Chris Ofili, No Woman No Cry, 1998, acrylic paint, oil paint, resin, pencil, paper collage, Letraset, glitter, map pins and elephant dung on linen with two dung supports, 244 × 183 × 5 cm. (© Chris Ofili. Courtesy of Chris Ofili – Afroco and Victoria Miro Gallery. Tate Photography.)
Unit 1: Activity 1 - Looking at Works of Art
Look at the following works and make some notes for each one in response to the following questions.
Do you like it?
Yes.
How does it make you feel?
No Woman, No Cry makes me feel uneasy, and guarded, as if I have stumbled onto a private moment. It also feels like I’m looking through something, at her. Her tears feel surreal, larger than life, they’re the brightest, most solid part of the piece which is confusing to me a bit, especially in relation to the title.
Is it art? Briefly explain the reasons for your answer.
Yes, this is art. It is a representational painting of an unknown figure, a woman. It’s portraiture, which has a long history in art as a subject matter.
Don't spend more than a minute or two responding to each question. Questions 1 and 3 require a simple ‘yes' or ‘no’ answer and some brief explanation for question 3. For question 2 you could record your immediate feelings about the works represented, using one word answers (for example ‘happy’ or ‘confused’) rather than complete sentences.
Unit 3: Activity 4 - Recording Your Feelings
First Impressions: Wash - soft application of materials. Foggy haze. Quilt like embroidery design. Brown, some green-blue and yellow-orange colour scheme with some dark hues conveying lines > for me, creates a connection with the groundedness of the earth. Hair mirrors the embroidery, it’s ornate, well kept, intricate. Sadness, grief, loneliness, depression - tears flow from closed eyes.
Suggested Course Answer: Colourful. Dignified. Sad.