Kara Walker's Sphinx Mother Sculpture

This assignment provides a detailed analysis of Kara Walker's monumental sculpture, 'Sphinx Mother'. It delves into the artwork's symbolism, drawing connections to historical connotations of slavery, the sugar industry, and the stereotypical 'mammy' figure. The text examines the sculpture's physical characteristics, such as the sphinx's posture, exposed vulva, and accompanying child figures, highlighting their representation of power, exploitation, and fertility. It also discusses the artwork's placement within the abandoned Domino Sugar Refining Plant and its relationship to the history embedded in that space.

Running head: THEMES OF ART
THEMES OF ART
Name of the Student:
Name of the University
Author Note:

1THEMES OF ART
Question no 1.
Portrait of Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier and his wife
It is a magnificent double portrait of French chemist Antoine Lavoisier with his wife
by Jacques David. Monsieur Lavoisier was widely known as father of modern chemistry for
his contribution in the fields of science. He was members of various aristocratic councils of
contemporary France and contributed in chemical revolution. His wife Marie-Anne Pierrette
Paulze had always been central to her husband’s works just as she is in the centre of the
painting. Both of them spent times in their laboratory together and worked as a team. They
conducted researches together. Madam Lavoisier was a linguist and translated many English
documents in French. She was the partner of her husband and created sketches as well as
engravings. The document case in the painting provide evidences of her love for art and
drawing.
It is quite obvious that the theme of the portrait is aristocrats but the details of the
portrait revels that they were far from the aristocratic norms and socialites. The couple are
surrounded by different glass flasks and beakers of different shapes. The objects of science
are visible on the side of monsieur Lavoisier that is right and Madame’s objects are on her
portion. The center is occupied by the wife, a female, she is portrayed in such a posture that
shows her physically above the male, her husband. These were quite rare in the late 18th
century paintings. In the male dominating society in contemporary France, where people
were unconscious about their own power and engaged in French Revolution, awareness about
women empowerment was unthinkable. This portrait breaks all the norms associated with
position of women in the society and places the woman above her husband.
Question no 3.
Life cycle in Hindu and Buddhist art:

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Indian art has been influenced by various religion and their philosophies. They often
contradict with each other yet we can get a prosperous confluence of the thoughts. The hindu
religion recognizes many states of life where first there are performed by the students, the
householders and the retired people. The fourth stage is ascetic and performed by the
sannyasin. The first stge is called Brahmacharya where students used to go to the Guru or the
teacher’s house and lived a traditional life along with study. Then they used to return and
performed a householder’s life called Garhastya (Davies 2013). After completing years of
service they used to leave their responsibilities and became hermit. The fourth stage was a
life of sadhu who wanted to release from all eathly temptations and attained moksha, the
salvation. The chief gods responsible for maintaining life cycle were brahma the creator,
Vishnu the preserver and Shiva as destroyer of the cycle.
In Buddhism, the term Samsara depictes cycle of existence, whhel of suffering and
ndless rebirth. Buddhis cosmology identifies six realms of rebirth where Gautam Budhha,
describes karma or action as the only reason for suffering. Death is only the end of the body
but not end of life. People suffer birth after birth for their karma and finally attempts Nirvana
or the state of liberation from rebirth. The philosophy of Budhha is different from that of
Hinduism thogh they have few similarities regarding life cycle.
Question no 5.
The Human Body:
The Human Body is a central facet to understand gender, race, sexuality and ethnicity.
Artists alter various body parts like hair, complexion, expressions and their clothing to rebel
against the social conventions as well as express messages to the society.
Michelangelo’s ‘Creation of Adam’ God is portrayed as a muscular yet an elderly
figure with grey hair. The human body of God is more expressive than the figure of Adam.

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His long beards depict his forward movement. His clothes bear no symbol of royalty and
exposes his arms and legs. The portrait of god in this painting is much more intimated
because this God is not untouchable or far from the man but one who is easily accessible.
Unlike the portrait of God who is aloft as well as outstretched, Adam is a lounging figure,
sluggishly responding God’s imminent touch. Adam’s figure forms a concave echoing the
convex shape of God. Beside these figures, there are other human figures in the painting.
Each of them are efficiently expressing their emotions.
Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer is also called the Mona Lisa of the
north. It is comparatively simpler portrait than the Creation of Adam. The girl in the portrait
is staring back. Her mouth is open as if she has a question to ask (Sorabella 2017). The
painting gets luminosity for the dark background. The girl’s head dress with exceptionally
large earning recreates her exotic origin. The painting is a tronie more than a portrait. It is a
17th century Dutch painting. Unlike Michelangelo who portrayed complete nude figure of
Adam, in this tronie, Vermeer depicted a European girl wearing an oriental turban.
Question no 6.
Death:
The Triumph of Death by Pieter Bruegel the Elder depicts a panorama of skeleton
army in a devastated lans=dscape. The fire is burning and wrecked ships have covered the
sea. The painting displays aspects of regular incidents of mid-sisteenth century (Llewellyn
2013). The clothes provide the evidence of the time it portarys clocks, musical instruments
along with funeral services. It records various methods of execution like galoows, breaking
wheels and presence of headsmen. All over the painting the theme of death is predominant.
Death and Life by Gustav Klimt, is a large painting created in 1910. It does not depict
any personal death rather picturizes an allegorical Grim Reaper representing death. It shows a

4THEMES OF ART
malicious grin and gazes at life. The artist has presented evoke age group from a baby to a
grandmother which presents the continuous cycle of life. death is able to swipe individual
from their lives but the life as the whole humanity will be eluding its grasp (Todd 2013). The
life is presented like a colourful garland with pastel coloured ornaments. On the other hand,
death has colour of dark blue and black. The humans seem to disregard the all-powerful death
and does not fear impending death. The imagination no longer focuses on the physical union
of human being but on the preceding expectations. This painting reveals Klimt’s personal
understanding of aging and familiarity with death.
Breakfast Table with Blackberry Pie by Willem Claesz. Heda has portrayed a
breakfast table contrsting the social norms. He has place the white table cloth on the right
edge of the atble and left the middle of the atble uncovered. This asymmetric concept has
been farther intensified when the artist pushes the tablecloth nearly to be crumpled. The food
objects are left untouched yet precious and only for display. The whole picture does not have
for value embodiment. It depicts, nothing is immortal in this world.
Question no 9.
A Subtlety:
A Subtlety or the Marvellous Sugar Baby is a large sugar coated woman sphinx it has
black features which no one can deny. She is wearing a n Aunt Jemina Kerchief and earrings.
She is beautiful brazen but very disturbing. Her densely layered stature pays tribute as well as
indicts. She arouses various interpretations. According to the artist Kara Walker the
installation is an homage to the overworked and unpaid artisans. The art work has historical
connotation that is both frightening and painful. The sphinx mother evokes the stereotypical
depiction of the mammy archetype. She appears to be overweight exposing protruding
vulva interpreted as sexual delectation (Historylists.org 2017). Her breasts are open as she

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crouches. The sphinx’s left thumb has been thrust through her split fingers which depicts a
symbol for sex. This huge sculptural juggernaut in the middle of abandoned Domino Sugar
Refining Plant suggests menace, cosmic condemnation, cruel pleasure, and hidden causes and
effects. The mammy’s long arms depict power and makes her looming powerfully. Her
hand’s obscene gesture seems to be protecting her from the evil eyes (Skd.museum 2017).
This gesture also depicts ancient symbol of fertility.
The art work bears the history of slavery. The traps surrounding her evokes an
Egyptian temple where the columns have caged her. This is the cage of unescapable slavery.
The dank building of the factory where history is caked in the walls. The theme of slavery,
sugar and the sphinx are too embedded in the rough yet sugar-coated place. With the rusty,
dark walls is coated with congealed brown sugar.
The figure of the sphinx is dotted by 13 molasses coloured boys who are underage
black moors. They are made of cast sugar introducing more dichotomies of white and dark,
raw and ripe. They are carrying bunches of bananas or baskets as if bringing offerings for the
mammy figure. They may also depict workers returning from cane fields.
In this sculpture, Walker seems to go beyond caricature and realism. She has made
exaggerations by taking liberty of psycho formal effects. The sculpture has roots in Africa
and Colombia. The hands, breasts and narrow lion like shoulders reminds her to be a sphinx
protecting something.
The theme of sugar is scourge whose excess consumption causes diseases but also
reminds of the birth right as well as opiate of masses. The circle of degradation along with
exploitation is reflected in the work.

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References:
Davies, J., 2013. Hindu Philosophy: The Sankhya Karika of Iswara Krishna. Routledge.
Historylists.org (2017). 20 of the World's Most Famous Art Pieces - History Lists. [online]
Historylists.org. Available at: http://historylists.org/art/20-of-the-world%E2%80%99s-most-
famous-art-pieces.html [Accessed 14 Nov. 2017].
Llewellyn, N., 2013. Art of Death: Visual Culture in the English Death Ritual c. 1500-c.
1800. Reaktion books.
Skd.museum (2017). SKD: Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden. [online] Skd.museum.
Available at: https://www.skd.museum/ [Accessed 14 Nov. 2017].
Sorabella, A. (2017). The Crucifixion and Passion of Christ in Italian Painting | Essay |
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art. [online] The Met’s
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. Available at:
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/pass/hd_pass.htm [Accessed 14 Nov. 2017].
Todd, J., 2013. Gender, art and death. John Wiley & Sons.