Herb Kawainui Kane was raised on the Big Island of Hawai`i and in Wisconsin. After graduating with a masters in art at the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Chicago and having a successful job as a graphic designer in Chicago for fourteen years, Kane decided to move back home to Hawai`i to become what he always wanted to be, which is a painter of the Hawaiian culture and history. He believes, “I'm different than artists today who want to express their personalities. I want to express the personality of the subject.” Despite what he feels or what he does in his paintings, I don't think it is possible for an artist not to include his own character in his paintings.
Kane has made huge contributions to the Hawaiian community. He not only designed the Hokule`a in 1986, but he was the first captain of it and sailed it all the way to Tahiti and back using just the stars as navigation. This proved that the Hawaiians were not just lucky to come across this island, but they were skilled. Because of this achievement, Hawaiians everywhere were impacted. They became proud of who they were and wanted to learn more about their ancestors and history. Kane only did this for that reason, because he cares about the Hawaiians and wants to make sure they have their impact on history. After this, Kane decides to continue his preservation of Hawaiian history and culture through paint.
Kane is known for his realistic artwork that depicts the Hawaiians very detailed and truthfully. In the painting of the event of Captain Cook's death, Kane went to the area where it was recorded Captain Cook died and studied it carefully. He read accounts of the incident from Cook's crewmens' journals to get an accurate view of who killed him and where. Besides all of that, Kane looked at the tide charts and went all the way back to that exact time and day in the 1700s to find out how high the tide was at that moment. He put so much detail and truth in not only this painting, but all of his paintings. When looking up the history of Kane's paintings, Kane is revealed as a dedicated man who cares about his culture and I think this is depicted in his paintings.
With that in mind, although Kane says he doesn't attempt to put his character into his paintings, I think it is apparent that he does. Only someone who really cares would put that much work and detail into it. Even trying to put yourself into the subject's shoes is putting a little of yourself into the painting because you are the subject. His choices of what to paint, which is about Hawaiian history and culture, shows that he is a Hawaiian preserving his culture, which is a depiction of his character. Being a Hawaiian probably affected his choices in life, but they are for the better for the Hawaiian society. Kane is a very hardworking and honest painter and that is depicted in his paintings.
Prompts:
Do you agree with Kāne’s beliefs that the essence of the subject is more important than the artist’s personality being portrayed in his/her artwork?
Despite what Kāne says about only portraying the subject’s personality, do you think his feelings and character was expressed in his paintings or the way he does his paintings?
How do you think being raised in Hawai`i and being a Hawaiian affected Kāne’s decision to become a painter and historian of Hawaiian culture and history?
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Despite what Kāne says about only portraying the subject’s personality, I think that it is nearly impossible for a devoted and an avid artist like himself to not express his or her feelings and character in the paintings he or she creates. If Kāne did not have a strong emotional connection with the Hawaiian culture, he would more than likely shift his concentration to another area of interest that he did have passion for. Displacing himself from a perfectly stable lifestyle in Chicago as a graphic designer to go back to the islands of Hawaii and start afresh with a painting career, Kāne shows just how much enthusiasm he had for the culture of his native land. I’m not necessarily saying he corrupted the subject’s personality; he is just portraying it from the angle of his choice.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with Kāne’s beliefs that the essence of the subject is more important than the artist’s personality being portrayed in his or her artwork. If the artist ignored the natural character of the subject and only depicted his or her own thoughts, the subject would essentially be distorted too much to see its original splendor. There is, however, a fine line dividing between how much and how little the artist should put their own ideas into the artwork. One of the defining qualities of art is portraying a subject from a perspective that shows the inner quality of something. Certainly the works of Picasso and Kāne would differ no matter how many times they painted similar themes and ideas. They would be attempting to show something in the way they see fit, not necessarily in the right or wrong. Without any ideas coming from the artist, the painting might as well be a photograph showing exactly the image that the human eye would see in that particular setting, something that is impossible in the depictions that Kāne does of the historical events and mythological events of the Hawaiian culture.
I think that being raised in Hawaii and being a Hawaiian affected Kāne’s decision to become a painter and historian of Hawaiian culture and history because of how much home really influences people. Home is connotative to the strong feelings associated with a place in which you live, and Kāne definitely considers the Hawaiian Islands to be his home. Growing up immersed in a culture creates bonds that are not easily broken, and in order to tie himself even more closely to his culture Kāne decided to devote his life to its preservation. Seeing that the Hawaiian culture is slowly diminishing as more and more outsiders immigrate into the Islands, Kāne felt his home threatened and decided to do something to protect it from harm. To do this he started to transfer the oral history of his people onto the more stable medium of artwork which would be kept safely and reliably. At the same time, his efforts to care for the Hawaiian culture would also cause the stories he depicted to be shown around the world and reproduced for thousands of others to see and understand.
Kane’s views on the creation of art are incredibly refreshing. Much like mainstream university teachings, I had always thought of art as an expression of the individual state of mind. Often it seems that art is a reflection of the times and an embodiment of the artist’s commentary upon them, and that the art, including writing, singing, sculpting and painting, is also a means of escape from the often oppressing monotony of society. It may also serve simply to fully realize the deepest feelings of the soul. Herb Kawainui Kane’s art retains a beautiful and unique concept; pride for one’s own culture and the steadfast mission of preservation through paint so that the rich and colorful history of the Hawaiian Islands may not be forgotten.
ReplyDeleteKane’s art reminds me of the Native American painter, Tony Abeyta, a mixed media artist who pays tribute to both the Navajo and New Mexican cultures through vibrant tribal pieces ranging from sculptures to beautiful canvas paintings. Both artists seek to preserve early cultures that fewer and fewer generations remember or are being taught about. They are the guardians of the dwindling vestiges of their respective cultures. One must wonder, however, if these artists are fighting a losing battle, admirable though it is. I believe that it is incredibly important to retain a sense of one’s culture, if for no other reason than to have a great story to tell at cocktail parties. To know one’s culture is a piece of one’s identity that separates you from everyone else, but also joins in a common bonds of familial ties, specialized foods, customs, literature, and art. Having a well-rounded knowledge of one’s own culture and the cultures of others endows the individual with some semblance of a sense of self, since throughout life it is often so difficult to ascertain who we truly are, and to make matters even more tricky, that self (that many of us do not entirely know in the first place) is constantly changing throughout our lives. Being aware of even a small amount of our ancestor’s lives gives us something to turn to, and as a result, we may walk a little taller through the world, knowing that even when faced with adversities, we have something and someone to turn to guide our actions.
“I’m different than artists today who want to express their personalities. I want to express the personality of the subject,” Kane has been quoted saying. He may indeed be different in his approach to his work, but Kane’s ends are the same. The true distinction that Kane might have been attempting to make between his style and the norm is the subject matter, historical records and events. He may have been referring to the purely expressive form that modern art has taken, where it is all about the beauty instilled and not the beauty found; however, art cannot be created subjectively. And no matter how we try, we cannot see through eyes other than our own.
Kāne believes that the essence of the subject is more important than the artist’s personality being portrayed and I agree, only to a certain extent however. When I look at a portrait or any other kind of picture, I want to get a feel of what the picture is trying to tell me, or how someone can interpret the subject matter. Without the essence of the subject, what is a picture? In my opinion, it is virtually nothing. There is no such thing as a picture that does not contain any sort of personality from the subject matter, unless it is a blank canvas or film. Even then, it leaves room for imagination. I do see the importance in trying to portray the right emotion of the subject matter, because the interpretation can go one of many ways in the eyes of different people. So it is understandable when an artist tries hard to send a certain message across.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I cannot see how an artist has the ability to remove themselves from one of their pieces. Without the essence of the artist, the piece of work falls flat and can be unrecognizable. What makes an artist unique is their sense of style. When you look at Kāne’s portraits, it is pretty easy to see that they are all his own works and no one else’s. He has a style. That style is an essence of his personality and feelings. An artist’s style is almost like an ordinary person’s style of outfit. Most people have their own style they are comfortable with. If you saw someone you knew to wear bright colors randomly dress in all black one day and wear a studded collar, you would know something was not right, or that they were not being their self. If Kāne were to start painting African pictures it would not feel right. It might even be a little awkward, because that is not his style. It is not who he is. He paints and portrays Hawaiians. So yes, I do think you get a sense of Kāne’s personality in his work, on top of a real essence of the subject matter.
The fact that he paints Hawaiians makes perfect sense to me. Even though he did not live in Hawaii his whole life, he felt much more connected there than anywhere else. I have never found someone that leaves home and never wants to go back, even to visit. When people are raised somewhere they have a sense of belonging, that is why they call it their home town. Hawaii was Kāne’s home, and so painting the culture was important to him. It is a part of him. Not everyone strives to be a historian, but I am fairly certain that everyone knows a little something about where they come from. Kāne just went a little deeper than the majority. That shows his passion and commitment towards the subject. He is a truly dedicated person who cares about the accuracy in his paintings. So, in all actuality, all three aspects are interconnected: the essence of the subject, the personality of the artist, and the history of the subject. Because Kāne was so involved in the history of what he was painting, you get that essence of the subject matter he wants his viewers to get, resulting in the viewer getting a sense of who he is an artist as well.