The Legacy of History Painting in the 21st Century – 18th Century

• • Read the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s web article, “ (Links to an external site.)Kent Monkman Reverses Art History’s Colonial Gaze,” by Randall Griffey. (Links to an external site.) Look carefully at the artworks that Griffey has assembled as comparison points for Monkman’s work.
  • Listen to the podcast of Monkman explaining his alter ego, alter Miss Chief Eagle Testickle.
  • Read also the Met’s overview page (Links to an external site.) for the exhibition of Monkman’s paintings, and view the video presented at that page.

POST (ABOUT 250 – 300 WORDS)

Share with your peers what you found interesting or strange about Monkman’s painting Welcoming the Newcomers or Resurgence of the People. Identify elements from 18th century history painting that he uses, and make inferences about why he might be using them. Compare Monkman’s work to one specific 18th century artwork. Explain what the comparison reveals.

Finally, step back to think about the role that history painting played in the 18th century. If 18th century history painters aimed to elevate the mind, to educate, to inspire, to reveal enduring values, what does Monkman want his history paintings to do to his audience, or for his audience?

REPLY (TO AT LEAST TWO PEERS)

Respond to peer’s ideas. Tell them what they got you thinking about, and offer additional points for thinking about history painting. Use at least one quote from either the textbook or the Met museum web materials to deepen your response.