In this video, Wendy S. Walters recites the poem she wrote in response to Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux's sculpture "Why Born Enslaved!", which was recently acquired by The Met. In it, she confronts the power dynamics at play in creating and viewing a work of art that depicts an enslaved woman of African descent, and she wonders about the identity and status of the model who posed for Carpeaux.
Featured Artwork: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/824469
"Why Born Enslaved!"
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux
Modeled 1868, carved 1873
Marble
Purchase, The Wallace Foundation, Wrightsman Fellows Gifts, and Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation Gift, 2019
2019.220
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A Poet’s Response to Carpeaux's “Why Born Enslaved!” | MetCollects
Poet Wendy S. Walters confronts the power dynamics at play in creating and viewing Carpeaux’s Why Born Enslaved!
3 min. watch
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Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux
modeled 1868, carved 1873