Is art for pleasure or politics?
Should art always have deep meaning? Or should it exist simply for beauty’s sake?
This has been a long-standing debate in the art world. Some argue that art without meaning ignores the realities of life, while others believe that beauty alone is enough to move us, to make us feel something.
In Washington, DC, several Black artists explored this dilemma even further, pushing people to think deeper about what art can be.
Watch for a great story ⬆️
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Featuring National Gallery Curatorial Assistant Rashieda Witter (@_rashieda)
#TheHeartOfBlackWashington
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Image Credits
Faith Ringgold, “The American People Series #18: The Flag is Bleeding,” 1967, oil on canvas, 72 × 96 in., Gift of Glenstone Foundation and Patrons’ Permanent Fund
Charles Ethan Porter, “Peonies in a Vase,” 1885, oil on canvas, 18 × 16 in., Gift of William and Abigail Gerdts
Battey, C. M. (Cornelius Marion), 1873-1927, photographer, W.E.B. (William Edward Burghardt) Du Bois, 1868-1963, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division, The New York Public Library. "Alain Locke " The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1906 - 1920.
James E. Purdy, 1859 - 1933, William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, 23 Feb 1868 - 27 Aug 1963, 1907, Photograph, Gelatin silver print, Image/Sheet: 5 9/16 × 3 7/8 in., National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution Restrictions
Ida Jervis, “Alma Thomas working in her studio,” 1968. Alma Thomas papers, circa 1894-2001. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution
Unknown photographer, “Lois Jones,” artist and teacher, 1936/1937, negative, National Archives and Records Administration, The Harmon Foundation Collection.
Scurlock Studio Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Smithsonian Institution
"James V. Herring." Callaloo, vol. 39 no. 5, 2016, p. 1009-1083. Project MUSE
Unknown photographer, “Howard University, art class,” Still Picture Records Section, Special Media Archives Services Division (NWCS-S), Harmon Foundation
Scurlock Studio Records, Archives Center, National Museum of American History. Smithsonian Institution
“David C. Driskell at work in his studio,” 1953, Courtesy of the David C. Driskell Papers at the David C. Driskell Center at the University of Maryland, College Park. Gift of Prof. and Mrs. David C. Driskell
James Herring, “Beach Landscape,” Oil on academy board, 8 1/4 x 12 inches, Circa 1925, The Johnson Collection
Lois Mailou Jones, “The Green Door,” 1981, watercolor over graphite on wove paper, 19 × 24 in., Corcoran Collection (Museum Purchase, William A. Clark Fund)
James A. Porter, “Still Life with Peonies,” 1949, oil on canvas, 40 x 30 1⁄8 in. (101.6 x 76.5 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum
James Lesesne Wells, “Watusi Family,” 1988, color woodcut on laid paper, 17 3/4 x 12 7/8 in., Ruth and Jacob Kainen Collection
Alma Thomas, “Pansies in Washington,” 1969, acrylic on canvas, 50 × 48 in., Corcoran Collection (Gift of Vincent Melzac)
Artist: Dunnie Onasanya, @dunnieo, Image by Pablo Raya