What Is Layering?
Layering is another type of artform, like Hybridity, in which artists layer several different kinds of art over top of one another. Though there aren’t many artists who apply this kind of art to their work, one artist who we discussed in class fairly interested me: Kara Walker, a contemporary painter and silhouettes, is an artist who uses layering to exemplify the struggles, anger, and anguish enslaved souls felt towards plantation owners. Walker paints silhouettes of both slaves and slave-owners onto black paper. She then cuts their bodies out with an exacto knife to make them into shadow-looking figures. One could infer that Walker does this so that the audience must interpret what sort of narrative she is trying to unveil. Another reason, perhaps, is that she wants the enslaved and the owners to be seen as equals, rather than two different groups of people.
 |
| one of Walker's many silhouette murals |
Because she is African-American, Walker can understand the fury and the endeavors people of her same race had to face very prominently back in those days (and even so in the present), and I believe she displays her people’s rage and confusion perfectly through her silhouettes. Each mural has similar elements: people in old-fashioned clothes, young children of both slaves and slave-owners, violence, pain, anger, disturbance, beauty, grotesquery, etc. Yet each silhouette she creates tells a different story. Walker’s use of layering story over story over story really brings attention to the horrid happenings that went on during this specific time period.
Note how Walker's silhouettes may have sombre connotations behind them. While some seem almost "normal", if you take a nice, long look at them, you may discover the hidden meaning Walker purposely implemented into her work.
Layering is certainly an interesting type of artform to work with. Artists can use any kind of artform (paintings, drawings, music, film, sculptures, etc.) to create a new work of layering, though it seems the more popular forms to use are painting and photography. Most artists who use this type of artform usually incorporate a message that goes further than the eye can see. For example, one artist may include a personal experience in their artwork, and another may tell a story surrounding the monstrosities of one’s past. Depending upon what kind of tale or artistic take somebody may want to apply, the application of layering can broadcast what the artist wants their audience to see and understand.
 |
Walker uses silhouette murals as a powerful way to display our country's horrific histories. |
Regarding my own art, I believe I could use layering to change the mood of what’s happening on screen. By
placing videos on top of videos (or even images on top
of videos), I would be able to share the internal struggles a character may be experiencing. I could also layer images/videos over other images/videos to display the feeling a character has at that very moment. Interestingly enough, Kara Walker uses layering to tell a story through the eyes of past slaves, detailing their mannerisms and hatred towards the white man. Walker does this in a way that gets an audience thinking about our country’s past and how awful mankind really was to each other. Her work reflects the knowledge and enlightenment that many artists seem to shy away from: Art doesn’t have to be beautiful. Art can be abstract or morbid, lighthearted or grotesque. And Walker’s craftwork is a walking example of this cessation.
Comments
Post a Comment