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John Biggers
Tue, 11 Nov 1997 09:32:44 CST6CDT
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We currently have a print by Dr. Biggers entitled "The Holy Family"
on display at our Museum as part of the Cochran Collection of African
American Artists on Paper. It is very similar to "Three Generations"
and "the House My Father Built," which art in the gallery section of
the web page, but with no additional information. The piece has
attracted a great deal of attention during tours. Unfortunately I
can not answer all the questions about iconography and symbolism that
are asked. While we have enjoyed our conjecturing as a group, it
would be useful to have some concrete statements to make at the end
of discussion.
Of particular interest are the "strings" flowing from the upper
central figures mouth and from the hands of the "child" figure. We
are also unsure if the strucural aspects are drawn from African
iconography or are related to the shotgun houses. For some viewers
the structure appears to be an altar, to others a bench.
Many of our visitors have drawn parallels with Christian iconography,
yet the figures appear to be more "African" with their hairstyles and
clothing.
It would be a real thrill for our docents to have some more
information straight from the artist.
Kathrine Walker, Education Coordinator
Beach Museum of Art, Kansas State University
klwalk
www.ksu.edu/bma
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