Kara Walker is a contemporary artist who teaches at Columbia University. She was born in California but grew up in Georgia. Walker focuses her work on historical narratives represented through art in the form of stories. The art of silhouette originated in Europe in the 1700s as entertainment for royalty. It grew out of fashion as a way to capture profiles and styles. Though the aristocracy enjoyed luxuries, much of Europe starved, which led to the downfall of Etienne de Silhouette, whose tax policies crippled France while he enjoyed silhouette cutting as a hobby.

6. Kara Walker
-Walker is a contemporary working
and teaching artist.
-Born in California, but moved to
Georgia when she was 13.
-She originally went to college for
painting and printmaking.
Her dad is also an artist and a
college professor. Kara has followed
in his footprints by first focusing on
her art and then later transitioning
into teaching. She currently teaches
visual arts at Columbia University in
New York.
Walker's work represents a historical
narrative, which is art that
represents history in the form of a
narrative or a story.

7. While watching the film clip… think
Why would an artist choose
History as subject matter?

8. The 3rd of May, Goya, 1808
Spanish resisting Napoleon

9. Washington Crossing the Delaware, 1851

10. Battle of Cold Harbor 1888

11. Sojourner Truth Monument, 1999

12. 1862, Dmitri the Pretender’s Agents Murder the Son of Boris Godunov

13. The History of Silhouettes
The art of silhouette cutting originated in Europe in the early 1700's. Prior to
the French revolution, silhouettists were hired as an amusement for the royal
class. The featured artist would attend the many extravagant balls and cut out
the distinguished profiles of the Lords and Ladies capturing the latest fashions
and elaborate wigs.
While the aristocrats were having their silhouettes cut out and eating like kings
much of Europe was starving, especially in France. In the 1760's the Finance
Minister of France, Etienne de Silhouette, had crippled the French people with
his merciless tax polices. Oblivious to his people's plight, Etienne was much
more interested in his hobby of cutting out paper profiles, the latest fad.
Etienne de Silhouette was so despised by the people of France that in protest
the peasants wore only black mimicking his black paper cutouts.

15. YOUR ASSIGNMENT
• Choose a narrative (event) from your New Mexico
History class, or from Huck Finn or your English class.
• You will depict the event in the style of Kara Walker
(silhouette) while also showing your event in the style
of a narrative (a visual story)
• Make several sketches for your ideas- what will you
include to tell the story?
• Get any reference images you may need
• Begin to create your silhouettes! Draw then cut out.
Details matter!