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Hannah-Alexander — Power
Published: 2013-01-21 16:45:52 +0000 UTC; Views: 74163; Favourites: 3987; Downloads: 0
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I AM NOT LONGER ACTIVE ON DEVIANTART. PLEASE FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM: hannah_alexander_artworkIF YOU WANT TO PUT THIS ON TUMBLR PLEASE REBLOG THIS FROM MY ACCOUNT HERE .
Art Print Available HERE.
Pocahontas. Next installment from my Mucha princess series. I'm adding a few more before I start selling print packs on Etsy
Oh, there's also a step-by-step tutorial of this that I will post soon, so please keep an eye out for it.
Etsy / Tumblr
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Other:
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Comments: 72
fantastic!
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This is so much more beautiful than the Disney version. I just adore the dress here; the tube-top and longer skirt are so much more flattering. And the headdress is lovely as well. And the way you colored her hair, with the fading effect, just...bravo!
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THAT HIT ME RIGHT IN THE CHILDHOOD! I love this. All your works are simply gorgeous!
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So pretty ^^ Maybe you can do also Elsa from Frozen if you want
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Already done it ^_^
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this is stunning!!......even if the tattoo is on the wrong arm.
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Even if the feathered headband is a racist stereotype than even Disney did not use on her...
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It's only racist if you think it's racist....
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Let me guess : you're white, have never faced racism, consume media as it comes, and have never taken an interest in the issues those medias convey. You don't know anything about how Native Americans feel about how their culture is being represented (yet they do talk about it), but you're content to chime in "it's only racist if you think it is". They are offended = it's racist. Simple.
Feathered headdresses are sacred. It is not "decoration", it's not a pretty hat ; it has meaning for them, it is something that is earned. Let's stop putting it on every Native American's head as if it were their Native ID card !
Same goes for those who dress up as Natives : people who play dress up can remove that stereotyped clothing and go back to being "normal", but true Natives have to deal with racism and stigma of their culture every day, their identity is not something they can remove. Dressing up as a stereotypical Native (feathers and all) is disrespectful, it is racist.
Coming back to this picture : the addition of a feathered headband when Pocahontas didn't wear one in the first place is a stereotypical, racist misrepresentation of Native culture. "Racist" doesn't mean the artist meant to hurt anybody, but she played along with ingrained stereotypes that are hurtful to some people. This is a call out, not a condemnation. The headband can still be removed, the artist may apologize and/or just not do it again. We all have some stereotypes in us, they are ingrained by the culture we live in and the perception we have of other cultures. It doesn't cost a lot to just step back and ponder about what we may be doing wrong.
The worst thing to do is to just brush it off with a simple-minded opinion like "it's only racist if I think it is"...
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Yes, I am white, born in Sweden. I have faced racism more then a few times. I've been called white trash, nazi and few other nasty things. I've also deffended some of my friends that are black when they've been harassed on the streets.
There are many people here that think like you, that there are so many things that can be conected with racism, so now they're trying to remove all of it, everything that's black, brown, shapes that might be racist. You know what it will lead to? A white society... We don't want that!
But Im white so I don't know anything about racism....
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Uhm... how?
And why do you think that a white person never have to deal with racism? Isn't that stereotypical racism?
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I wouldn't say there is no racism against white people, but it would be more proper to place it a non-white-culture context (in Asia, Africa, South-America....), where white people can be constantly subjected to stereotypes, to limitation in opportunities, to hurtful words. In European and American (and now that I think about it, surely in white Australian-) cultures, racism against whites is nothing compared to the structural racism people of color have to deal with. Your whining about how you have been called a nazi -why the hell?- is kind of laughable, in the face of the hundreds of years of oppression, objectification and misrepresentation those "colored" cultures have been subjected to, and still are... No matter how much hatred you feel subjected to, as a white person, you are still better off than people of color. This is called privilege.
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Nazi = killed millions of people during wwII... Do you understand the hate behind that?
But I don't give a shtako about that or the history of slavery. You wanna know why? WE ARE ALL HUMANS!
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So you basically want to honor a varied world, while denying the suffering of some people less privileged than you, because you think you are in a position to decide whether there is anything to be suffering about.
Forget it. You're the most common kind of bigot there is, IRL and on the internet. It's not even worth the talk. *quits*
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"So you basically want to honor a varied world, while denying the suffering of some people less privileged than you"
What!? Stop jumping to conclusions! I never even said anything of that!!
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Please. Do I really need to copy/paste your own sentences ? Just forget it.
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People tend to throw the word 'troll' around when they can't articulate an intellectual response during an online debate! Don't worry about it too much :3 I commend both of you for standing up for what you believe in
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I'm sorry that you feel my inclusion of traditional Native American head gear is racist! When making tweaks to Pocahontas' original design I researched traditional war bonnets and was inspired to learn that each feather was largely earned through deeds of bravery. Of course the feathered headband is now stereotypically associated with Native Americans, but Pocahontas IS a Native American (putting aside that she wouldn't have earned feathers as a woman anyway). The war bonnet is a beautiful, unique, distinctive item of clothing and should be embraced as part of a rich culture, and I don't include it lightly or as simple decoration, much less as a form of racism. It's unfortunate that in this day and age it is often twisted into part of a racial stereotype. if people only researched its history they might not be so inclined to throw it around so disrespectfully. In my picture, I hoped to show Pocahontas as a strong figurehead for her people, and incorperating this iconic and important item of clothing seemed to best reflect her character and her brave deeds throughout the film (and in real life!).
Anyway, I hope I got my point across clearly. Again, I'm sorry that you were offended by my choices, but my intentions were not to be racist, but to aesthetically reflect an inspirational part of an ancient culture. Thanks for taking the time to voice your opinions.
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Let me re-articulate it (looks like you need "intellectual") :
I am very much aware that much of the stereotypical stuff and misrepresentations that are going around are not meant to be hatefully racist. Got that. BUT.
Your interpretation, although very commendable in its intention, is the plastering of your perception and conviction onto a culture that is not yours to reinterpret. Moreover, this is not a culture in a position of power nowadays, but one that is at large misrepresented, when represented at all. You are contributing to the acceptation of the manipulation of a discriminated-against culture, by privileged people (you ; and me) who get to reinterpret whatever they want, however they want, because they do not have any cultural attachment to those other customs. Admiration does not prevent objectification, and idealization is never very far from stereotypif...ication? whatevs.
I encourage you to look further than information about Native gear, into the current social implications they have in the big medias (movies, fashion, etc.) and how present Natives of various tribes respond to it. I hope it helps you rethink the way you might represent again a culture other than your own, aesthetically.
My intention was never to call you a terrible person for making this art (although the other guy up there might be a total blockhead), I only meant to point out, to call out, an element that could be very offensive to some people. Well, I guess at this point they are more weary of it, than anything else...
Good day.
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I'm glad you extended your end of the discussion!
My issue is that your argument seems to lean towards, without outrightly stating: as a white artist I am not allowed to dabble in cultures that aren't my own. It's like your saying that only Native Americans can paint anything relating to Native Americans because only they know how to accurately represent their culture. If I was to draw a Japanese lady in a kimono would that be conforming to stereotyped racism? Or if I drew a Tibetan man in a Buddhist robe? Or an African man in traditional Masai warrior garb? Or a Scotsman in a kilt? None of those cultures are 'mine' to interpret, but does that mean I should steer clear of them as art subjects? I agree that white people dressing as Native Americans and war hooping is an often overlooked form of racism (one gross, distasteful example that springs to mind is the Victoria Secret show, I'm sure you know the one!), but please don't forget that Pocahontas was from the era when Native Americans actively practiced their traditions, it's not like I've drawn a hipster in a headdress. (In some tribes the women did wear feathers in their hair, but admittedly I'm not sure which tribe Pochaontas was from, both in the ficitonal and non-fictional world).
I think as an artist it's important to convey respect for other cultures, but also educate and convey a message as accurately as possible without hindering artistic freedom. It would be too easy to leave out every potentially offensive aspect of a cultural painting, but then how far will censorship inhibit expression? I can only convey so much in a single picture; people will have to research the history of war bonnets and eagle feathers off their own backs. I agree that people will take the old stereotype of 'all Indians wear feathers in their hair' from my painting. The biggest flaw with my representation is that its ambiguity has diminished modern day Natives their right to define their symbols. The vagueness of the subject is understandably offensive to the Native community and of course I will always apologise for that. Perhaps Native tribes would have granted Pocahontas a feather, perhaps none at all, depending on what tribe she was from, but without solid fact to draw from I've interpreted it in a way that I personally thought was respectful: three feathers to honour the bravery she showed in the Disney film. Of course, simply looking at the image itself certainly elicits the feeling of cultural stereotyping, which is a real pain. The lines are so blurred. But I can't write an essay justifying my decisions everytime I post a culturally inspired piece.
That said, our conversation has really inspired me to paint a picture - a more immediately informative picture - that depicts the Native American culture. As an artist (or photographer, or fashion designer, or whatever form of media you use), it's our responsibility to bring the issue to light. At the present, feathered headdresses are the quickest way to represent Native fashion, as even I have fallen into that trap! It would be nice to illustrate the lesser known parts of their culture.
(Side note: a couple of articles i think you'd really like: www.tuscaroras.com/graydeer/pa…
www.theguardian.com/commentisf… )
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In the end, I'm feeling too lazy to write again ^^' But I enjoyed conversing with you.
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I wrote a longass reply. And I clicked on your links before I saved or published. I'm going to kill myself.
I'll write it again when I have courage. But not tonight. XD
Anyway, thanks very much for your reply and your consideration, I truly appreciate it.
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Thanks for your information. Indeed you did that in a good intention, but just as you said "she wouldn't have earned feathers as a woman anyway"....
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So many good memories with this movie~
She's lovely, of course, especially with those rich, earthy colors.
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She's my favorite. So beautiful! And the title is my favorite, as well.
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Wonderful. I love the word you used for her. A great representation of one of my favorite princesses.
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by far the best in this series, keep up the good work!
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i specially like the lines of her face, it make her look strong someway
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I think Pocahontas as the most defining features of all the princesses, so I'm glad you thought so
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Best Pocahontas I've seen! I love that you've kept Flit in the image as well!
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Wow, thanks! Yeah I had to include at least one of her animal friends, hehe
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