Description of the Work

The title of the painting under discussion is “1 Navajo Wind Walker” from the artist’s “Wind Walker Series.” It is an oil painting, 30”x 24” in size. The artist is Larry Harris. An image of the work under discussion is provided in Figure 1. No date is specified for this work.

Analysis of the Work

In viewing this work, the first impression is that the viewer is being directly confronted by the subject of the work. In the perspective of this work, the figure is facing directly out of the canvas, bringing the viewer in as a contributor to the event of viewing the image. The image (if viewed in person) would also be near-life-sized, or perhaps slightly larger than life-sized, leaving the impression that the figure in the painting is real. Yet despite the sense that this image is face-to-face with the viewer, it is impossible to see the figure’s eyes. They are lost in the inky blackness of the shadows of the hat brim. Thus, there is a sense that the figure can see the viewer, but the viewer has a less comprehensive view of the figure.

Color is also striking in this image. The body of the figure is colorful in tones of blue with gold button accents. The general background is a rich, dark chestnut color. Even the hat, directly touching the head, is a warm gray touched with gold for the ribbon. The only place color is not used is in the face of the figure itself. The skin tones, rather than having the warm red-brown of a native American, are actually ashy gray—nearly white. The face, hair, the person are all defined by a complete lack of color in an environment filled with rich, warm, deep tones. The Wind Walker figure seems like a ghost rather than a living person. Also striking is the large black shape that defines hair, eyes, shadows and facial shape, all in a singular black shape with no gray variations.

Lines in this work are clear, sharp, distinct and very bold throughout. While they are far sharper than more realistic depictions would use, they are still both curvilinear—there are no straight lines anywhere in the image—and descriptive since they clearly define all aspects of the figure. There is a preponderance of horizontal lines throughout the figure and all lines appear static, unmoving. What stands out are not verticals, but the horizontal line of the hat brim and the line of the shoulders. It is also noticeable that the slope of the shoulders, while mostly horizontal, point upward and direct the eye to the face…the face that is missing color and detail.

What is most interesting about the forms used in this painting are that they mostly define the face through negatives. It is as if the shadows, with the black mass, are more real than the face, which is primarily defined by the lack of color. In that regard, the richness of the colors throughout emphasize the lack of presence and mass of actual flesh and blood, while the external elements (hat, shirt, background) are in vivid color and mass. The Wind Walker in this image is a true ghost, who only exists on some other plane than the physical—his face has no mass compared to virtually everything else in the painting. In addition, the painting is oddly flat, more cartoony that truly representational, with only the face—defined by lack of mass—having any real dimensionality. There is a sense in which the ghost of the Wind Walker is more real than the physical manifestation of the body, hat, and background.