As the title implies, this is my introduction! What's fascinating is just how much of an introduction
this is, not only to you, but to me. In getting to this point in my career, which I'll elaborate on a bit later, I've had to navigate a few pitfalls that left me confused and frustrated. I'd spent years working for museums that enjoyed my work but never fully invested in my talent. As many can attest, being under appreciated is no easy feat to handle. And when much of your career relies heavily on outside validation of your work, it’s difficult to not feel... lost in the sauce, if you will. So, I took an incredible step, even for reckless me, and resigned from a job that was not fulfilling. I embarked on yet another adventure to reclaim my voice, a voice I had lost in the noise of this field. I'm an art historian, by the way. Hopefully, through my writings, you'll get a slight insight into what that means. Being an art historian can take you in many different directions; this is the path I chose.
“Oh, that was a very well-spoken script.”
I research art from Spain and the Netherlands during the 16th to the 17th centuries (1500-1700). Not mincing any words… the period is fascinating, but as a Black Woman Art Historian, it can be fraught with challenges. Challenges not only to your psyche but also to your sense of self-worth. From the many museum directors to the heads of art history departments at universities, no surprise here, just like other industries – it’s dominated by men. My period of research in particular is especially old, white-male heavy. As one prominent female curator once said to me, “It’s like they’re clinging on by their fingernails and refuse to let go.” Being a woman is one thing, add being Black to the mix and things can get very contentious. I’ve given lectures where, immediately after finishing, I was met with incredulous lines of questioning and disbelief in what I had said. “Oh, that was a very well-spoken script.” “Who did all of the research for that?” “I liked your lecture, but I don’t think you’re right.” All coming from people who, after addressing their statements it turns out, knew nothing about the art or period of which I spoke. Mind you, it was in a museum setting so I’m not quite sure why anyone would think a museum would hire someone to lie to their guests but, what do I know?! But that’s if they even sit through the lecture at all. I’ve experienced times when guests who were previously excited about a talk suddenly became disinterested once they saw that I was the one giving it. The constant discrediting of my work took a toll… it’s hard out here!
The twists and turns of my career led me to travel. Part of being an art historian is getting your work out into the world, usually through conferencing and other avenues. My love of travel was piqued during these trips. Solo traveling can be daunting and a little scary, but something I learned in life was that on the other side of risk is a lesson. My love of travel started early though. Leaving the JA (Jamaica!!) as a child, returning somewhat often to visit family, I got used to picking up and embarking on new life journeys. If I'm honest, travel was/is more than an escape, it’s a way to challenge who you are at your core. No longer trapped by the ego you may have to project, you’re allowed to just be. Amid the world’s chaos, I needed to find the sanity in the chaos of my own life. Insert an epic adventure. What was initially planned as a trip to have crazy fun, with some museums on the side, turned into an experience of self-realization leading to self-actualization.
My first stop was Stockholm, Sweden… it didn’t give what I thought it was gonna give, instead it gave what I needed at the time, and I got to reflect on my career in this frenetic field. A field that didn’t seem to really want me in it. In this reflecting I visited the National Museum and got a chance to experience a painting I had talked about practically every day, it seemed. (I must add this explanation because, as an art historian I just have to do it; One doesn’t simply see a work of art, one experiences it. End rant lol). The painting in question is by Fran Hals (1582-1666), one of my favorite artists from the period. The man was a creative genius with a penchant for defying expectation but was slandered as a rogue for doing so … might remind you of someone else perhaps lol. Without going into a full art history lesson, he’s part of the reason why we later see the rise of Impressionism some 200 years later with Édouard Manet (1832-1883). The painting is an innocuous one. A simple portrait of a seated female figure (1643) staring back at the viewer. Hals
was a portraitist, someone who’s main bread and butter was painting the images of those wealthy enough to have one done. The interesting thing about the painting isn’t the sitter, though, but the journey the painting has taken and that it’s part of a pair. The other half, her husband, Matthias Jansz Boeckle, a Mennonite Watchmaker, resides in Philadelphia some 4,000 miles away. The journey each painting took won’t be elaborated upon here but suffice it to say, there’s a story in the journey they each took. When discussing these paintings – the broader topic being about portraiture – I’d bring up examples of how portraits were used to showcase who the sitters were. Though, Hals was especially good at capturing a certain something about the character of the person. More than being merely a recreation of the person’s visage, he had a way of getting at the interiority of who they were. I’d end my talk with a tidbit about double portraits like this one… In a marriage portrait, the male is typically on the right facing the left and the female is on the left facing the right; it goes back to this biblical belief about being on the right side of the Abrahamic God. Insert misogyny here: Men being right and women being, for lack of a better word, left or wrong/less than.
The trip was more than I anticipated but turned out to be the best thing to ever happen to me in a while. I visited one of my favorite cities, Amsterdam, and dined and met up with new/old friends
in London. As always, my travels take me to new places, forcing me to overcome new challenges. I’m an art historian with no home, a nomad of sorts. So, follow me on my journey as I make it up along the way… My way… Tammy J’s Way!
Welcome to the journey. I hope you stay, learn and engage with the things I plan to do with this blog.