Art

Alright, so for this art activity that Mr. Kunkle is having everyone do, I chose this oil painting by Francis Barrand, which I found in the Smithsonian's American Art inventory.

Oddly enough, this plain piece of artwork that depicts little more than an attentive canine actually reminded me of Toni Morrison and her main idea in Playing in the Dark: the constant presence of race in American society and literature.

In the painting the dog is listening through the phonograph to his master's voice. Though his master is not there, the animal is still poised and willing to follow his unseen owner's orders--to be affected by his presence even though it seems not to exist. This concept seems to reflect that of Morrison's book with the subject of race taking the phonograph's place and American society, problems, and literature filling in for the dog. These aspects of our culture, according to Morrison, are still influenced by race despite frequent inabilities to see such influence. In other words, both America the featured pup are impacted greatly by an invisible master.