Edna Manley as a Famous Jamaican Sculptor - Essay Example

Lecturer Essay # Edna Manley Edna Manley (1900-1987) is a famous Jamaican sculptor born in Yorkshire England. Her mother was Jamaican while her father was English. She was wife to Norman Manley and is mother to Michael Manley. While in England, Edna studied art at St. Martin’s School of Art where she learnt how to model using plaster of Paris and clay, and also studied human anatomy at Royal Academy. These institutions played a major role in shaping her as an artist. Her artistic expression was through bronze and fiberglass castings as well as wood carvings. Majority of her sculptors were made form cedar and mahogany. However, her later works were done in clay and cast. The sculptors she made were greatly influenced by the cultural changes taking place in Jamaica at the time. Her art was aimed at reflecting the Jamaican culture and the experiences Jamaicans were undergoing at the time. During the early 1920s, after she had returned to Jamaica from England, Edna realized that Jamaican middle class expected all women to be subjects of their husbands and operate in their shadows. However, she was a keen observer of the Jamaican way of life, and through this observation, she got inspiration for her work. Beadseller is the first bronze casting sculptor she created in 1923. The beadseller was a sharp and lean body depicting a person undergoing hardships. This piece personified the suffering and troubles many people in Jamaica went through. Through her work, Edna also attempted to elevate the status of women in the society. Unlike many other artists at the time, her style mainly centered on women, for instance, in 1928, she created the carving Eve from mahogany. This image had rounded and sensual body forms (Laduke, 37). This piece was recognized as one of Edna’s important works in which she acknowledges the mother of mankind. Through her art, she was able to recognize the role women had in the society. For instance, in her work The Message (1977), Edna shows two women sharing a secret. She claimed that she saw these two women in the market place and knew that it was a secret an older woman tells a younger one. Other works with the theme of older women include Man-Child (1974) and The Ancestor (1974) (Laduke, 37). She was a champion and advocate of the Black Jamaican rights and freedom. Through her works, Edna was able to show the world that Black Jamaicans were capable and ready to make a contribution to the Jamaican society and the world as a whole. These works represented the quest for a new order in the Jamaican society. Two of such works are Negro Aroused and the Prophet, all done in 1935. Through these works, Edna was sending the message that indeed Black Jamaicans had been ‘aroused’ and ready to take an active role in the society. For instance, the words ‘Negro Aroused’ on the mahogany carving are an indication of defiance and readiness. The sculpture itself depicts a person with is head turned upwards (Laduke, 37). In addition, Edan used her works to appreciate Jamaica’s Africa roots and identity. Unlike many other artists at the time, most of her works involved black figures. Edna also used art to revel to the world some of her most private and personal aspects of her life. For instance, in the Dying God Series created between 1941 and 1948, works such as Before Truth and the Forerunner were used to show her relationships with the husband and the family. In addition, the period between 1949 an 1969 was an intense period in her life and that of the family. During this time, her husband was an active politician; works such as the Mountains and Hills of Papine were used to show the pressure her family was going through and the political life. Immediately after the death of her husband, Edna’s style of art changed. She started to use art to express her grief. For instance, wood carvings such as the The Faun, Journey, The Phoenix and The Angel were all used to express her grief. In addition, through these carvings she was able to come to terms with the death of her husband and hence was able to move on with her life. Though art, people were able to understand the private aspects of her life and that of her family, and the general political environment at the time. Edna’s contribution to Jamaican art was enormous. First, during the 1920s and 1030s, wood carvings were generally seen as inferior and outrageous. Before, Jamaica had been filled with English aesthetics, and many artists found it difficult to use other forms of art different form English art. Edna played a key role in introducing and familiarizing wood carvings in Jamaica. It was through her works that the public and other artists started to appreciate this form of art. When she first arrived in Jamaica in 1922, she challenged the local artists and the local community to appreciate their original works. She correctly branded their works as being ‘imitative’ since most of the works at the time mainly adhered to the European style. Black people were not depicted in art. This was not a clear reflection of the Jamaican culture. Edna, through many of her carvings, started to depict blacks in her works. This explains why she is fondly referred to as the “mother of Jamaican art” (Laduke, 39). Secondly, Edna worked with the Institute of Jamaica and Robert Verity to organize art lessons for young people. These lessons, mainly conducted in the 1940s, were provided at a reduced fee affordable to most young people at the time. Through these lessons, Edna was able to pass crucial artistic knowledge to these young people. It was through her efforts that the Jamaica School of Art was established in the 1950s. Her efforts sin establishing learning institutions have played a big role in advancing Jamaican art. Thirdly, during her lifetime, most of her works were exhibited in America, England and Jamaica. This helped to expose Jamaican art to the world and enhance its popularity outside the boundaries of Jamaica. Through this, Edna was able to open the way for other artist to showcase their works in different parts of the world. Edna’s works are in galleries and public buildings worldwide, and though such, she has been able to inspire many young artists in Jamaica and throughout the world. Works cited Laduke, Betty. "Edna Manley: the mother of modern Jamaican Art." Women’s Art Journal, v.7 (Fall/Winter 1986-1987): 36-40. Web < www.jstor.org/stable/1358304 > Read More