NgoMashi 31, ngenza uhambo lwami lokugcina lombukiso othi “Izindawo Zokuqinisekisa” engawenza ngokubambisana eCalifornia African American Museum eLos Angeles. Lapho ngifika emsebenzini owodwa ka-Elizabeth Catlett, isithombe esiqoshiwe esinesihloko esithi El Abrazo (The Ebrace), ngatshela izethameli ukuthi lo msebenzi omuhle kakhulu, oqoshwe ocezwini olulodwa lwe-mahogany ngo-1976, wawufana nomfanekiso kaCatlett onomusa. isitayela, asiphelelisa phakathi neminyaka engamashumi ayisikhombisa yomsebenzi omuhle kakhulu. Ngiphinde ngaphawula ukuthi abagxeki abaningi kanye nezazi-mlando zobuciko babheka uCatlett njengomunye wabaculi ababonwayo besimanje baseMelika kanye nesibonelo somuntu ozibandakanya nomphakathi. Lesi yisinqumo ebengilokhu ngisiveza njalo ekufundiseni kwami nasekubhaleni iminyaka engaphezu kwengama-30.
Ezinsukwini ezimbili kuphela kamuva, ngathola umbiko ngokufa kwakhe eCuernavaca, eMexico, eneminyaka engu-96 ubudala, sekusele amasonto ambalwa ukuba ahlanganise iminyaka engu-97. I-Mexico, i-United States kanye nomhlaba wonke balahlekelwe ngomunye wabadwebi abahamba phambili abamnyama, abesifazane kanye nezombusazwe ekhulwini lama-20 nasekuqaleni kwekhulu lama-21. Lowo wesifazane ophawuleka ngempela wanikela ukuphila kwakhe ekuvezeni imibono egxekayo ngendlela enamandla ebonakalayo kokubili e-United States nasezweni lakubo iMexico. Umsebenzi wakhe omuhle njengengcweti, uthisha nesishoshovu ufanelwe ukubongwa nokuhlonishwa.
Uhambo lwakhe lokudala lwaqala e-Howard University, lapho afunda khona ngaphansi kwezinganekwane zobuciko zase-Afrika-America uJames Porter, uJames Lesesne Wells noLois Mailou Jones. Ngemva kokuphothula izifundo zakhe ngo-1937, waphothula i-MFA yakhe ngo-1940 enyuvesi, efunda nelinye iciko laseMelika, uGrant Wood, owamkhuthaza ukuba asebenze ngezindikimba ayezazi futhi azibonele mathupha. Kuwo wonke umsebenzi wakhe, ngokufanelekile, ukhiqize ama-prints nemifanekiso eqoshiwe ekhuluma ngosizi lwabampofu nabampofu, izinto ezesabekayo zokucwasa ngokwebala nobukoloni, isithunzi sabantu abavamile bebala kanye nezinye izindikimba eziningi ezithinta umphakathi ezamenza indlalifa imidondoshiya kwezobuciko uFrancisco Goya, Kathe Kollwitz, Ben Shahn namakhulu abanye.
Ngo-1941, washada nomunye umculi ophefumulelwe kwezombusazwe, uCharles White. Ukuvakashela eMexico, bathola isiko lokudweba nokuphrinta lapho ngobuciko nepolitiki. Ngemuva kokuphela komshado, wathuthela eMexico ngemuva kwengcindezelo yezepolitiki yaseMelika yangemva kwempi eyasusa uMthethosisekelo futhi yabangela uhlu lwabamnyama olunedumela olubi lwezinkulungwane kwezobuciko, ezokuzijabulisa, ezemfundo neminye iminyaka engaphezu kwengama-20.
EMexico City, uCatlett wahlangana futhi washada nomculi waseMexico uFrancisco Mora futhi wasebenza e-Popular Graphics Workshop (Taller de Grafica Popular). Lapho, yena nozakwabo bakhiqiza imibhalo eshibhile eyayinokuqukethwe okunamandla kwezenhlalo nezombangazwe okwakungakhanga abantu baseMexico besigaba sabasebenzi. Ukukhethwa okuqinile kwemibhalo yakhe eyayidumile yangaleso sikhathi kwabukiswa e-Mexican Cultural Institute eWashington, D.C., ngo-2010. Ngaba nelungelo lokuvakashela lowo mbukiso lapho ngifundisa eNyuvesi yaseCalifornia, eWashington Center ngaleyo ntwasahlobo. ithemu.
UCatlett waba isakhamuzi saseMexico ngo-1962 futhi wafundisa eSikoleni Sobuciko Bezobuciko e-National Autonomous University eMexico City kusukela ngo-1958 kuya ku-1976. Kuyo yonke indawo ahlala kuyo eMexico, wayechitha izinyanga ezimbalwa unyaka ngamunye eNew York—ngaphandle kwaphakathi nawo-1960. , lapho kumenyezelwa ukuthi “umfokazi ongathandeki” futhi enqatshelwa imvume yokungena kwelinye izwe ngenxa yemibono nemisebenzi yakhe yezombangazwe yokungakwesobunxele. E-Mexico, uthathwa ngokuziqhenya njengengcebo yezwe futhi imisebenzi yakhe ikhonjiswa ngokugqamile ezikhungweni zamasiko okuhlanganisa neMuseum of Modern Art eMexico City.
Ukuvezwa okunesithunzi kwabantu base-Afrika baseMelika, ikakhulukazi abesifazane, kwakuyisici esiyinhloko sezithombe zakhe eziqoshiwe kanye nama-prints. Izithombe zakhe eziphoqayo zabesifazane abamnyama abasebenza ngokungaziwa zazihambisana nezithombe zakhe zezinkanyiso zomlando ezifana neSojourner Truth, uPhillis Wheatley, uHarriet Tubman no-Angela Davis. Ukuphatha kwakhe omama base-Afrika-baseMelika nezingane kwengeze isici sokwamukela itimu yobuciko yomhlaba wonke. Eminye imisebenzi yokuhlonipha izingane zemibala yandisa isimo sakhe njengeciko elikhulu lesintu lenkathi yangaleso sikhathi. Imifanekiso yakhe eqoshiwe yasesidlangalaleni, njengezithombe zakhe ezinhle zikaLouis Armstrong noMahalia Jackson eNew Orleans, nazo zaba negalelo ekudumeni kwakhe umhlaba wonke.
Ukuphawula okukhethekile kwezepolitiki nakho kugcwele umsebenzi wakhe wobuciko phakathi neminyaka. Ngaphezu kwakho konke, unikeze ukwesekwa okubonakalayo emzabalazweni womlando wase-Afrika-waseMelika wenkululeko nesithunzi. Imibhalo yakhe ethi “Civil Rights Congress” (1949), “Malcolm Speaks for Us” (1969) kanye nabanye abambalwa bajoyina izithombe ezibaziwe ezihlanganisa iHomage to My Young Black Sisters (1968) kanye neBlack Unity (1968) ukuveza ukuzibophezela kwakhe okuqhubekayo esikweni umbhikisho omnyama onodlame, enye yezindikimba ezinkulu zobuciko bokubukwa base-Afrika-baseMelika iminyaka engaphezu kweyi-100. Emashumini eminyaka amuva nje, uCatlett udale ama-prints aveze usizi oluqhubekayo lwezingane ezimnyama endaweni yobandlululo eMelika ephikelele naphezu kwentuthuko yenhlangano yesimanje yamalungelo abantu.
Njengomuntu waseMexico owenziwe ngokwemvelo, wasebenzisa ubuciko bakhe ukuze anikeze ukuphawula okubucayi ngepolitiki yaseLatin America. Ama-linocuts ango-1980 afana ne-“Chile I” kanye “ne-Chile II” adonsela ukunaka okukhulu ekwephulwani okwesabekayo kwamalungelo abantu kombuso wobushiqela wezempi wasePinochet eChile ngemva kokuketula umbuso osemthethweni owawusizwa yi-U.S. ngo-1973. “I-Central America Ithi Cha” ( 1986) ngokufanayo igxeka ukwesekwa kweMelika kwemibuso yezempi ecindezelayo lapho ngesikhathi sokuphatha kukaReagan. Ngokuqongeleleka, imisebenzi yobuciko kaCatlett yasungula imodeli eyisibonelo yokuhlanganisa amasu amahle kakhulu kanye nokuphawula komphakathi okungapheli.
Ezinsukwini ezimbili kuphela ngemva kokushona kwakhe, nganquma ukukhokha intela ngempilo yakhe kanye nokusebenza esifundweni sami soMhlanga, Ukucwasa kanye Nomthetho WaseMelika e-UCLA. Ngakhiqiza futhi ngasakaza umsebenzi wakhe wokubaza wango-1970 othi Target. Lo msebenzi ovusa inkanuko ubonisa owesilisa omnyama ngemuva kokubona isibhamu, isikhumbuzo esinamandla seqiniso elibi lokucwasa ngokobuhlanga eMelika yomlando nesimanje. Ngacela abafundi besigaba esiphezulu kanye nabafundi abaneziqu kuleli kilasi ukuthi bacabange ngokujula kokubaluleka komsebenzi kaCatlett.
Isikhathi besifaneleka ngendlela exakayo ekuxoxweni ngeThagethi. Isizwe besigxile ekubulaweni okudabukisayo kuka-Trayvon Martin, ukubulawa okunemibono esobala yobuhlanga. Ngaphezu kwalokho, ubuciko bukaCatlett obukhazimulayo obunezinhlangothi ezintathu buphinde bukhumbuze ababukeli ngamacala akamuva afana nalawo kaRodney King, u-Abner Louima, u-Amadou Diallo, u-Oscar Grant kanye noprofesa uHenry Louis Gates—zonke izehlakalo zamadoda amnyama ayehlosiwe ezenzeke ngemva kokukhiqiza ucezu lwakhe olujabulisayo. Umthelela we-Target, nokho, udlulela nakakhulu ezinkulungwaneni zabantu abangaziwa ngemibala, ikakhulukazi kodwa hhayi kuphela abesilisa abancane, abavame ukuhlushwa ukuhlukunyezwa ngokobuhlanga nokuhlaselwa ngamaphoyisa nabanye kulo lonke elase-United States.
Lapho abafundi nabanye ababukeli bemisebenzi yobuciko ka-Elizabeth Catlett bebonisa incazelo yabo yezenhlalo enamandla nemithelela, iqinisekisa ukuthi ifa lakhe liyohlala njalo ezizukulwaneni ezizayo. Umthelela ojulile wezemfundo wobuciko bakhe, kuhlanganiswe nezimfanelo zabo zobuhle eziphawulekayo, kuqinisa isithunzi sakhe njengesiqhwaga sangempela somlando wobuciko wesimanje. Futhi ukuzibophezela kwakhe okuphelele ekusebenziseni ubuciko bakhe ukusebenzela abantu bazo zonke izinhlanga nezigaba kuzoba yimodeli yawo wonke amaciko azibandakanya nomphakathi engxenyeni esele yekhulu lama-21 nangale kwalokho.
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