Anthems Outside Time and Other Strange Voices by Kenneth Schneyer

Author:Kenneth Schneyer [Schneyer, Kenneth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, General, Short Stories (Single Author)
ISBN: 9781933846927
Amazon: 1933846925
Publisher: Fairwood Press
Published: 2020-07-14T04:00:00+00:00

19. Self-Portrait with Surrogates (1984)

Oil on canvas, 51 x 77-1/4”

Rhode Island School of Design Museum

Providence, Rhode Island

The first of Latimer’s paintings to draw critical attention, Self-Portrait with Surrogates portrays the notorious child abuse and murder case of the Wilson family, which dominated the Rhode Island news media at the time. Seven-year-old Lisa Wilson, clad only in underwear and displaying both old scars and fresh cuts, is being beaten with an electrical extension cord wielded by her father, while her mother holds her in place. None of the figures displays any emotion; it is as if they are spectators at the event.

The details, again in the hyperrealist style, closely match those of the Wilson case. The family home is accurately depicted, and the scars on Lisa Wilson’s body correspond with photographs in the court file.

Discussion questions:

a. The composition and live-action flavor of this work resemble 18th- and 19th-century patriotic or polemical depictions of battles and famous events; David’s The Death of Socrates (1787) (Fig. 5) is a clear influence. Why does Latimer employ such devices in a portrayal of domestic violence? Does it alter your perception of what you are “really” seeing?

b. Some biographers associate the painting’s title with the emotional and physical abuse Latimer herself experienced as a child. Is there anything in the picture itself to show that this is really a “self portrait?”

c. Does the fact that Latimer’s parents were living when she painted this work alter the way you perceive it?

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