Black Artists

The month of February is a month honoring Black people and culture in the United States. In this article, we will be talking specifically about Black Artists. Many Black Artists use art to portray different stories and experiments they have gone through as black individuals. These people include Jean-Michel Basquiat, Faith Ringgold, and Kara Walker.

Jean-Michel Basquiat:

Jean-Michel Basquiat was a painter in the early 1980s. He was a neo-expressionist painter and was known for his unique painting style. Basquiat was known for his graffiti under the name of “SAMO” In New York City. He frequently used a crown motif in his work, because it was his way of demonstrating and acknowledging Black people as powerful and beautiful. According to Biography.com, Basquait considered black people as "Deeming them as saints.” However, in the late 1980s, Basquait died due to a drug overdose on August 12th, 1988. An anonymous person stated, “I always liked his art and drawing style, but I never knew he died at such a young age.”

Faith Ringgold:

Faith Ringgold was born on October 8th, 1930. At 91 years old, she is known for her amazing art inspired by her personal and political beliefs. Throughout her years in school, she was inspired by art. She was also vocal about the Civil Rights Movement. According to the New York Times, Ringgold said “I’ve been waiting for the inspiration that can help me inspire others.” One of her most special pieces was called American People Series #20Die, inspired by Guernica, which was hung up by a wall with other special paintings.

Kara Walker:

Kara Walker is an American painter and is best known for artistic silhouette drawings. Her art emphasizes racial stereotypes being portrayed throughout history. I’ve seen many of her drawings at school (on posters, books, etc.). I love her silhouette drawings because they emphasize simplicity. Walker’s art also shows the history of slavery in the south and the experiences black people endured. Walker states, “I think really the whole problem with racism and its continuing legacy in this country is that we simply love it. Who would we be without the ‘struggle’?”