Emma Amos was born in Atlanta, Georgia into a well-educated, wealthy family. Her maternal grandfather was the first black pharmacist in Georgia. Her paternal great-grandfather was white, and raised his daughter (Emma’s grandmother) Minnie as a servant to his other children. Emma was named after her other grandmother, Emma, who was of Norwegian, Cherokee, and African ancestry. Amos began creating art pieces at the age of five and she was tutored by Hale Woodruff. He was an important painter that was teaching at Atlanta University during Emma’s childhood. At the age of sixteen Emma left home to attend Antioch College, and the London of Central School of Art. When Emma moved to New York, she was asked to be a member of the art collective Spiral by Woodruff. She is the only women member that has ever been a part of this group. Emma is known to be a postmodernist African-American painter and printmaker. She taught art for many years at Rutgers University and her work is featured in many important public and private collections.
Emma’s piece that I have decided to feature is called Measuring, Measuring and it was created in 1995. This piece is approximately 84 inches wide by 70 inches tall. Emma created this piece with acrylic on a linen canvas. She also included Kent fragments, batiked hand swatches, African strip woven borders, and laser- transfer photographs. This piece is available for viewing at the Birmingham Museum of Art on the third floor. The museum was able to purchase this piece with funds provided by the Collectors Circle for Arts and the Traditional Arts Acquisition Fund in 2003.
Measuring, Measuring addresses the history of racial stereotypes and standard beauty in Euro-American culture. Amos places three figures side by side in this piece using a photo transfer. She positions each one within different amounts of space that are filled with different brush strokes and texts. The figures can be read from right to left based on their date of construction. On the far right, she features a classical Greek sculpture. In the middle is a colonial-era photograph of a partially-dressed African woman. On the far left is a nineteenth century European sculpture of a woman’s body. Her face is missing and her hands are holding a paintbrush and magic wand. All three of these bodies lack completeness and coherence. Along with missing appendages including arms, shins, feet, and even a head. Each body represents a different context and meanings.
She played with different colors including lots of red, yellow, white, black, blue and some hints of green and orange. The solid white figure on the far left stands out on the bright yellow abstract background. This figure is also outlined with a thick blue line that traces the body. If one looks closely the figure looks as if it is crowned with a circle that contains a single hand inside. These same hands incased by a circle are placed in each corner of the canvas almost as if it is holding the piece together.
Along with using photo transfer, Amos used a collage and painted other objects that directly relates to the title and thought process of this piece. She carefully places pieces of a measuring tape above the head and below the feet of the middle body. She also strategically places the measuring tape across the same figures throat, groin, and knees. By doing this she is making a literal connection to the title Measuring, Measuring. Instead of attaching actual measuring tapes to the canvas she paints them with a thick bold color and labels them with notches and numbers. By Amos painting the measuring tape herself she is assessing the human body through dimension and is highlighting the body in places that may be overlooked or judged by society. The way she places the measuring tapes also illustrates areas where other statues are cut off, including the ones placed to the right and left. The figure to the left shows the lost limbs that is commonly not show in Greek artifacts and the figure to the right displays what modern sculptures often look like. By placing these on each side of the “measured” women the partial bodies represent dismemberment.
Amos makes a bold statement by making each figure on the canvas almost life size. By enlarging the images, it makes them grainy and the whitened areas almost dissolve the appearance of solid figure due to overexposure. By doing this Amos draws the viewers eye to parts of the body that are commonly overlooked. Lisa Farrington has stated that Amos “recognizes implicitly that a photograph has the ability to alter time perceptions far more persuasively than a painted picture.” Amos has stated that, “It is interesting to play with the idea that the camera doesn’t lie.” I feel as if Amos questions the truth that is displayed in each photo, while trying to shed new light on them.
The image to the far right is a picture of a bronze sculpture surrounded by a black background with specs of color. Amos adds black arms, white gloves, and a black hat to this headless figure. When I saw this in person I immediately thought of Michael Jackson. After going home and reading more about this piece, it is in fact Michael Jackson. I also read from multiple places that this is one way Amos plays with popular American images of blackness, black performativity, and even racial and gender stereotypes.
In the majority of Amos’ work she embellishes with African inspired textiles, however, she varies from this slightly in Measuring, Measuring. The borders on the left and right of the canvas look like black and white lines from far away. When I first looked at this piece I did not even realize that the border was not actually straight lines. When taking a closer look one will realize that it is actually the silhouette of black legs on a white background. I did not notice that they were legs until I had went back and looked at the piece for a second time. I think this is cool because she did not display the legs in the enlarged figures that are on the canvas. It takes an observative person to see that Amos includes some of the missing appendages in the border of the piece.
Amos’ work raises many questions about race and gender. I can only imagine that Amos is wanting to show that women and men of all colors especially, African Americans are underestimated. I think she is bringing awareness to the fact that men and women of all ethnicity’s need to be measured equally. Everyone is different (race, skin color, and talents) so it is important to look at the person as a whole, rather than judging them by their appearance. When I first observed this piece, I thought it was interesting to look at and that is would be good piece to write about because of all the small details. However, I do not think I fully grasped the message that Amos was trying to portray. After reading more about the piece and looking at it multiple times I have really come to respect it as whole. Amos has used this piece of art to convey a powerful message about measuring peoples abilities and I think that it is truly inspiring.