Affirmative Action

Affirmative Action, 1987

Jerry Kearns

Acrylic on canvas

This painting first caught my eye because of the size of it. It was one of the biggest ones around and stuck out immediately. The background of the painting is a red and yellow distorted city scape. The red and yellow greatly contrast the woman who is painted in black and white. She is forcefully digging up and shoveling what seems to be manure. Although she is doing this dirty work, she is still wearing a feminine dress and heels. The expression on her face is one of anger and determination. The shading on her body shows strain as she is struggling to shovel the manure. There is a cartoon-like essence to the painting. 

This painting is all about a social argument. By shoveling manure in her dress and heels, she is showing that woman can do anything a man can do and still be feminine while doing it. Affirmative action was big in the 60's when it was released to ensure that people of all race, religion, and culture have the same opportunities to get jobs. This painting was done 20 years later, however it is still very relevant. In this case, the artist is suggesting there is unequal opportunities between men and women at the time. For example, women could not get hired as easily as men, and even if they did, they still got paid less for the same work. This piece is making a strong social and political argument to the fact that men and women were not treated equally in the work place.

This piece of art speaks directly to my emotions. It is one of the things that drew me to it. I first noticed the woman and the expression on her face as angry. Being a woman myself, I immediately related to her and wanted to know about her struggles. I could feel her pain of being treated differently because I have experienced it myself. It is not fair and makes me angry to think about. It is a good use of pathos because I can relate to the subject in the painting.

The artist created credibility in his painting because he was not afraid to paint something that had a lot of meaning behind it. This piece of art is controversial and Kearns still wanted to get the message out there. Upon doing some research, I found out that Kearns has had many exhibitions all around the country for the passed 30 years. That shows that many people know about him and want to see his work. 

I think that the claim in this piece is that women and men are equal in everything that they do. It is possible for a woman to do any job that a man does. I think that the artist supports this by painting this image of a woman shoveling manure. He is showing that although she is feminine, she can still do the dirty work of a man. I think this painting is very convincing in showing the equality that men and women have. When I look at it, I see a strong woman and it inspires me to be the same.

I really enjoyed my experience at the museum. It is good to see art every once in a while and having it on campus and so accessible is great for the students. I liked the variety of art in the museum. Between the paintings, sculptures, and modern art, there was something for everyone to appreciate. I have been to a few museums and although this one was small, it still had a lot of interesting things to look at. I would be interested in going back to see what new pieces of art are being presented. It is nice to feel cultured on campus and appreciate beautiful art.