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Today we celebrate a second Contemporary American Artist, Kerry James Marshall, whose work I first became aware of at the Met Breuer New York in 2016. His exhibition is the largest museum retrospective to date of an American Artist’s works.

Marshall was invited in 2020 by Anna Wintour of Vogue, (alongside Casteel Sunday Edition № 38) to create his cover for the September Issue.

With complete creative freedom to choose whomever he wanted to feature, as well as the art technique used, Marshall created a fictional character. He always does in his paintings.

He dressed her in a white formal evening dress by Off-White (Owner and Lead Designer Virgil Abloh). The dress is amazing, but what your eye goes to first is the face.

This was Marshall’s intention. ‘I’m trying to build into her expression that she’s not dependent on the gaze of the spectator. I’m here and you can see me, but I’m not here for you, I’m here for Hope.’

Growing up, Kerry James Marshall was troubled by a distinct lack of African-American representation in art and in the larger media landscape. Often encountering images of brutality and suffering, he sought to change the narrative by crafting works t…

Growing up, Kerry James Marshall was troubled by a distinct lack of African-American representation in art and in the larger media landscape. Often encountering images of brutality and suffering, he sought to change the narrative by crafting works that acted as a celebration of black life and identity. From depicting children at a July 4th barbecue, to figures slow dancing in their living room, Marshall’s works proved to be tender, powerful, and a welcome addition to the world.

His figures are always rendered in a deep, rich black, inspired by a disarming trend he noticed taking hold in the 1980s. “The only way [Black artists] could stay with the Black figure was by compromising it,” he remarked, “by either fragmenting it, or otherwise distorting it, by making it green, blue or yellow, or some other way to deflect the idea of its blackness.”

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In 1980, Marshall was elevated from important contemporary figure to undisputed master. Kerry James Marshall’s approach to art-as-activism, and the inspiration behind his landmark work can be seen in this work, Self Portrait of the Artist as a Shadow of His Former Self.

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In 2003 Kerry James Marshall created SOB, SOB, now hanging in the contemporary gallery at the American Art Museum. It’s a self explanatory image, until you see the thought bubbles, “SOB… SOB…”

Marshall describes this painting as a reference to his thirst for learning about African American history, which began when he would visit the local library as a child.

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When Frustration Threatens Desire, 1990.

"If you don’t understand the capacity of materials to carry meaning… you’re limited in your range to simple expressions rather than complex ideas."

Kerry James Marshall

Happy Love Day and see you next Sunday as we continue to celebrate Hope during Black History Month.