Painting
David Driskell was born in Eatonton, Georgia. Driskell earned multiple art degrees, he was trained as a painter and art historian. Driskell began his teaching career in 1955 which carried him through until his retirement in 1998 (McGee).
Behold Thy Son by David Driskell, 1956, Oil on Canvas, Smithsonian
In the 1950's, America was experiencing a civil rights movement that would demand social justice for Black Americans and advocate for equal rights. This movement was an inspiration for Driskell's Behold Thy Son. His inspiration for this painting was drawn from the tragic death of Emmett Till. Emmett Till was a 14 year old boy who was brutally murdered in Mississippi in 1955. (Cincinnati Art Museum). Emmett was murdered by the family members of a white female store clerk who made false allegations against the teenage boy. The murderers were acquitted by an all white jury (NMAAHC). As Driskell was an art historian, he depicted a scene common to western art, Christianity. The main subject in the painting represents Emmett Till and behind him, his mother. The body language of Till displays a very Christ like form, as his body is shaped like Christ on the cross. In the historical setting, the woman behind Christ would be his mother, Virgin Mary. Driskell is using a story most of the western world knows to be able to convey the sense of brutality and inequality that was endured by Black Americans at the time. Driskell used an abstract style to paint the subjects as they are not proportionate and display intense emotion. Till's facial expression is disproportionate and distorted and portrays a deep sense of pain. The background of the painting is in a more realistic style, as opposed to the flat dimensions of the figures. It appears to be a religious setting as seen from the audience, it brings the viewer back to the moment they are in. A moment of reflection in a time of deep social injustice.
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot by David Driskell, 1972, Acrylic on Canvas, Tougaloo College Art Collections, Tougaloo Mississippi
The 1970's was in a post-civil rights movement era. This meant Black Americans were making great social and economical advancements. As Driskell had experienced the Civil Rights Movement and saw the hardships, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot is a tribute to the courage and sacrifice of those who fought the social injustice in my opinion. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot originates as a song from a Black ex-slave named Wallace Willis who lived during the 19ths century. Willis' meaning is said to be about an enslaved person who would rather have freedom or death rather than slavery (Lawford). Driskell again used multiple artistic styles to represent the ascension to freedom or heaven. The painting initially draws the viewer to the bottom of the painting with the bright color. Here the painting is the shadow of Driskell’s hands reaching up during a sunset as if welcoming the heavens to take the subject away. The next layer up on the painting is very abstract. It is full of color and motion, it looks intense like a hardship. This represents to me the journey to either freedom or to death. The next layer up that draws the eye is the blue area. This portion is done in the abstract expressionism style that allows the viewer to feel the calming tone of the blue, as if to feel the peace of freedom or of arriving at heaven. The top of the painting is the final portion of the painting, it is just a sliver of the top of the same sunset from the beginning of the painting. In the sunset you see the shadows of two figures whose body language is very fluid and happy, free. Driskell uses his painting to represent the courage and sacrifices of those who lead the Civil Rights Movement.
Sculpture
Elizabeth Catlett was born on April 15, 1915 in Washington D.C. Catlett earned a Masters in Fine Arts in Sculpture, taught art for many years, as well as created he own Mexican-Black American Works (Britannica).
Homage to My Young Black Sisters by Elizabeth Catlett, 1968, Red Cedar Sculpture, Mississippi Museum of Art
Professionally trained sculptor, Elizabeth Catlett, created this beautiful and powerful life-size statue made out of red cedar (Art Bridges). Catlett's title Homage to My Young Black Sisters reminds us she is honoring all women of the Civil Rights Movement. The red cedar used is painted to give the figure a rich beautiful brown tone, the figure is standing upright with her body posed in strong straight lines, and her right arm is fully extended with a closed fist symbolizing solidarity. The figure has a hallow core, reminding the viewer of the role women played at the time as child bearers and wives. This piece evokes a feeling of pride for the women of the Civil Rights Era and the powerful sisterhood that was created as a result.
Phillis Wheatley by Elizabeth Catlett, 1973, Bronze and Wood, National Museum of African American History and Culture
Phillis Wheatley was brought to Massachusetts from West Africa in the 18th century in the slave trade. Wheatley went on to be a talented poet, she published a book of poetry in English, and gained her freedom as a young woman (SAAM). Catlett utilized bronze which gave Wheatley the dark brown smooth tone and she posed Wheatley with soft but straight lines in a thinking position. This is to represent how strong and intellectual Wheatley was. Wheatley is dressed in a modest and simple gown, she is depicted as a young woman such as she was when she gained her freedom. This piece by Catlett was an inspiration for Black Americans in the post Civil Rights Era, representing the strength, courage, and intellect of those who came before.
David Hammons was born in Springfield Illinois on July 24, 1943. He later moved to study Art in Los Angeles California where he was inspired by the Black Arts Movement (Mnuchin).
The Door (Admissions Office) by David Hammons, 1969, Wood, Acrylic Sheet, and Pigment Construction. Brooklyn Museum.
David Hammons began creating imprints in the early 1960's, which the Brooklyn Museum describes as, "a practice that involved coating his body with an oily substance and printing it onto a support, which was then dusted with dry pigments". This piece was created post-desegregation however there was a heavy resistance to desegregation in the South which created incredible hurdles for Black Americans to gain entrance to the same public schools as their white counterparts (Brooklyn Museum). The use of material was very well thought out by Hammons. He choose a weathered and textured wooden door with a contrasting smooth a three-quarter glass pane insert, which gave Hammons a larger area for his imprint. The imprint is in the center of the door, drawing the viewers eye in on the figures in the piece. Imprinted into the glass, Hammons used his own body to depict a figure pressed against the glass, hands raised as if surrendering, with the words, "Admissions Office" above the figure. The method that Hammons uses creates in impression of motion for the subject, a moment of discrimination caught in time.
Pray for America by David Hammons, 1969. Sreenprint and Pigment on Paper, The Museum of Modern Art.
Hammons created this piece during a tumultuous time. The Museum of Modern Art describes the time as, "just a year after the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy and during a time of nationwide protests, race riots, and demonstrations against the Vietnam War". Hammons imprinted his body to depict the figure with his hands placed in front of him in prayer. The subject is in a simple grayscale due to the pigment Hammons used. He contrasts this with a very bold and colorful United States flag which cloaks the subject. The imprint first draws my attention in this piece. The imprint doesn't have any defining features to create a specific identity for the subject, however the uniqueness of the texture in the beard, the lines of the fingers, and the facial curves combine to give this subject their own story. A story the artist continues to tell by placing the flag around the shoulders of the subject, showing the weight of the injustice on the Black American citizens.
Works Cited
“Behold Thy Son.” Cincinnati Art Museum, www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/art/exhibitions/exhibition-archive/2022/david-driskell/david-driskell-audio-exhibition/christian-themes/behold-thy-son/#:~:text=Behold%20Thy%20Son%20pays%20homage,in%20communion%20with%20Jesus’s%20sacrifice. Accessed 31 July 2023.
“David Hammons. Pray for America. 1969.” The Museum of Modern Art, www.moma.org/collection/works/195260. Accessed 31 July 2023.
“David Hammons.” Mnuchin Gallery, www.mnuchingallery.com/artists/david-hammons. Accessed 31 July 2023.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Elizabeth Catlett.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11 Apr. 2023, www.britannica.com/biography/Elizabeth-Catlett.
“Elizabeth Catlett.” Art Bridges, artbridges.emuseum.com/objects/11390/homage-to-my-young-black-sisters;jsessionid=AD3DDCAE1269A2A4379FFAAE36F31ADC#:~:text=Homage%20to%20My%20Young%20Black%20Sisters%20depicts%20a%20life%2Dsize,evoked%20in%20the%20artist’s%20sculpture. Accessed 31 July 2023.
“Emmett Till’s Death Inspired a Movement.” National Museum of African American History & Culture, 18 July 2019, nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/emmett-tills-death-inspired-movement.
Lawford, Emily. “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot: The Meaning behind the England Rugby Anthem.” Evening Standard, 19 June 2020, www.standard.co.uk/sport/rugby/swing-low-sweet-chariot-song-meaning-rugby-review-a4473681.html.
McGee, Julie L. “David C. Driskell.” David C. Driskell | The David C. Driskell Center, 2006, driskellcenter.umd.edu/about/david-c-driskell.
“Oh Freedom! Elizabeth Catlett.” Smithsonian American Art Museum, americanart.si.edu/education/oh-freedom/elizabeth-catlett. Accessed 31 July 2023.
“Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.” Cincinnati Art Museum, www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/art/exhibitions/exhibition-archive/2022/david-driskell/david-driskell-audio-exhibition/african-images/swing-low-sweet-chariot/. Accessed 31 July 2023.
“Witness: Art and Civil Rights in the Sixties.” Brooklyn Museum, www.brooklynmuseum.org/exhibitions/witness_civil_rights/. Accessed 31 July 2023.
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