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Samantha Samaniego Humanities Core Professor Alice Berghof 26 January 2024 Visual Analysis of a Worldbuilding Artwork by a Contemporary African American Artist The 2017 work “Impressions of Liberty” by Titus Kaphar defies traditional observations by incorporating levels of significance that exceed the artwork’s immediate narrative or theme (“stadium"). Using African American Studies concepts such as negative double consciousness, code-switching, portal, and Afro-pessimism, this essay seeks to reveal the punctum—a subtle but often missed or misunderstood aspect of Kaphar’s work—that alters, challenges, or contradicts the image’s apparent significance. Drawing on sources like Bridget R. Cooks’ “Exhibiting Blackness” and Andrea Anderson and Antonio Sergio’s essay “Quilted Magic, Quilted Music, Quilted Freedom in the Black American Continuum,” the analysis will draw from the interdisciplinary perspectives of Art History and African American Studies. The idea of double consciousness, central to African American Studies and defined by W.E.B. Du Bois, offers a basic framework for understanding the various dimensions of Titus Kaphar’s "Impressions of Liberty" (2017). On the surface, the artwork glorifies freedom and emancipation and radiates a sense of liberation. Nonetheless, the negative double- consciousness lens gives a closer look at the composition's deformed forms and hidden faces. Du Bois first presented the concept of double consciousness as a psychological struggle faced by African Americans who were divided between their inner identities and the external views that a prejudiced society forced upon them (Cooks, 2011, p.135). This contradiction can be seen in Kaphar’s work as the punctum, or hidden, contradicting aspects, as well as the apparent topic or studium. The negative element of divided consciousness refers to an internal struggle against external narratives, a struggle for self-identity. In this case, the faces in the artwork that are hidden are the punctum. Traditionally thought to be windows to the soul, faces are purposefully masked or distorted. This intentional behavior forces a reevaluation of what defines liberty and identity by challenging the viewer's tendency toward instant recognition. Cooks (2011,p.135), in “Exhibiting Blackness,” highlights the conflict between representation and abstraction in Black art. As punctum, the hidden faces create a visual dissonance that corresponds with the inner conflict of negative double consciousness. Furthermore, Kaphar adds a time dimension to the disintegration of forms in "Impressions of Liberty." The fragmented parts convey a feeling of historical discontinuity, underlining the ongoing struggles that Black people have endured throughout history. The image of a seemingly disclosed figure surrounded by broken forms and hidden faces symbolizes the continuous fight for liberation from a painful past. Essentially, the Stadium of Liberty becomes a more complicated narrative due to the negative double consciousness that Kaphar portrays in his art. The punctum visually represents the internal conflict, which forces spectators to acknowledge the complexity of Black American identity (Andersson & Antonio, 2020, p.3). Viewers are forced to recognize the complex realities of liberty as they struggle with the hidden faces and broken forms, recognizing the ongoing conflict between the individual's perception of themselves and society's expectations. This probe prepares the reader for a more thorough examination of Kaphar’s artistic choices and how they relate to more general issues of African American identity and art.

Titus Kaphar’s creative technique in his work "Impressions of Liberty'' (2017) closely resembles code-switching, a linguistic phenomenon in which individuals fluidly move between several languages or dialects. Code-switching is frequently studied in the context of African American Studies as a cultural and linguistic tactic used by Black people to negotiate a variety of social situations (Andersson & Antonio, 2020, p.2). When code-switching is used in Kaphar’s work, it becomes a stylistic innovation that breaks through traditional artistic limitations and forces viewers to understand the piece using a variety of visual languages. The deliberate integration of ancient and modern approaches that define Kaphar’s style is similar to the verbal skill involved in code-switching. The artist adeptly transitions between many artistic languages, skillfully merging parts of traditional portraiture with contemporary abstraction. The complex identity issues that Black Americans face are reflected in this dynamic interplay. Like how code- switching enables people to adjust to different language situations, Kaphar’s use of code- switching in visuals allows for a complex portrayal of Black identity that cuts beyond historical and modern narratives. By defying traditional notions of artistic classification, this stylistic innovation encourages viewers to interact with the work in ways beyond a glance. Cooks (2011, p.137) offers a theoretical framework for appreciating Kaphar’s use of code-switching in his work and connecting it to more general conversations on the intersectionality of Black identity. Furthermore, code swapping in Kaphar’s work is a visual metaphor for various Black community experiences. The deliberate mingling of artistic languages points to a diversity and depth that resists easy classification. This innovative style approach defies the restrictions imposed by strict creative classifications and challenges viewers' preconceptions about Black art. Code swapping is a stylistic innovation employed by Kaphar that allows viewers to engage in a visual debate not limited by time or culture. Through her ability to move between several artistic languages, Kaphar defies convention and provides a more thorough and complex portrayal of Black identity (Andersson & Antonio, 2020, p.5). This creative method advances a more extensive discussion on the changing nature of artistic expression in the context of cultural identity. It is consistent with the code-switching principles of African American Studies. Within the context of African American Studies, the idea of portals in Titus Kaphar’s “Impressions of Liberty” (2017) adds a deep level of complexity by echoing ideas of historical transcendence and collective memory. In the artwork, portals serve as the punctum. This easily missed or misunderstood element challenges the apparent concept of liberty while encouraging visitors to explore the complexity of Black American identity. The usage of portals makes sense in the larger framework of African American Studies, where the idea of a portal takes on symbolic meaning for going beyond historical accounts. By purposefully leaving gaps and holes throughout the piece, Kaphar invites audiences to reflect on how the Black American experience is intertwined with the past, present, and future. Andersson & Antonio) (2020, p.2) offers scholarly ideas on the cultural relevance of quilting as a gateway to ancestral traditions and communal resilience. These findings are consistent with the quilting practice. The point of these portals is that they serve as both entrances and apertures. The punctum disrupts the studio's depiction of liberty by highlighting the historical obstacles and challenges the Black community has encountered (Cooks, 2011, p.139). As visual components, the gateways force viewers to consider the intricacies of liberty and assess the degree of its accomplishment. Furthermore, portals are used in a symbolic world in Kaphar’s artwork in addition to the visual. These gaps become gateways to shared memory, allowing the Black community to interact with and retell

historical stories. The gateways function as a link between the material past and the immaterial present in this way. When analyzed in conjunction with academic sources, the portal notion enhances comprehension of the historical and cultural implications of the work (Andersson & Antonio, 2020, p.4). The essay explores the cultural relevance of quilting, elaborating on the symbolic gateways constructed by quilting in African American history and drawing parallels between the portals in Kaphar’s artwork. This comprehensive review reinforces the punctum's position as a crucial component that forces viewers to confront the complexity of Black American identity and advances our knowledge of the relationship between style and thematic content in "Impressions of Liberty." The 2017 artwork “Impressions of Liberty'' by Titus Kaphar reveals a deep conversation with Afropessimism, challenging hopeful interpretations and providing an in-depth investigation of the persistent nature of anti-Black violence. The intentional artistic decisions made by Kaphar give rise to Afro-pessimism. This philosophical viewpoint asserts the structural and irreversible nature of anti-Blackness and alters the stadium of the artwork. The stylistic inconsistencies in "Impressions of Liberty'' visually represent the conflicts that underlie Afro pessimism (Andersson & Antonio, 2020, p.3). The punctum, which breaks any simple story of freedom, is found in the fractured and twisted forms, even though the studium may initially seem to communicate a sense of autonomy. The deliberate stylistic dissonance supports Afropessimistic claims about the continuation of race violence by generating a dichotomy—a visual dialectic between the revealed and the perceived. Drawing on Afropessimistic discourse, Kaphar’s stylistic contrasts highlight the Black community's ongoing struggles. The fractured forms evoke a sense of historical trauma that goes beyond the apparent topic of freedom, serving as a metaphor for the broken experiences brought about by institutional racism. Kaphar forces viewers to face the contradictions associated with the quest for freedom by combining the hopeful and the discordant. The scholarly Investigation of Afropessimism and Kaphar’s stylistic decisions deepen our comprehension of the contradictions in “Impressions of Liberty'' (Cooks, 2011, p.141). Afropessimism asserts that despite outward appearances of change, anti-Black violence endures, challenging traditional narratives of progress and freedom. This viewpoint is supported by Kaphar’s artwork, which defies straightforward interpretations by highlighting the ongoing difficulties of the Black community through stylistic contrasts. In essence, the stylistic contradictions in Kaphar’s work participate in a visual dialogue with Afro-pessimism, offering an advanced and complex examination of Black American identity. Through the use of elements that contradict traditional interpretations of liberation, Kaphar advances a broader discourse on the persistent and systemic nature of anti-Blackness, encouraging spectators to consider the dynamics of systemic oppression in the context of the arts (Andersson & Antonio, 2020, p.4). This research clarifies the complex levels of meaning in “Impressions of Liberty” by bridging the gap between artistic decisions and philosophical viewpoints. In conclusion, Titus Kaphar's "Impressions of Liberty" (2017) defies a simple interpretation by including aspects that contradict the apparent topic of liberty and freedom. Through the lenses of Afro-pessimism, code-switching, portal, and negative double consciousness, the punctum in Kaphar’s approach invites audiences to interact with the piece more profoundly and sensitively. This analysis highlights the value of interdisciplinary strategies to properly understand the layers of meaning in contemporary art, which adds to the extensive debate on Black American identity.

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Works Cited Cooks, Bridget R. Exhibiting blackness: African Americans and the American art museum. University of Massachusetts Press, 2011. Andersson, Andrea, and Antonio Sergio Bessa, eds. Sanford Biggers: Codeswitch. Yale University Press, 2020. https://www.ted.com/talks/titus_kaphar_can_art_amend_history?language=en

Essay 3 Working Draft (2)

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