The month of February is dedicated to Black history. Celebrating all accomplishments spanning from Black scientists, doctors, civil rights activists, artists, and more. The arts have always been a rich part of the African Diaspora.
The Arts have been cathartic in expressing the plight of oppression, discrimination, poverty, and more. They also have provided a way to express love, loss, sadness, peace, and even anger. Through painting, dance, singing, poetry, and writing the Black experience is brought to life.
Black History Painter- Barkley L. Hendricks
One of the most prevalent types of art is visual, such as drawing and painting. some of the most iconic artists in the art world were and are Black. Artists such as Jean-Paul Basquiat, Robert S. Duncanson, and Kerry James Marshall.
One artist to highlight is the wonderful Barkley L. Hendricks. He’s known for his portraits predominantly depicting Black figures.
Hendricks portrays them as self-assured, and powerful. The art reveres Black bodies that were underrepresented in old-world art and the art of his time.
However, he also produced landscapes, and sports art, and dabbled in photography.
He had developed his style through studying European artists abroad as a student. He also took lots of inspiration from the African American culture of the time.
Hendricks mixed traditional techniques such as gold leafing with Indigenous and African art and fashion as well as jazz music. His portraits pop with bright bold colors, realism, and blank backgrounds to bring his subjects to the forefront.
Black Sculptor- Simone Leigh
Another inspirational Black artist is the Chicago-born, history-making sculptor Simone Leigh. Leigh made waves when she was named the first Black woman to represent the U.S. at the 2022 Venice Biennale. It would be the 59th annual fair. Simone Leigh uses subjects such as beauty, strength, colonialism, and Black womanhood as inspiration for her works.
Her sculptures are so well-received and thought-provoking that she won the contemporary art Hugo Boss award from the Guggenheim Museum. Her art has been featured in many major galleries, such as The Kitchen and Hammer Museum.
She aims to celebrate a powerful Black femineity. With large sculptures featuring Black female figures with strong beautiful features and hairstyles such as afros and braids. She stated, “I wanted to express the kind of beauty that was about solidity and strength as opposed to fragility and weakness.”
Black History Singer – Poly Styrene
Music has been so fundamental in the expression of the Black experience ever since negro spirituals and even dating back to tribal cultures. This has caused music within Black history to evolve into different genres and sub-genres. Ranging from jazz, blues, rock and roll, metal, rap, R&B, and more.
One example of a great and niche group is X-Ray Spex. X-Ray Spex is a punk band (not a riot grrrl) with the front singer being Marian Elliot, otherwise known as Poly Styrene.
A Somali-British artist, she and her band brought a new wave to the punk scene. X-Ray Spex ditched the darker and anarchic vibe of the punk scene at the time.
The band brought a more vibrant and lively sound and image, setting them apart from the rest. as well as opening more doors for POC, especially black women in the punk music scene.
Black History Rapper- MF DOOM
Furthermore, another great Black artist to check out this Black history month is the late and great MF DOOM. Daniel Dumile, otherwise known as DOOM, was an American-British Rapper known as a great in the underground alternative hip-hop scene.
His style used a unique blend of wordplay, and samples from music and even movies. DOOM created his persona with the inspiration of Marvel’s villainous character Dr. Doom. He always wore a mask while performing and even forbade anyone photographing him without his iconic mask.
MF DOOM was known to even put “imposters” in his mask and send them in his place at performances. He was said to do this as a “logical extension” of his character DOOM. Furthermore, he professed that his alter ego was a character that he was the “writer and director” of.
He has an extensive discography that ranges from the late 90s to the 2010s. Including cult classics such as “Mm…Food,” “Operation: Doomsday,” and “Vaudeville Villain.” Sadly he had passed in 2020 leaving a lyrical legacy.
Written By Arianna Rathers
Sources:
Frick Exhibits– About the Artist – Barkley L. Hendricks
X-Ray Spex– Poly Styrene
Hip Hop Scriptures– MF Doom
Smithsonian-Meet the First Black Woman to Represent the U.S. at the Art World’s Biggest Fair
Featured Image by Rosa Menkman’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
First Inset Image by JR P’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Second Inset Image by Simon’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Third Inset Image by Andrew Pym’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
fourth Inset Image by Kmeron’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
