The black woman created in absence: dynamics of representation and composition of visuality by Rose Maxson in Fences

Abstract

This article reflects on the dynamics of relations between representation and representativeness based on the analysis of the visual composition of the character Rose Maxson in Fences (2016), by August Wilson. It is a partial result of a documentary research that examined the visual elements — hair, makeup and costumes — that express the idea of femininity and bring materiality to the black female character of Fences, both in the text of the play and in its adaptation to cinema, describing similarities, differences and possible absences of visuality description, analyzing the collected content according to the concept of Controlling Images, developed by Patricia Hill Collins. The study explores a field of articulation between language and culture, focusing on how textual and audiovisual productions construct the images of black female characters. It thus to problematizes the relations between the cultural industry and the reinforcement of social places assigned to racialized bodies.