Rough Draft The 1960s were marked by the intense Civil Rights Movement that largely impacted the entire country. As African Americans continued to fight for racial equality and against oppression, artists used their arts as a means of getting involved and enhancing the movement. Many African American artists of the time were creating works of art that expressed the turmoil and injustice of that period. Nevertheless, the mere expression of the injustice that African Americans were experiencing due to racism and discrimination wasn’t enough: African Americans not only had to have their voices heard, but they also had to firmly reestablish their African American culture, their African American identity. Understanding the importance in both exposing …show more content…
the injustice and transforming the image of African American culture, Faith Ringgold created works of art that aimed to do exactly that. One way to understand how Ringgold’s work achieved the exposure of injustice and the establishment of African American culture is by viewing her work as activist art and through Lucy Lippard’s definition of activist art.
According to Lippard, activist art is a movement for cultural democracy, and a way of giving a voice to the seemingly invisible and powerless victims of social and political injustice. In Ringgold’s work, one can see these components in the transition of her work: in the early 60’s, she created work that gave voice to the injustices experienced by African Americans, while in the late 60’s she created work that to establish and transform African American identity and culture- a movement for cultural democracy. By creating art that not only gave a voice to the suffering of African Americans but that also helped establish a firm sense of African American identity, Ringgold’s work helped mobilize the civil rights …show more content…
movement. Born in 1930, Ringgold grew up during the Great Depression and was exposed to the thriving artistic culture of the Harlem Renaissance (National Museum). Growing up as an African American woman during this period, Ringgold was not only inclined to unjust treatment for being African American but also for being a woman. Amid her exposure to so much injustice, Ringgold found solace in art, but the practice of art also suffered from the social symptoms of the time as it was very western-oriented and had a limited access. Ringgold argues that the art training she received in school was “entirely conservative and traditional”, and mostly focused on Western art. Ringgold explained, “I appreciated the beauty of European art.... But I understood it wasn’t my heritage...most black people who are artists have the same problem.” Evidently, the art culture during this period was very limited and heavily focused on western culture, thus, many African American artists like Ringgold felt that they needed to break free from this limited and western-oriented art culture; they wanted to make works of art that reflected their own African American identity and culture. This need to establish what it means to be African American was not only prevalent in the art realm- it was also significant to American society of that time period. After all, the Civil Rights Movement underwent two phases. The early stage of the movement was filled with riots and protests that were meant to expose the social injustice that African Americans were suffering. After making their voices heard, they then proceeded to the second phase in which they had to firmly establish their African American identity and through movements like “Black Power” and “Black is Beautiful.” Using her art as a means of reinforcing and supporting each phase of the civil rights movement, Ringgold’s activist art during the civil rights movement can be identified in the transition between her American People Series, and her Black Light Series. Her American People Series was created in the early 60’s, in the early phase of the Civil Rights Movement, while Black her Light Series was made in the later phase of the movement. In American People Series, Ringgold experienced firsthand the arising interracial tension between blacks and whites, inspiring her to create art that made statements about the civil rights movement and what was happening to African Americans at the time. Therefore, her goal for this first series was to create art that exhibited this experience and make it “super real” (NMWA). This first series was intended to do what Lippard states: to give voice to seeming powerless victims of social injustice, to give voice to African Americans. For example, The Flag is Bleeding made a direct statement on the current tension that was being felt during the beginning of the movement. The six-by-eight foot painting displays three different figures that recede into the background of a bleeding American flag (NMWA): a black man, a white man, and a white woman. In the painting, all three figures are interlocking each other’s arms but her depiction of each character marks the tension that exists among them. The woman is “dwarfed” in the middle by the black male figure to her right and white male figure to her left. The black male figure has placed his right hand over his heart, revealing a bleeding wound on his chest. The black man also firmly clutches a knife with his left hand, as if he’s expecting more attacks and prepares to defend himself. The white man is presented through an aggressive stance and dominant size to signify the white male power structure of the time period and imply the stubborn continuation of racial segregation. This work emphasized Ringgold’s overall concerns with the racial tension that was arising in America. By portraying the figures interlocking each other by the arms, she shows the irony of how although all three figures are united under the American flag, the differences among them have caused the spilling of blood and oppression. According to National Museum, Ringgold ultimately created this work to “question the notion of an American identity for blacks or people of color under the harsh circumstances of racial discrimination and oppression.” *I will provide more examples from this series and make use same analytical strategy as I did in the previous example* After the riots and protests, the Civil Rights Movement had to take a further step in order to reach racial equality: it had to make the firm establishment of African American culture and identity.
After all, they couldn’t just remain in a cycle of riots and protests, they had to move forward and establish the African American identity. Ringgold had an understanding of this, and thus, created the Black Light Series. In this later series, she created work that reflected the movement’s transition into its second phase- the phase focusing African American identity. In the late 60s, Ringgold explains: “America was changing in the summer of 1967. We were moving out of the civil rights period and were at the start of the Black Revolution.” Ringgold’s work also proceeded through the same transition and joined this Black Revolution in empowering the African American
culture. In her Black Light Series during the late 60s, Ringgold makes it clear that she was creating art as “a way of expressing on canvas the new ‘black is beautiful’ sense of ourselves.” For example, her Love Black Life painting is part of the series and made it quite clear that the intention of her artwork was indeed to celebrate black culture. Having the phrase “love black life” appear repeatedly throughout the painting serves to remind not only African Americans, but anyone who saw the painting to appreciate and love the black culture. Another work from this series that celebrates African American identity is the painting Big Black. In this work, Ringgold experiments with the concept of physiognomy and how it’s used to characterize different ethnicities. The painting is a face that imitates the characteristics of African masks and by using a range of black colors tinted with red, brown, blue, yellow and green pigments, Ringgold shows how the range of black colors have the capacity to emanate light (NMWA). As African Americans looked into this kind of art that reflected their identity and their legacy, one can argue that the message behind this painting helped them gain a more secure sense of their culture and identity.
Although Barnes’ marriage was not a successful one, he adored his newborn baby girl, and was heartbroken when his wife left him, taking his daughter with her. At North Carolina College, Barnes majored in art, and developed his own style (Artist Vitae, 1999). When Barnes was a freshman in college he went on a field trip to the newly desegregated North Carolina Museum of Art. At the museum Barnes noticed that there weren’t any works by black artist displayed, and when he asked the guide where the black artists were exhibited, the guide responded, “your people don’t express themselves this way” (Artist Vitae, 1999). That negative response encouraged Barnes to work hard at becoming an artist.
The plight of the civil rights movement stands as one of the most influential and crucial elements to African-American history. We can accredit many activist, public speakers, and civil rights groups, to the equality and civil rights that African-American men and women are able to have in this country today. We see repeated evidence of these historical movements describes in fiction, plays, TV, and many other forms of media and literature. An artistic license is provided to many authors developing these concepts amongst their writing. When examining specific characters and literary works you can see an indirect comparison to the personality traits, actions, decisions, and journey to that of real-life historical figures.
Emory Douglas was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, until 1951 when he and his mother relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area. At the time San Francisco was the hub of African American organizations that arranged events aimed at overthrowing the social injustices within the Bay Area’s black communities. As a minor immersed within the community Douglas became captivated by Charles Wilbert White, an African American social realist artist whom created various monochrome sketches and paintings, “transforming American scenes into iconic modernist narratives.” Not long after, Douglas was incarcerated at the Youth Training School in Ontario, California where he spent countless hours working in the penitentiary’s printery. It was not until the mid-1960’s when Douglas registered in the City College of San Francisco, majoring in commercial art and graphic design. Soon after, Douglas went to a Black Panthers rally, where he encountered Bobby Seale and Huey Newton; during ...
The concepts of Reform and Revolution are nearly polarizing by their very nature, with one seeking to modify, and the other seeking to destroy and rebuild. If an organized Black movement was to find itself in an opportunistic position -whatever that may be- with which to attempt a radical movement (in either case; reform or revolution, the resulting movement would need to be large and radical if it would hope to accomplish its goals before the opportunity for change ceases to present itself) it would only serve to befall their efforts if they found themselves in a splintered state of conflicting ideologies. But, in either case, be it reform or revolution, a reconfiguring of the thought processes behind how one looks at the nature of American politics is undoubtedly necessary in order to look into the potential for future Black liberation.
It is getting the people of the community to support the revolution and make for a better life. In the essay it states, “Black art must expose the enemy, praise the people and support the revolution” (52). Black art is important to the survival of the black culture and the key to a better life, by revolution. Ron Karenga relies the message that a black aesthetic is essential to the revolution, in that it will help to judge the validity of the art in the black culture. If art is not to support the black revolution, it is invalid and useless to the community. This aesthetic will set guidelines for art and help to make art more focused on the revolution to help the community thrive. Karenga wants all art to support the revolution, no matter the art it needs to support the revolution or it is invalid to the black aesthetic. The artwork must be functional in getting its message through to the audience and inclining them to support and participate in the revolution, because in the end it will only help them get to a better
McGuire, Danielle L. At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance- A New History of the Civil Rights Movement from Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power. New York, New York: Vintage Books. 2011.
George Schuyler’s article “The Negro Art Hokum” argues that the notion of African-American culture as separate from national American culture is nonsense. To Schuyler, all seemingly distinct elements of African-American culture and artistic endeavors from such are influenced by the dominant white American culture, and therefore, only American. The merit of Schuyler’s argument stems from the fact that it is practically impossible for one culture to exist within the confines of another without absorbing certain characteristics. The problem with Schuyler’s argument that Langston Hughes notes in his response article, “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain,” is that it assumes complete assimilation of African-Americans by a singular national culture. Fundamental to Hughes’ rebuttal is the allowance of a unique African-American culture extant of the standards of a singular American cultural identity. For Hughes, this unique culture lies within the working-class, out of sight of the American national culture. This culture, while neither completely African nor American, maintains the vibrant and unique roots of the African-American experience. Schuyler advocates cultural assimilation, while Hughes promotes cultural pluralism, in which minority cultures maintain their distinctive qualities in the face of a dominant national identity.
My topic is God Bless America of Faith Ringgold. She is an African-American artist. She is not only a painter but also a writer, speaker and mixed media sculptor. Faith Ringgold was born on October 8th 1930 in Harlem, New York City and she is still alive. God Bless America is one of the most famous arts of Faith Ringgold that was produce in 1964. In that art, she used the oil on canvas and the dimension is 31x19 in. The subject of Faith Ringgold’s God Bless America is the woman on the background of American flag. There is another reason that make God Bless America became popular at that time. At that time, there was a Civil Right movement because the white prejudice against African American was enforced by the legal system. Therefore the theme
Ogbar, Jeffrey. Black Power Radical Politics and African American Identity. Baltimore: John Hopkins UP, 2004, 124.
Black art forms have historically always been an avenue for the voice; from spirituals to work songs to ballads, pieces of literature are one way that the black community has consistently been able to express their opinions and communicate to society at large. One was this has been achieved is through civil disobedience meeting civil manners. In this case, it would be just acknowledging an issue through art and literature. On the other hand, there is art with a direct purpose - literature meant to spur action; to convey anger and shock; or to prompt empathy, based on a discontent with the status quo. That is, protest literature. Through the marriage of the personal and political voices in black poetry and music, the genre functions as a form
The aspect of African-American Studies is key to the lives of African-Americans and those involved with the welfare of the race. African-American Studies is the systematic and critical study of the multidimensional aspects of Black thought and practice in their current and historical unfolding (Karenga, 21). African-American Studies exposes students to the experiences of African-American people and others of African descent. It allows the promotion and sharing of the African-American culture. However, the concept of African-American Studies, like many other studies that focus on a specific group, gender, and/or creed, poses problems. Therefore, African-American Studies must overcome the obstacles in order to improve the state of being for African-Americans.
African-American music is a vibrant art form that describes the difficult lives of African American people. This can be proven by examining slave music, which shows its listeners how the slaves felt when they were working, and gives us insight into the problems of slavery; the blues, which expresses the significant connection with American history, discusses what the American spirit looks like and teaches a great deal from the stories it tells; and hip-hop, which started on the streets and includes topics such as misogyny, sex, and black-on-black violence to reveal the reactions to the circumstances faced by modern African Americans.
During the 1940’s, the world found itself dealing with World War II and in the United States ,a huge African culture movement swept throughout the north-eastern states. One specific artist that captivated the “Nightlife” of African Americans during that era was Archibald Motley Jr. He painted a series of paintings that involved African Americans and their culture. In the painting, “Nightlife” we see a group of African Americans dancing at a club/bar, enjoying life, and swaying their hips to the music. Perhaps, in this painting, Motley wanted his public to notice the breakthrough, blacks had during the 1940’s and wanted to show how music took their mind on a different stroll apart from the troubling issues the world was dealing with. Archibald wanted the world to notice the dynamic and exciting Negro culture.
The New Negros therefore shared the same overall goal as black intellectuals such as DuBois, but believed that black artists should focus on presenting the reality and beauty of the “black human experience” instead of an idealized vision of what life should be. Ultimately, the transition from “political” art to that which held creativity in high esteem was complex and divisive. Fortunately, just as Dubois emerged as the primary advocate of the former Political Theatre, so too would Alain Locke help guide the New Negros to support the idea of Art Theatre. Alain Locke’s support of the New Negro Movement helped convince African Americans to move away from the propagandistic ph... ...
Standley, Anne. "The Role of Black Women in the Civil Rights Movement." Women in the Civil Rights Movement: Trailblazers and Torchbearers, 1941-1965. By Vicki L. Crawford, Jacqueline Anne. Rouse, and Barbara Woods. Brooklyn, NY: Carlson Pub., 1990. 183-202. Print.