Week 45 - 2019
Edward S. Curtis, A Coast Pomo Woman, 1924. Preus Museum Collection
Et blikk i et øyeblikk
Preus Museum has recently been visited by a range of different school classes. They are here to see the exhibition on Edward S. Curtis (1868-1952) and his pictures of different Native American tribes. The portraits are presented along with the name of their tribe, but without their personal names. The students were asked to choose a portrait that spoke to them in some way. It could be someone they like the look of, or something else about them that caught their eye; a detail, or perhaps a familiar resemblance?
Some choose an image thinking the person looked like a kindhearted grandfather. Others chose images where the person's eyes were hidden, and some choose this photo of a Pomo Woman from the coast. They noticed her bandana (the shawl around her head), as well as her unwavering gaze. The gaze is direct, perhaps fueled with accusation. We choose based on different reasons, and individually we notice different things about the same image. We are all a product of our personal subjective references, and the spirit of our time.
On this image it is written: <<A Coast Pomo Woman>>. We know her origins, but not her name. She is a representative of a people; a tribe belonging to the west coast of America known to live as hunters, fishers and gatherers. But is that really her? What is her identity? The manner of her gaze and her posture give us valuable clues, useful for our contemplations around her identity. Who are we actually looking at? Was she tough, motherly, funny, wise, or all of the above? This portrait is frozen in time, but you and me can melt it down at our own pace, with our own personal gaze.