The Means to an End . . .A Shadow Drama in Five Acts America, 20th century

The Means to an End . . .A Shadow Drama in Five Acts

1995

Kara Walker

(American, b. 1969)

America, 20th century

etching and aquatint

Sheet: 88.5 x 59.2 cm (34 13/16 x 23 5/16 in.)

John L. Severance Fund 1999.93

Location: not on view

This artwork is known to be under copyright.

Description

In the 1990s, American artist Kara Walker became well-known for using the visual language of the silhouette—an historic form of portraiture popular during the time of slavery in the United States—to create large wall murals featuring imaginary stories of the antebellum South. Her stories are based on stereotypes of plantation life from novels like Gone
with the Wind, but with disturbing or unresolved storylines. This group of etchings functions as one story, titled sheet by sheet like chapters in a historical romance novel: “The Beginning,” “The Hunt,” “The Chase,” “The Plunge,” and “The End.” Designed to provoke viewers, Walker’s work has induced powerful responses. Walker herself has said, “Challenging and highlighting abusive power dynamics in our culture is my goal; replicating them is not.”