美国国家公共电台 NPR Titus Kaphar: How Can We Address Centuries of Racism In Art?

 

GUY RAZ, HOST:

It's the TED¹ Radio Hour from NPR. I'm Guy Raz. And not too long ago, painter and sculptor² Titus Kaphar was visiting the Natural History Museum in New York with his kids.

TITUS KAPHAR: That's right - two kids, two boys.

RAZ: And how old are they?

KAPHAR: Savion is 10, and Daven is 8.

RAZ: So Titus and his boys were walking up to the museum, and right at the entrance, there's this famous sculpture of Teddy Roosevelt.

KAPHAR: It's this towering, larger-than-life bronze sculpture that sits on this 6-foot-tall pedestal. And Teddy Roosevelt sits on the horse, boldly controlling the animal with one arm. He's proud, and sitting straight up and charging forward, it seems. And then on either side of him are an African-American and a Native American.

I've walked past that sculpture, I've been in that museums - more times than I can count. But when we're walking up, my oldest son sees that sculpture of Teddy Roosevelt, and without skipping a beat, my son says, how come he gets to ride while they have to walk? And it stopped me in my tracks.

(SOUNDBITE OF TED TALK)

KAPHAR: There was so much history that we would have to go through to try to explain that.

RAZ: Titus Kaphar picks up the story from the TED stage.

(SOUNDBITE OF TED TALK)

KAPHAR: It's a question that I probably would've never really asked. But fundamentally, what he was saying was, that doesn't look fair, and why is this thing that's so not fair sitting outside of such an amazing institution? And his question got me wondering, is there a way for us to amend³ our public sculptures - not erase⁴ them. But is there a way to amend them?

RAZ: And the reason Titus uses the word amend is because he doesn't want us to forget our past, but to confront it. He wants us to take a hard look at all of the paintings and sculptures and monuments that glorify⁵ a difficult and complicated history.

KAPHAR: It's a very painful history, and we have to find ways to address it. We can't pretend like not talking about it is going to work. We tried that. We have to create a space for conversation. Something has to be done.

RAZ: So today on the show - ideas about how art has the power to evoke⁶ a feeling or shift consciousness, start a difficult conversation, even influence a debate about our past and present and future. As for Titus, he's been wrestling with these questions for years, ever since he was an art student back in the late 1990s.

(SOUNDBITE OF TED TALK)

KAPHAR: One of the last art history classes, I will not forget. It was one of those survey art history classes. Anybody ever have one of those survey art history classes where they try to teach you the entire history of art? I'm talking about cave paintings and Jackson Pollock, like, just crunched⁷ together all in the same - it doesn't really work, but they try anyway.

Well, at the beginning of the semester, I looked at the book, and in this 400-page book was about a 14-page section that was on black people and painting. Now, this was a crammed-in section that had representations of black people in painting and black people who painted. It was poorly curated.

(LAUGHTER)

KAPHAR: Let's just put it that way. Nonetheless, I was really excited about it because in all the other classes that I had, we didn't even have that conversation. So imagine my surprise on the day that we're supposed to go over that particular chapter, my professor announces, we're going to skip this chapter today because we do not have time to go through it.

Whoa, I'm sorry. Hold on, Professor. Professor, I'm sorry. This is a really important chapter to me. Are we going to go over it at any point? Titus, we don't have time for this. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please, I really need to understand. It - clearly, the author thinks that this is significant. Why are we skipping over this? Titus, I do not have time for this.

I went to her office hours. I ended up getting kicked out of her office. I went to the dean. The dean finally told me, I can't force her to teach anything. And I knew in that moment, if I wanted to understand this history, if I wanted to understand the roles of those folks who had to walk, I was probably going to have to figure that out myself.

RAZ: So at this point, what did you start to notice about this history, about how Africans and African-Americans were being portrayed⁸ in art?

KAPHAR: By and large, the representation of black people and the history of Western painting is enslaved, in servitude or impoverished⁹. They are often pushed to the corners of the compositions. They're hidden. They are in the shadows. And so what we have are these representations of black people that don't reflect their humanity.

RAZ: And you're thinking, we're not talking about this; this is not - this is, like, not something we're even acknowledging.

KAPHAR: I mean, absolutely. I mean, by that time, I had already fallen in love with the making of paintings, and so my particular interest was trying to teach myself how to represent black skin. And when I see those paintings, these are the characters that I feel first. I know where they're hidden. I know how they're hidden.

RAZ: And so in your art, the work you do, you sort of bring these characters out of hiding, right?

KAPHAR: Exactly. Sometimes there's an image that I will find in a history book, and I will remake that painting. And once I've represented - re-presented - the original painting, then I attempt to insert a narrative¹⁰ that pulls a hidden figure more to the foreground, more to the surface.

(SOUNDBITE OF TED TALK)

KAPHAR: Above you right here on the slide is a painting by Frans Hals. This is one of the kinds of images that was in that chapter. I taught myself how to paint by going to museums and looking at images like this.

RAZ: Can you - Titus, can you describe the Frans Hals painting - what it looks like?

KAPHAR: It's a very prototypical European portrait of an aristocratic, very wealthy family. You have this expansive landscape in the background. You have a little dog off to the side. We see that the father figure in the painting is at the highest point in the composition. And then in the background, there is this little black child.

(SOUNDBITE OF TED TALK)

KAPHAR: I want to show you something. I made this. You'll see there are some slight differences in the painting.

RAZ: And I should mention here, Titus, that what you're doing at this point in your talk is you're unveiling on the stage your own recreation of that same Frans Hals painting.

KAPHAR: That's right.

(SOUNDBITE OF TED TALK)

KAPHAR: There's more written about dogs in art history than there are about this other character here. I can find out more about the lace that the woman is wearing in this painting than I can about this character here - about his dreams, about his hopes, about what he wanted out of life. All this art history helped me to realize that painting is a visual language where everything in the painting is meaningful, is important. It's coded. But sometimes because of the compositional hierarchy¹¹, it's hard to see other things.

RAZ: All right, so let me just break in because at this point in your talk, the brushstrokes, which is what we're hearing in the background - you are actually painting over the images of the other family members - the white family members - in what - you know, what looks like white paint. And so the only figure that's left on the canvas is that little black child that Frans Hals had meant to fade into the background.

KAPHAR: That's right (laughter). That's - I mean, that's absolutely right. In the original painting, this black figure is so underfocused that it is difficult to see him as individual, to see him as a person. So in many cases in the paintings that I make like this, I take brush to canvas and try to bring alive of what I see and try to illuminate¹² what I think the original painter didn't see. And so I am connected to this this black figure who was in the shadows, and I had the exciting opportunity and privilege to sort of pull him out.

RAZ: But at the same time - and this is important to point out because I was lucky enough to be there and see this - you're not just whitewashing¹³ these other figures. You're not actually erasing¹⁴ them, right?

KAPHAR: Exactly, and so the paint that I'm applying - this white paint with extra amounts of linseed oil in it, extra amount of Damar varnish¹⁵ in it - will, in fact, become more translucent¹⁶ over time. And so those figures will always be set back a little bit, but they will not disappear. They will not be erased¹⁷.

(SOUNDBITE OF TED TALK)

KAPHAR: I don't want you to think that this is about eradication¹⁸. It's not. We can't erase this history. It's real. We have to know it. What I'm trying to do, what I'm trying to show you is how to shift your gaze just slightly, just momentarily. I'm trying to answer that question that my son had. Why do some have to walk?

What is the impact of these kinds of sculptures at museums, of these kinds of paintings on some of our most vulnerable in society, seeing these kind of depictions of themself (ph) all the time? I want to make paintings, sculptures that are honest, that wrestle¹⁹ with the struggles of our past but speak to the diversity and the advances of our present. And we can't do that by taking an eraser and getting rid of stuff. That's just not going to work.

I think that we should do it in the same way the American Constitution works. When we have a situation where we want to change a law in the American Constitution, we don't erase the other one. Alongside that is an amendment²⁰, something that says, this is where we were, but this is where we are right now. I figure, if we can do that, then that will help us understand a little bit about where we're going.

RAZ: In a moment, Titus Kaphar on how we can amend our public sculptures and national monuments - I'm Guy Raz, and you're listening to the TED Radio Hour from NPR.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

RAZ: It's the TED Radio Hour from NPR. I'm Guy Raz. And on the show today - how art can change us. And for artist Titus Kaphar, art has the power to help us reconcile where we've been and where we want to go.

So Titus, you know, you point out that art can shape perceptions and reinforce even the most insidious²¹ and destructive views. And of course, right now, there's a lot of debate - heated debate - happening about public monuments in the U.S., and some people, you know, want to keep them, and others think they're inappropriate and racist²² and want to tear them down. And I'm just curious, like, what do you think about this?

KAPHAR: If the question is binary²³ - keep it or tear it down - tear it down. But the question doesn't have to be binary. I think if we engage a new generation of contemporary artists to make new monuments that stand next to these old monuments and force those old monuments into a dialogue, I think we have an opportunity to create a new civic²⁴ space around these monuments that can actually help us move towards the resolution of these years, these generations of racism²⁵ that those old sculptures represent.

RAZ: Because, I mean, in your artwork, you deliberately²⁶ aren't trying to erase history. I mean, that is the core of what you do.

KAPHAR: You know, you change the name of the street, right? And then it goes from whatever Klans member's name it was, and then you put Martin Luther King Drive on there. I don't ever want it to be forgotten that someone got away with that, with using that name. This symbol of racism placard on our streets, placard on our squares, artwork, sculptures, monuments - I don't want us to forget that.

We have to ask ourselves, how did that happen? How was it that someone said, I want to make a monument to this Confederate soldier in this area which is surrounded by people that this man fought to suppress? My concern is that it can be an easy cop-out.

RAZ: Yeah.

KAPHAR: We can just change the name and pretend like that decision was never made, and no one actually has to take responsibility. But if the thing stands there and the contemporary artist comes in and makes another piece that is just unbelievably poignant²⁷, and it sits boldly next to this older sculpture, then all of a sudden, that oppressive visual voice that that object has on the people who walk by gets silenced. And it gets silenced without having to tear it down.

RAZ: I mean, do you really think that art has the power to move the dial - like, move the needle in a really significant way?

KAPHAR: I do. I do. I mean, I have this dream of this new WPA where we begin to put art in squares again and murals on walls, and buildings and things. And in that, it would create a space for conversation. It's not going to solve the problem, but it does say in a very strong, in a very bold way that we are moving towards acknowledging this as a nation and saying, look, this does not reflect our national values, this does not reflect our Constitution, and we are trying to acknowledge that. We are trying to repair that, and we are trying to move forward.

RAZ: That's artist Titus Kaphar. You can see his talk and the final version of the painting Titus started on the TED stage by going to ted.npr.org.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

1 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

2 sculptor   

n.雕刻家，雕刻家

参考例句：

• A sculptor forms her material.雕塑家把材料塑造成雕塑品。
• The sculptor rounded the clay into a sphere.那位雕塑家把黏土做成了一个球状。

3 amend   

vt.修改，修订，改进；n.[pl.]赔罪，赔偿

参考例句：

• The teacher advised him to amend his way of living.老师劝他改变生活方式。
• You must amend your pronunciation.你必须改正你的发音。

4 erase   

v.擦掉；消除某事物的痕迹

参考例句：

• He tried to erase the idea from his mind.他试图从头脑中抹掉这个想法。
• Please erase my name from the list.请把我的名字从名单上擦去。

5 glorify   

vt.颂扬，赞美，使增光，美化

参考例句：

• Politicians have complained that the media glorify drugs.政治家们抱怨媒体美化毒品。
• We are all committed to serving the Lord and glorifying His name in the best way we know.我们全心全意敬奉上帝，竭尽所能颂扬他的美名。

6 evoke   

vt.唤起，引起，使人想起

参考例句：

• These images are likely to evoke a strong response in the viewer.这些图像可能会在观众中产生强烈反响。
• Her only resource was the sympathy she could evoke.她以凭借的唯一力量就是她能从人们心底里激起的同情。

7 crunched   

v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的过去式和过去分词 )；嘎吱作响；（快速大量地）处理信息；数字捣弄

参考例句：

• Our feet crunched on the frozen snow. 我们的脚嘎吱嘎吱地踩在冻雪上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He closed his jaws on the bones and crunched. 他咬紧骨头，使劲地嚼。 来自英汉文学 - 热爱生命

8 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

11 hierarchy   

n.等级制度；统治集团，领导层

参考例句：

• There is a rigid hierarchy of power in that country.那个国家有一套严密的权力等级制度。
• She's high up in the management hierarchy.她在管理阶层中地位很高。

12 illuminate   

vt.照亮，照明；用灯光装饰；说明，阐释

参考例句：

• Dreams kindle a flame to illuminate our dark roads.梦想点燃火炬照亮我们黑暗的道路。
• They use games and drawings to illuminate their subject.他们用游戏和图画来阐明他们的主题。

13 whitewashing   

粉饰，美化，掩饰( whitewash的现在分词 )； 喷浆

参考例句：

• Tom went on whitewashing the fence, paying no attention to Ben. 汤姆没有理睬本，继续在粉刷着篱笆。
• When whitewashing the wall, he painted with a roller in his hand. 刷墙的时候，他手里拿个辊子，挥舞着胳膊。

14 erasing   

v.擦掉( erase的现在分词 )；抹去；清除

参考例句：

• He was like a sponge, erasing the past, soaking up the future. 他象一块海绵，挤出过去，吸进未来。 来自辞典例句
• Suddenly, fear overtook longing, erasing memories. 突然，恐惧淹没了渴望，泯灭了回忆。 来自辞典例句

15 varnish   

n.清漆；v.上清漆；粉饰

参考例句：

• He tried to varnish over the facts,but it was useless.他想粉饰事实，但那是徒劳的。
• He applied varnish to the table.他给那张桌子涂上清漆。

16 translucent   

adj.半透明的；透明的

参考例句：

• The building is roofed entirely with translucent corrugated plastic.这座建筑完全用半透明瓦楞塑料封顶。
• A small difference between them will render the composite translucent.微小的差别,也会使复合材料变成半透明。

17 erased   

v.擦掉( erase的过去式和过去分词 )；抹去；清除

参考例句：

• He erased the wrong answer and wrote in the right one. 他擦去了错误答案，写上了正确答案。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He removed the dogmatism from politics; he erased the party line. 他根除了政治中的教条主义，消除了政党界限。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 eradication   

n.根除

参考例句：

• The eradication of an established infestation is not easy. 根除昆虫蔓延是不容易的。
• This is often required for intelligent control and eradication. 这经常需要灵巧的控制与消除。

19 wrestle   

vi.摔跤，角力；搏斗；全力对付

参考例句：

• He taught his little brother how to wrestle.他教他小弟弟如何摔跤。
• We have to wrestle with difficulties.我们必须同困难作斗争。

20 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

21 insidious   

adj.阴险的，隐匿的，暗中为害的，（疾病）不知不觉之间加剧

参考例句：

• That insidious man bad-mouthed me to almost everyone else.那个阴险的家伙几乎见人便说我的坏话。
• Organized crime has an insidious influence on all who come into contact with it.所有和集团犯罪有关的人都会不知不觉地受坏影响。

22 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

23 binary   

adj.二，双；二进制的；n.双(体)；联星

参考例句：

• Computers operate using binary numbers.计算机运行运用二进位制。
• Let us try converting the number itself to binary.我们试一试，把这个数本身变成二进制数。

24 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

25 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

26 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

27 poignant   

adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，惨痛的

参考例句：

• His lyrics are as acerbic and poignant as they ever have been.他的歌词一如既往的犀利辛辣。
• It is especially poignant that he died on the day before his wedding.他在婚礼前一天去世了，这尤其令人悲恸。