Ethnic Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Ethnic Studies - Essay Example When Belle’s uncle William Murray commissions a painting of her alongside Elizabeth, her cousin, Belle is worried that the painting will depict her as subordinate (Asante). The film shows her viewing portraits in the house that depicted white aristocrats with their subordinate black servants. Most blacks in the portraits appear to strike a subservient pose beside their masters. They were at the mercies of their masters and were to do as told. The most significant painting in the film was that of Belle beside her cousin Elizabeth. The double portrait is significant as it shifts the dimensions of the common standing witnessed in earlier portraits within the film. This painting showcases Belle and Elizabeth as equals yet Belle is black (Asante). The painting helps to bridge the racial injustice that seems to appear in previous paintings that depicted black and white persons within a frame. The painting depicts both Belle and Elizabeth as beautiful and smiling side by side and staring directly at the viewer. They are both dressed in silk gowns and pearls showing how they both appear as equals and break the boundary of racial prejudice in the