Shantay Robinson
When thinking about stellar visual artists, the 2017 MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship winner, Kerry James Marshall should be in front of mind. His 2016 - 2017, retrospective “Kerry James Marshall: Mastry,” that traveled to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, and Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago solidified his status in the artworld as an art master. It is not surprising his painting Past Times (1997) broke a record by selling at the highest price for an artwork by a living Black artist: $21.1 million.
Past Times (1997)
Marshall’s paintings are akin to the work of the old masters of foregone early European art movements who depict narratives from the Bible and history in their paintings. History paintings are the foundation Marshall builds on, but instead of historical events or well-known stories, he relies on depicting Black people in everyday moments. Looking at his paintings is like being an ethnographer in Black spaces. He sort of invites the eye of the observers to see the similarities and differences between us. And Black people are central in the artworks, placed in museums, and regarded as valuable. Within centuries of historical paintings, Black bodies did not appear unless they existed on the periphery servicing white people in some way.
Jan Verkolje, Johan de la Faille (1674)
From picnicking to clubbing, Marshall’s main objective is to portray Black people with a sense of normalcy. It’s unfortunate that he has to actively attempt to present the Black presence as normal. In his paintings, Black people are their full selves -- unbossed and unbothered. But he also embues his paintings with cunning allegory. Every element on the canvas adds to the narrative. As an African American man, he’s experienced the Watts Riots firsthand. He was brought up during the Civil Rights Movement and lived close to the Black Panthers’ headquarters. So, he feels a sense of responsibility to make art that has people think about their lived conditions.
In the Absence of Light’ Reveals a History of Neglect and Triumph (2014)
Marshall is most notable for his usage of black paint to depict Black people. To the untrained eye, black is black. But Marshall uses variations of the color black in his paintings. He admits that before application, there is little distinction between the varied shades, including ivory black, carbon black, iron oxide black. But when looking at the paintings, these shades are obviously different, used to depict skin, hair, and clothing. The different shades announce themselves only when Marshall places them on the canvas.
He is known to have said, “People ask me why my figures have to be so black. There are a lot of reasons. First, the blackness is a rhetorical device. When we talk about ourselves as a people and as a culture, we talk about black history, black culture, black music. That's the rhetorical position we occupy.”
Untitled (Beach Towel) (2014)
Kerry James Marshall's art will have an enduring legacy in art history, becoming as important as artists that are widely known, such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Pablo Picasso, and Andy Warhol. His paintings convey a mastery of thought, exemplifying his understanding of the subject matter, as well as the techniques needed to be regarded as a master painter. Kerry James Marshall is not a great Black artist. He’s a great artist, period.
In 2023, Kerry James Marshall is set to complete the replacement of the stained-glass windows at Washington DC’s National Cathedral. The former stained-glass windows depicting confederate soldiers, Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson was gifted to the church by The United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1953. It has been overlooked for years. Though he’s never worked in the medium of stained-glass, it will be exciting to see his thoughtful contribution. Marshall says, “This project is not just a job – I don’t need to work – or only a piece of art. It’s kind of a calling, and a real honor to be asked.”
Kerry James Marshall was born in 1955 in Birmingham, Alabama. His family later moved to South Central, Los Angeles. He was mentored by the famed visual artist, Charles White. And he earned a Bachelor of Fine Art from Otis College in 1978.