | Attractions.” NYCgo.com, NYC & Company.
-“Mardi Gras History.” Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

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First Steps was painted in 1943, at the height of WWII and German occupation in Picasso's home, Paris (A History of Paris during Nazi Occupation). The scene depicted is of a mother teaching her son to walk, a moment every mother and father can relate to. The thinker in the painting is most likely the mother- the woman who takes very tender care to the process of her small son learning how to walk, while she also supports him in case he falls (in walking and in life). The producer is quite obviously the child- the eager toddler craving the final product of being able to walk on his own. While the war rages on outside their home, the caring thinker and ambitious producer work together to win their own battle against balance and gravity. First Steps emphasizes the importance of what can happen when a thinker and producer work together.

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The vibrant colors of the Mrs. Pickney's dress might remind a viewer of a Dashiki- a traditional, colorful garment worn by people in West Africa (The Dashiki: The History of a Radical Garment). The symmetry of the colors and patterns of the dress create a feeling of joy and simplicity in a very busy dress. The content feeling a viewer might feel from balance of colors in the dress, can turn into confusion and questioning once one looks towards the head, to see the cage. The delicacy of the cage balancing on the neck of the slave owner invites conversation; perhaps the slaves are the ones trapped in the cage, their delicate lives being controlled by one singular person. Perhaps the dress, in addition to representing the stolen lives, is meant display the stolen culture.