Portraying Cherokee power: Sir Joshua Reynolds PRA, Portrait of Syacust Ukah
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- čas přidán 31. 08. 2022
- Sir Joshua Reynolds PRA, Portrait of Syacust Ukah, 1762, oil on canvas, 120 x 89.9 cm (Gilcrease Museum)
A conversation with Dr. William Smith (citizen of the Cherokee Nation), Associate Director Helmerich Center for American Research at the Gilcrease Museum and Co-Director of the Museum Science and Management Program at the University of Tulsa and Dr. Steven Zucker
Wow!! I had never heard of this painting. Such a pleasure to see it.
Oh most certainly i agree with you jane knight
I will never get tired of these videos thank you so much
A marvelously informative elucidation - thank you ~
Ever welcome to hear Steven's learnéd voice in a SH video, and most very welcome to hear William's as well 💙, especially in regards to recounting an hi/story concerning *his* indigenous folk, of *his* cultural whakapapa (a Māori word that we use here in Aotearoa/New Zealand to describe cultural descent or genealogy), and this is what I have noticed and like about SH videos: we are extremely culturally conscientious about our shared hi/stories we might be recounting, both ways. We take responsibility in *how* we recount, and if warranted we also give forgiveness doing the same. And because we are a well-knit team doing this we are slowly working to heal any wrongs that were committed in our pasts (which is a generational healing), but also doing this is a boon for our shared modern culture now, and moreso in our future as we become closer together. 🙏
Regarding Ostenaco's portrait, esp. his gaze. I've never encountered him before but his wide-eyed looking out at me from the thumb attracted me into this video to see who he was. There's an bewildered innocence to this, and I don't think it's all a lost-my-translator one so much either. It's as if his visage is looking enigmatically out from a stone age culture into the Age of Enlightenment. But does he see light? Or dark? Does he wonder where his folk will be made to tread?
I've seen this same kind of look from images made of Māori around this time. Their eyes are wide open. Their heads inquisitively cocked just at the "snap" of the imagist's pencil (see link below), they must have been doing this often for the engravers to have taken this in, and in this image he is wearing a little Polynesian hei-tiki around his neck (these guys give good luck) who is also cocking his head poking his tongue out as us, as Māori still do when performing their songs and dances.
So what is this inquisitiveness we see here? Because as we are looking back in reverse into the Age of Enlightenment thence into these stone age cultures when we see these guys, what are *we* doing as we are regarding these? Do we also have our heads cocked? 💙
www.18thcenturycommon.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Moko.jpg
My goodness, two great voices narrating this video. I felt soothed immediately. 😌
The commentary itself was great too. I loved the detail about Reynolds not knowing how to portray his well due to the lost translator and how that manifests in the painting itself. It was also nice hearing about the respect and receptivity that was shown to indigenous populations (to a degree).
Another fantastic video and fantastic choice of art. Thanks!
Ostenaco is my 5th great grandfather also from my powhaton side pocahontas is my 11th great grandma..I am blessed with some badass roots
Concise, informative, inspiring
For an artist who has spent his entire career painting white skin tones, Cherokee skin must have been a bit of a challenge.
I agree. I think it's a bit evident in the painting that he was struggling to get the skin tone and features representative. Still a fascinating piece to behold.