Black Chalkboard (Triple Eye Maestro), 1993
48 x 60 x 3 1/4 in. (122.0 x 152.0 x 8.3 cm)
Black Chalkboard (Triple Eye Maestro) By Gary Simmons is a very interesting piece of art to view. The object drawn on the board is of a frog, which at first may be hard to determine. The artwork is showing the frog in a movement demonstration as you can see how the lines are smeared across the board. The color is all white used on black for viewers to clearly see the drawing and for the object to visibly stand out; no other colors are necessary. The image is only made of lines-nothing else, and the curves of the lines demonstrate the movement as the frog moves from left to right.
As I searched for images used to define the social issue of racial stereotypes, I found this image. At first, I could not see how this had to do with racism; however, it was easier to understand that it confronts the ethnic stereotypes that are still present in today’s civilization.
Simmons artwork helped influences perceptions of this social issue because it mimics the chalkboards in schools and helps remind people that racism is a huge problem everywhere but mostly in schools. Individuals seem to be more racist when they are around people unlike themselves and are around others to antagonize. “Gary Simmons is an African-American artist who was born in New York City in 1964. His artist method was to take mundane objects of popular culture and transform them.” I believe this quote clearly states the reasons for the drawings he demonstrates on chalkboards.
Title: Instructional Resources: Image as Weapon
Author(s): David J. Henry
Source: Art Education, Vol. 46, No. 3, Critical Reflecting (May, 1993), pp. 25-28+37-41
Publisher(s): National Art Education Association
Quote Source: http://hirshhorn.si.edu/dynamic/podcasts/podcast_191.pdf
