Ralph R. Miller Sr
Presented by
Jennifer Colonna
Who is Ralph R. Miller, Sr
1905- 1984
•Born Deaf in Jonsboro, IIlinois on May 20, 1905
•His parents were hearing
•At age 5 he was enrolled at the Illonois School for the Deaf .It
was
► here that he developed his artistic talent
•He knew that he wanted to be an artist but he was told there
was no future in being an artist so he also learned carpentry
•
•A football couch at his school recognized his talent and
advised hi to go to Chicago to continue with it
•Miller took art classes at the American Academy of Art in
Chicago
• He specialized in commercial art- ex: for advertising
•Started to freelance and did work for the YMCA
► Early
60’s he was asked to illustrate for Signed
English Books at Gallaudet- later he worked as
an advisor in the Art Department there
►
Drew characters for children’s books like “The
Three Little Pigs” and Goldilocks and the Three
Bears”
►
All of his characters, human or animal were
drawn to look like they were signing
De’VIA- Deaf View Image Art
►
Miller’s daughter, another renowned Deaf Artist is Betty Miller
She contributed to the De’Via movement
► Miller’s Work “Pre De’ Via”
►
Deaf American Monatologue (1996):
“We must remember that all art is based on the experience of the artist. In
the case of deaf artists, their cultural and physical experiences as deaf
people inform and influence all of their work. De’VIA is created to tell his or
her story or to express his or her feelings”
Other pieces by Miller
► “An
Interpreter” 1979
► “Deaf
Picnic”
My interpretation
►
Cop
 Is shouting
 Pulling on the Clown’s Ear
 male
►
Clown
 With a grin on
 male
►
Car
 w/ Deaf written all over it
►
►
►
Clear day (blue background)
Open space
Lots of colors
Theme: Social Experience – Deaf
person’s encounter with hearing
authority
► Title:
“Clown Stopped
by Police for Speeding
► By Ralph R. Miller, Sr
► 1970
► Genre: Acrylic painting,
20’’ X 16’’
Sub Themes: “Deaf Card”, Deaf
drive, Cop doesn’t see the clown as
serious and the clown doesn’t take
the cop seriously
Synopsis of : Miller’s “Clown stopped
by Police for Speeding”
PLOT
Deaf clown (character 1) stopped
by cop (character 2)
► Clown is playing the “deaf –card”
in hope of avoiding a ticket
► The officer is naïve that he is Deaf
even though it’s written all over
the clown and his car and barks in
his ear
►
Iconography
Miller enjoyed painting about his
humorous deaf experiences
The Clown symbolizes the humor in
his situation of getting pulled
over…which is usually a serious
matter making the TONE amusing
Irony of the Plot
► What’s
ironic here is
that the person being
pulled over is a clown.
Cops don’t regularly
expect to come across
speeding clowns.
Literary Analysis: Structuralism
►
This genre exemplifies opposition that exists the between
the two people - hearing and deaf or as a cop and clown.
Cops are looked at as being serious and one that holds
authority while a clown is funny and not taken seriously.
Maybe that’s why the cop doesn’t accept that he is Deaf.
Cop vs Clown
Hearing vs Deaf
Dark uniform vs Bright costume
Serious vs Funny
Conventional vs Carefree
Literary Interpretation/Critism:
Deconstruction
► Trying
to match the painting with real life is
visible in this genre.
► There are two human beings but one is not
recognized for being deaf (clown) and the
Cop an authority – regarded in a higher
status in comparison to a clown/deaf
person.
► This genre exemplifies the struggle between
the hearing and deaf.