art21

 Kerry James Marshall

Social commentary/Significant

School of Beauty, School of Culture

School of Beauty, School of Culture, is a beautiful, energetic painting by Kerry James Marshall. The piece is full of life with lots of movement and bright colors. Kerry James Marshall has filled the painting with symbolism referencing black culture. Some examples include the African flag, which is visible from the mirror’s reflection, posters of black artists, and just as all of his paintings, the piece features only black figures. Although only black figures are depicted, a Disney-esque white female is painted in a cartoonish style. The oddly shaped figure of Disney princess Sleeping Beauty is a reference to Hans Holbein the Younger’s double portrait, The Ambassadors. The Ambassadors is a well-known example of an art-historical painting depicting two companions amid an array of detailed art and scientific items. A misshapen skull lies on the ground between them, a reminder of the inevitability of death, hidden inside this celebration of human achievement. The misshapen Sleeping Beauty is a reminder of the inevitability of white women’s beauty standards being placed on women of color. 

Souvenir 1

 Souvenir 1 by Kerry James Marshall is a commemoration of political activists and innocent people who died during the civil rights movement. The top of the painting features a collection of portraits. The portraits include Medgar Evers, an NAACP field representative murdered in Mississippi in 1963. Denise McNair, Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley, the four girls were killed in the 16th Street church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963. Andrew Goodman, James Chaney, and Michael Schwerner, the three civil-rights workers also killed in Mississippi in 1964. Malcolm X, Black Muslim leader killed by rivals, 1965. Black Panthers, Fred Hampton, and Mark Clark, killed by the Chicago police in their sleep, 1969. On the right wall, an unstretched canvas hangs. The canvas is outlined with gold and features three portraits. The portraits include President John F. Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Senator Robert F. Kennedy. All individuals were wrongly killed for the color of their skin or for their displays of political activism.