Mid-Morning Art Thread [Kris]

In Dancing Colors, JoAnn Bird communicates through color, texture, and technique the energy and sound of the modern powwow. It's no accident the title is what it is. Color explodes off the canvas. Blues and blacks make up a base upon which Bird applied reds and oranges, which flash and pop against the dark background. They remind me of a bonfire.

Without the white, these colors would become a vibrating blob. White defines form. Notice how it’s used: as belts, feathered headdresses, leggings and sleeves. Unlike the cacophony of the others, white appears to be applied methodically. The strokes have a visual rhythm and remind me of the beat of the drums to which these figures are dancing.

The top of the painting is a white field splashed with red, orange, green, blue, and black — the same colors as below. I think this is a nice contrast against the lower section. There is so much commotion in the lower two-thirds that the calm top counters it. However, Bird understood that if the area were solid white, it would look odd. The lower half is so active and vibrant that it would overpower the top, so she adds quick, Pollock-like splatters of color to liven it up. Just as the white breaks up the colors in the bottom, the colors here break up the white. I think it’s visually interesting.

How Bird applied her paint is important, too. She didn’t paint this with a brush. She used a palette knife. Large gobs of paint were scooped up and slapped and smeared onto the canvas. As a result, the paint is thick and textured. If you could touch it (don’t do this, however), you’d be able to feel the ridges and edges of the strokes. Then, as mentioned above, she splattered more paint across the top. These techniques are, themselves, very active and dramatic and enhance the motion of the dancers.

When I look at Dancing Colors, I see a love and pride for tradition and culture. JoAnn Bird, a Dakota Sioux, could have painted a naturalistic scene with beautiful, colorful costumes, swaying tassels, and twinkling bells. She could have shown us the gestures and movements of the dancers. But that wasn’t her goal. This painting is expressively abstract. Bird wanted me to feel and hear this piece, not just see it. Bird’s tassels of color blaze with energy and movement. Her technique creates the beat. Dancing Colors is not about a powwow. It’s about the experience of the powwow.

posted by Open Blogger at 09:30 AM

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