Art

This paper will focus on the works of Mary Edmonia Lewis, the first African American that received prominence in the fine arts circles world-wide. An analysis of some of her works will be included, touching upon the themes, techniques and styles that the artist possesses.

The artist
Mary Edmonia Lewis is considered as the first Native American and African American to find appreciation in the international fine arts scene. She got her college education at Oberlin University, and then enhanced her skill under the tutelage of Edward Augustus Brackett in 1863. She went to Rome and studied neoclassical arts studies further developed her skills as a writer. The peak of her career was when she gained appreciation in the 1876 Centennial Exposition with her work The Death of Cleopatra. She was given recognition in many art circles and by President Ulysses Grant thereafter. Famous works are Adoration of the Magi, The Death of Cleopatra, Hagar in the Wilderness, Poor Cupid, among others.
Themes

Giving voice to the voiceless
Although Lewis touches upon a relatively wide array of themes in her works, it is noticeable that that she has special interests in portraying the marginalized or people who are often put into the sidelines. She seeks to give them light and appreciation from the canonically-conditioned audience. Examples are these works are Old Arrow-maker and His Daughter and Hiawatha, in which the former portrayed two Native Americans, sitting in a round stone where they are doing their craft. The preciseness of the facial features of the people in the said works effectively projects the Native American culture that was supposedly blurred by the colonial occupation of the English Caucasians. This occupation led to the marginalization of the Native Americanseven the arts are undeniably Western not only in style and content. Lewis attempt to shed light on Native Americans is thus a noteworthy attempt. Her portrayal of Native Americans can be considered as one of her most prevalent motifs, some of which are Minnehaha, The Marriage of Hiawatha and A Freed
Woman and Her Child.

This theme was also touched in her work Hagar in the Wilderness. In the Old Testament of the Bible, Hagar was said to be the first wife of Abraham. Hagar also bore Abrahams first son Ishmael (which was traditionally considered as the father of the Arabs). However, Abrahams second wife Sarah, who was portrayed in the said Scripture as Gods favored wife for Abraham, casted Hagar and Ishmael into the wilderness, leading to the age-old conflict between the Jews and the Arabs. However, in the version of the Jewish scriptures, Hagar was the one who is not favored by God. In Lewis work, we are shown a rather different picture of a praying Hagar, standing firm even amidst Gods rejection of her. This portrayal created a new trajectory for seeing Hagar, who must not be seen as an inherently unfavorable woman but as an equally respectable and human person.

One of Lewis most famous works, which revolved around this theme, is her Forever Free, a striking work in marble, which portrayed a man of apparent African descent and a woman kneeling beside him in an act of prayer. The portrayal of Afro-Americans especially in a triumphant pose (the left hand is extended and the whole body is in a heroic pose) is very deviant. Black slaves are not often portrayed in these kinds of poses rather, they are often portrayed as inferior and submissive. Lewis attempt to shed new light among the black slaves and to portray them as capable of glory and respect is a very admirable thing. Again, the work embodies her desire to give voice to voiceless elements in the society.

Women of Power
Another interesting theme that Lewis touched is portraying women of power. A vast number of her works is dedicated in this theme such as Hygeia, Madonna Holding the Christ Child, Hagar and most especially one of her most critically acclaimed works, The Death of Cleopatra.

Hygeia is a heavy and big marble statue that is dedicated to the Greek goddess of the same name. Hygeia as the goddess of health and sanitation (thus the work hygiene), however, was not given much attention due to the existence of more prominent gods and goddesses. However, her strong nature which was depicted by ancient Greek statues carrying heavy jars and feeding large snakes is worth appreciating. This may have encouraged Lewis to create a large statue dedicated to the said goddess.

Madonna Holding the Christ Child, although may be initially passed off as another Madonna sculpture, also gives a powerful picture of a woman. Mary was depicted as a strong and stern woman and this fact can be understood better if we insert the fact that she holds Jesus Christ, the most important figure in the Christian religion. The calm but tight control that Mary was depicted with in turn tells us something about Lewis beliefs regarding women.

The Death of Cleopatra which was considered to be one of her most powerful works perfectly gives a picture of a strong and self-determining woman. Cleopatra as a historical figure was known for her bold decision to commit suicide rather than dying in the hands of the Roman invaders. Moreover, she chose death by the asp, which is considered a symbol of royalty and dignity. Thus, Cleopatra died with dignity and respect for herself. Lewis portrayed this dignity with notable precision. Cleopatras head was still high and proud even in her death. Her death chair even appeared more a throne rather than a chair of humiliation. Her flowing robe embodied a calm yet stern aura.

Lewis passion to portray women of power showed us how she refused to box women in the images of the society. This is not very typical of the neoclassical tradition that she was in, especially as neoclassical tradition often wishes to portray the typical and the stereotypical, leaving almost no space for deviations and exception. Lewis proved to be radical in this matter.

This aspect of her works is also noteworthy because the feminist movement emerged only later in her time. Black rights were also not yet established during her time. She is then also a woman of power that she portrays in her works.

Criticisms
Of course, many criticisms had already been raised in her works, especially when the neoclassical movement lost its taste at the advent of the modernist movement in the 1990s. However, one of the things that I would want to raise about her work is the tightness of their content and subject matter.

For instance, her works such as The Marriage of Hiawatha and Old Arrow maker and his  Daughter, although deviant in the sense that they are not that typical during that time, are still locked in the stereotypes that the society has in them. Of course, Native Americans are not all arrow makers and not all of them are still dressed in their native attires. Therefore, her portrayal of the Native Americans are still constructs. Another is her tendency to portray women, again, in their stereotypical roles. Although she has pictures of women in power, they are all still constructs, and her portrayal of them is just absorbed by the system. In other words, because the women she portrayed are all stereotypes (Cleopatra as the stereotypical vain woman, Hygieia as the stereotypical woman nurse, etc), they are easily assimilated and thereby failed to make considerable impact in the advance of gender relations.

Regarding her style, my critique would be the general critique to works inspired by neoclassicism. Lewis style is stagnant and dangerously realist. Consequently, this prevented her to portray more radical perception of her subjects, leading to the boxing of her works and constricting the meanings that these works may signify.