'Black by Popular Demand' Changing the Way We View Art
I’M THAT GIRL (WITH THE PEARLS Alessia Redwine, 2022) is a rendition of Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring (1665). “I wanted to challenge myself with using materials that were 3D, seeing as though I felt unsure on how to paint so many pearls on her headwrap.”
Story by Grace Thorburn
Images courtesy of Alessia Redwine
Born and raised in Denver, Alessia Redwine aspires to become a successful art curator and artist. As she wraps up her junior year at the University of Colorado Boulder, her main focus lies within the medium of painting, but she also said she enjoys exploring mixed media. “I started painting my freshman year of college, and I haven’t stopped since,” Redwine stated. “There is a misrepresentation of Black women in the art industry. When Black women are showcased, they are often shown as less than,” Redwine said.
“As a 21-year-old, I feel like I'm still seeing a lot of lack of representation. So, I'd say representation plays a big part in my art, and just expressing myself unapologetically and not apologizing for taking up space and being who I am.”
Reframing artistic history to be more inclusive was a driving force in Redwine’s first painting series titled “Black by Popular Demand.” Taking historical pieces like “The Birth of Venus” and “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” which center around what she referred to as “the elegance of white women,” Redwine’s paintings are abstract renditions that represent the subjects as Black women, instead.
Inspiration for her series struck while Redwine was attending an art history lecture. According to Redwine, she noticed the misrepresentation of Black women in great historical works of art and observed that when they were featured in paintings, elegance, and grace were often reserved for white models.
Redwine uses art to process various feelings such as grief, liberation, and acceptance. While finding her voice as a Black woman in America in spaces that are predominantly white, she is also in the process of finding her artistic voice.
“My purpose is figuring out how to create work I've always wanted to see growing up. I think representation is so important, and growing up I didn’t see enough representation,” Redwine said. “I went to a predominantly white high school, and now I go to a predominantly white university. My paintings focus on the experience of a Black woman in places that aren’t normally diverse. I like to focus on the perspective of Black people and women, more specifically.”
People in Redwine’s life have inspired her work. This includes her family and the artists she looks up to. Long Beach-based artist Torin Ashtun, Vincent van Gogh, and Winslow Homer are all Redwine’s primary artistic influences. Redwine describes Homer’s work as, “what I want to be as an artist, he has a really good way of showing joy.”
Redwine said she hopes to own an art gallery, where she can showcase her work while also emphasizing the work of other BIPOC artists. According to Redwine, she hopes that as she grows as an artist, her work will continue to reflect and shine a light on the uplifting aspects of being a Black woman
“Afrodite” (2021) is the first piece in Redwine’s series, “Black by Popular Demand.” It is a rendition of “Birth of Venus” (1486) by Sandro Botticelli. “I was inspired by Ebonee Davis’ January 2020 Essence magazine photoshoot, said Redwine. “I purposely changed the pose of Afrodite’s body so she would embody confidence with her arms stretched at her side rather than covering her body with shame.”