The subject of painting: works by Barbara Walker and Eugene Palmer

Abstract

This article looks at some examples of recent paintings by black British artists in relation to postmodern notions of the decentred and fragmented self. If the so-called unified self is no longer present in contemporary culture, how are we to understand the continuing presence of (self) portraiture and portraiture of selves in contemporary artworks? The author investigates some of these issues in relation to works by Barbara Walker and Eugene Palmer. She also looks into some of the issues raised by postmodern critiques of notions of subjectivity, the self and agency in relation to artists whose work engages with lived identities and histories of people who are still recognized by themselves and others as members of oppressed social groups. The article concludes by suggesting that although notions of the self/subjectivity are complex and problematic in the paintings and discourse of these two artists, they do not conform to postmodern notions of the self, nor do they support arguments for ‘the death of the author’.