Silhouettes

With the sun out in full bloom in the summer, something that always catches my attention are shadows. They are so simple and ordinary yet can be so fascinating at times. Then the other day I noticed someones shadowed profile and i immediately began to think about Silhouettes and how something in its simplicity can be so dramatic.

Silhouettes have been used as an art form for centuries, originating in the 18th century and applied to portraits or other pictorial representations cut from thin black card. Jane Austen's Silhouette to the right. Silhouettes are still being used by modern day artists as a way for them to express themselves.


Sherrie Levine took mass-produced images, such as fashion models from magazines, and from them cut out silhouettes of the past presidents of the United States in order to challenge established ideas about originality and authorship. (image below on the left )

Kara Walker is another modern day artists who uses the original silhouette style of cutting the image out of black card to explore gender, race, sexuality and violence. Her cut-outs, which she attaches straight to the gallery walls at her exhibition, are so dramatic and powerful. She puts her audience in front of a black and whie wold displaying the harshness of racism. (image below on the right)


























With modern technology anyone can make a silhouette by taking a digital profile image and working with it a bit on photoshop:


You could create your own silhouettes in photoshop, get them printed up on canvas and have your own 18th century artwork decorating your home. To check out prices and some of our canvas options or simply to enquire about getting us to create a silhouette for you go to:
http://www.usaoncanvas.com/