silhouette

• What is a silhouette?   The dark shape and outline of someone or something visible against a lighter background
• Where does the term 'silhouette' come from?The word "silhouette" derives from the name of Étienne de Silhouette, a French finance minister who, in 1759, was forced by France's credit crisis during the Seven Years War to impose severe economic demands upon the French people, particularly the wealthy.
• How would you describe the work of modern artist "Kara Walker" and her use of the silhouette?Kara Walker’s work is steeped in the subject of race. Her precise and often exaggerated drawings of facial features, body shapes, and costume use line and form to signify the ethnicity of her subjects and comment on the way race is used to define us.