Bought a print I love, DH is worried it's racist

[NC4T]

Saw it on IG and loved it. Purchased it for the laundry room corridor, but it's arrived and DH is a little worried it might be racist. I can't see how. To me, it's a mum finding a few minutes of calm in the chaos and I love her babies little sleeping face.

We are white Jewish, for cultural context.

What do you think?

you perceive her as powerful

Perhaps not powerful, but confident yes. I certainly don't see her as weak or poor.

Time for some John Berger I think.

I would agree on the confidence thing.

I don't think anyone invented that they perceived her as poor. I think that those who thought she was poor genuinely did so because she's black.

I'm not white and my ethnic background is from a very poor country. I didn't see her as being impoverished.

Attacking my perception won't make yours any better.

Nudity is so common in art that the nudity itself isn't an issue for me. I'm not sure why people are questioning that aspect of it. Her being nude in the painting doesn't necessarily mean she does the housework nude surely?

reading the manual

There's an idea. Maybe she's not settling in for a nice read, but just reading the damn manual new washing machine.

I wasn’t genuinely attacking your perception - I was making a point about how juvenile you were being to dismiss others’ perceptions as lies.

Manual would make more sense

It's not juvenile. I don't think anyone would have assumed she was poor if she wasn't black. If someone says otherwise I think they're lying.

I'm sure you disagree but that's my honest opinion.

If anyone made that assumption, I don't think they're a terrible person! I think it's something that we're conditioned to do and it's not deliberate.

petrolpump28 Not so much a racist place but the people in it are. Less diverse where we live. When he was younger it was even less diverse.

I havegenuinley stood like this woman in the print (albeit not naked) reading the manual to whatever machine we have and studying the damn thing like I’m taking an exam for it.

Ok. So this is interesting

<a class="break-all" href="//gwww.google.co.uk/search?q=paintings+women+housework&client=safari&hl=en-gb&prmd=ivsn&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj94dno-bfbAhUsAcAKHUgXD3IQ_AUIESgB&biw=320&bih=454" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">I googled paintings women housework and there are bloody loads

Then I googled paintings men houseworkand...well

NapQueen give it a rest. Your explanation showed your unconscious bias. Own it and deal with it.

Many white and black women in Western countries tie their heads and wear their babies. The woman has a washing machine so how can you assume she is poor with only one set of clothes? Then you appear to assume another bizarre thing - that she is wearing another poor black woman's baby.

The print is not racist but boy did it reveal some people's unconscious bias or even racist thinking (black women are poor and not from western countries).

Notintheframe don't bother. You'll get no honesty here.

Some of the responses here are shocking.
Peoples unconscious biases are really shining through...

I would have thought the better thing for NapQueen to have done was to say "oops, unconscious bias on my part", learn from it and move on. But the denial and then bizarre explanations made the whole thing worse. People of all gender and race suffer from unconscious bias. When it is pointed out to us, the response shouldn't be denial and digging in. What's the point of that? You may fool yourself but not others and in the process have not allowed yourself to learn and make changes.

But as it is said "the more things change, the more they stay the same". Unconscious bias and casual racism will continue. It is those, and not overt racism, that is most damaging to progress and equality.

Notintheframe

Interesting point.

Nudity is so common in art that the nudity itself isn't an issue for me. I'm not sure why people are questioning that aspect of it

It’s not done just randomly though! There is an intent behind it, and an effect on the viewer. Otherwise why bother doing any painting of anything?

I guess for the same reason other artists paint nudes? I don't know the reason behind it but it's commonplace so I guessed it would be a similar reason.

Maybe it's more impactful or dramatic?

same picture but mentally add a dress, a bin bag, an abaya, a bikini. not the same effect.

Maybe she's nude so we don't make assumptions about her based on her clothes? Could that be a reason?

Maybe she's nude so we don't make assumptions about her based on her clothes? Could that be a reason?

I think you may be onto something

Assumptions have been made about every other aspect of her; from being poor, to exploited, to subservient, to relaxed, to exotic..

Perhaps if she was clothed, there wouldn't have been so many assumptions made about her.

Maybe the artist wanted us to assume.

Haven't read the whole thread

I look at this and it reminds me of when I was studying with a baby.

The baby has chucked spaghetti everywhere, she is getting over a fever, you absolutely have to get that wash done, and you need to swot up on the reading for your next class. So you end up in some odd situations😂

It also reminds me a bit of now, when I still have children and housework to take care of, but end up in some odd positions because I'm desperate to finish my chapter 😂

So I suppose, to me, it's about multitasking as a mother, snatching those moments to yourself.

I wouldn't assume that the artist has any deeper intentions than that, but I'm not very good at analysing art, so I apologise if I haven't picked up on any racist elements to it

OP here. I went camping with no reception and have come back to 900+ replies! Can't believe it.

Thanks so much @MarieJorgensen for commenting! Wow!

I am still no wiser at to whether the print is racist, so I am going with my initial reaction.... a woman I saw myself in. Ofc I noticed this woman was black, but that's not what I "saw"..... I saw a busy mum finding five minutes, and I saw myself there. I am aware there is a black experience of which I have no idea, I am aware that as a white person growing up in a predominantly white society I have unconscious biases and prejudices, but I can feel comfortable in myself that my reaction to this print did not have a foot in racism. So it's up (DH did it for me) and proudly so. I have really enjoyed reading the thread, thanks everyone.

NC4T It’s been quite the debate on this thread lol. I’m glad you still enjoy the print though and now have it up. It’s nice that your husband put it up for you. Shows he is ok with it I’m guessing.