October Issue 1999
Looking Forward, Looking Black: a Potent Examination
Weatherspoon Art Gallery, Greensboro, NC
A Review
by Amy Funderburk
Currently at the Weatherspoon Art Gallery in Greensboro, NC, is the exhibition Looking Forward, Looking Black. This show is a potent look at the issues of race, cultural identity, and the representation of the African-American throughout this century in society. Sixteen artists, both black and white, examine the issue through various means, including the stereotype, the self portrait, and the reinterpreted image.
Because the issue explored in this exhibit is one of great relevance to the community, a diverse group of community members were asked to select a work and write a brief response to it. Viewers should look for the Greensboro Responds logo and read what those asked thought of certain works. It is important to remember that each viewer comes to a piece of work with his or her own attitudes and experiences; perhaps your take on an image will differ from what you read. There are binders available for all viewers to share their own responses to the show.
Many viewers will recognize certain names here. A large scale acrylic on linen by Leon Golub and beaded works by Joyce Scott are included. While the majority of the works here are from the nineties, the exhibition also includes some earlier pieces. Anonymous, hand colored silver gelatin prints from the first quarter of this century, African-American Family, Tennessee, depict the models as individuals - as subject rather than object. Maria Howard Weeden's watercolors of ex-slaves, dating from the turn of the century, do the same. Works from the 1930's and '40's by former slave Bill Traylor are an important addition to the exhibition.
The figure is an almost consistent element in the show, and is the main subject in several works by Beverly McIver. Her series of four painterly oils Me and Renee are small paintings of faces in extreme close up. A recurring self portrait dominates each image, obscuring Renee's face by varying degrees. McIver depicts herself in blackface; painterly strokes of colors dance among gray and black areas while white is left around the eyes. I found the most intriguing of her works to be the two Loving in Black and White paintings. In Loving in Black and White #5, a Caucasian man sits on a couch, while an African-American woman, another self portrait, lies in his lap. The obvious stereotype of a watermelon slice rests on a shelf in the upper left. The man has one hand on her head, and the other on her chest. One of her hands rests on one of his, and the other on his shoulder. He is painted with more naturalism and volume to the form, while her patterned outfit and blackface contribute to a flatness to her face and figure. What is first viewed as an intimate moment takes on a deeper, more ambiguous meaning the more you look. Is the man embracing her, or holding her down? Is she seen as a "dimensional person?" The other work of this series, Loving in Black and White #4, is equally ambiguous and thought provoking. The self portrait is the main figure in this work, shown from the head to just below the arm. Her prominent warm brown arm makes the blackface all the more obvious. Cradled in her other arm is what you first assume to be a baby. The face of a Caucasian man is mostly obscured behind hers as they share a kiss. Quickly it seems that there is much more here than an intimate family moment. The baby becomes a doll, with porcelain white skin and blonde hair. Are they kissing, or are the lips about to devour? The compositions and enigmatic exchanges between the figures in McIver's works make for powerful statements. They keep you looking, and as a result, they keep you thinking.
Another figurative artist who achieves potency through subtlety is Lesley Dill. Probably my favorite works in the exhibit, Dill's pieces are made of thread, wire on silkscreen, and tea stained netting. The long, diaphanous netting is hung high against the wall, while the remainder spills onto the floor. Upon each surface is depicted an indistinct, ethereal full figure approximately three feet in height. In Transparent Male Eating Words, the figure of a nude black man has his head reared back, eating letters that flow down in a stream. In Double Poem Ghost, a double image nude woman has her arms slightly extended as if to show she is defenseless; she has nothing hidden. Her body is covered with words, the most obvious one being "self." These works achieve their presumed intention through their beauty, for while you are taken with these truly satisfying images and all their airy grace, their emotional impact speaks all the more loudly. Perhaps the man is being forced by those words to be quiet, choke it down, and eat his words. The words on the woman conjure up issues of both literal and metaphoric branding, as well as the concept of self image. The figures have been rendered almost invisible by society.
Another use of the nude female figure is found in Hott-En-Tott Venus, a silver gelatin print by Renee Cox. A beautiful African-American woman is photographed from the side against an empty black background. Her head is turned to us with a self-assured, serious look on her face. She wears large false breasts and buttocks, making an effective statement about the stereotypes of body proportions and sexuality. Beyond the content, this is a well-executed photograph, featuring a wide range of values and textures.
Kara Walker uses cut paper and adhesive on canvas to create her work Burn. The more you look in this work, the more you see, for what seems like a very simple technique takes on mystery and depth of meaning. Black paper is carefully cut in silhouette fashion in the shape of a young girl. We are only given the information of her shadow, but our minds fill in the rest based on what we are presented. Her long eyelashes, pigtails, and the way she extends her hands make her seem innocent and naive. She is caught in the moment of dropping what appears to be either an oil or paint can, which ignites in the flames below. The girl is engulfed in flames, but doesn't seem aware of her plight, while a tall column of smoke rises up the left side of the composition. Within the smoke's billowing shapes, we discover a
Young Picasso and His African Mistress is an oil by Peter Williams. On the left of the composition is a large, shiny, ebony African Goddess figure. She has pointy breasts and full hips, but only a featureless shape for a head. On the right is a nude Caucasian male, presumably Picasso. His facial features are only barely indicated by the slightest shadows. These figures face off within a well-painted, Cubist-inspired version of Picasso's studio or similar room. Several images are taped on the wall, including a volcano, one of Picasso's self portraits, and a devilish face. Littered on the floor are items including a mask and a slice of watermelon. Behind Picasso is a table and a vase of tulips. Several colors are repeated within the composition, especially yellow, which unifies the painting. The Cubist touches create an effective push-pull of depth perception within the space. Paint is applied with a lot of wet on dry, creating rich textures. Peeking in what seems to be a window behind the couple are several voyeuristic but ghostlike figures. This is more than a simple reminder that Picasso was influenced by African masks when he and Georges Braque invented Cubism. It points out that a white man became known as the most influential artist of this century thanks to African esthetic and form.
There are more literal images here also, including the four untitled etchings by Glenn Ligon. In two works, Ligon uses black ink on black surfaces. They each begin with the line, "I am an invisible man...." Two other works are created with black ink on white paper. One repeats the line, "I do not always feel colored," while the other repeats "I feel most colored when I am thrown against a sharp white background." In both of these images, the top lines are crisp, but the words become gradually more and more blurred and indistinct with each line as we read top to bottom. One realizes the awkwardness of the term "colored" when it is depicted in terms of such literal black and white.
Plan to spend some time with this exhibit. It is full of thought provoking works that build important, effective content on the foundations of technique and composition. Looking Forward, Looking Black was organized by Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, New York, and was curated by Jo Anna Isaak. This is the exhibition's only Southeastern venue; it will be on display through October 31. The Weatherspoon Art Gallery is located between Spring Garden and Tate Streets in Greensboro, NC. For more information, call 336-334-5770.
Amy Funderburk is an artist, teacher, writer, art critic, and exhibitions coordinator living in Winston-Salem, NC.
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