In The Negress, how is the Description discussed?
The Negress portrays a woman who is the personification of the continent of Africa. Carpeaux wanted to use her to emphasize the horrors of slavery, creating the piece three years after the Civil War of the United States had ended and twenty years after slavery was banned in all French and Danish colonies. The woman is looking to the side, her figure twisting to the left. Her twisting body contributed to the fountain's composition. Her features express her strength and her human vulnerability, as she is also tied in bondage. Her skin is covered in a patina, enhancing the sculpture's use of light and shadow. The words, "Why be born a slave?" (in French, "Pourquoi! Naître esclave ?") are inscribed in the base, emphasizing her attachment to her depiction as an enslaved African.
Africa French Civil War of the United States slavery personification