Memory
The background of the photo is gloomy, shrouded and full of dim, it shows a kind of vibe, the dark seems represent the story that Rashid wants to tell, a part of black history. The black man with fluffy hair is a lawyer, which is the most socially acceptable of roles at that time. Even he look straight to the camera, still, his eyes are dull. At the same time, his eye is moist and a little blurred, There are almost tears. He seems look at you, or like nothing. However, there is sill residual strength in his eyes. The corners of this mouth were closed tightly, his rough skin gleamed in the black photo, he looks like a sculpture, there is a solemn feeling in this photo, maybe is because of the theme, maybe is because of his expression.
The wear of him is normal, professional lawyer suit. He wears a plover suit and a tie, which looks like silk. There are folds on the tie. The most interest part of the painting is the cross on the front. It painted with white oil paint. This is an iconic logo of public enemy, the brushwork is casual, at the same time powerful. The superfluous paint trick down fluently down the canvas. The art piece is framed in a black frame. The edges of the surrounding area have been torn apart.
This is an art piece created by Rashid Johnson and this is conceptual post black art which he specialized in. This is a painting about the story of black man in United States. Rashid use two different way to create this artwork, paint and photograph, which interests me and the iconic logo has very powerful impact to people. Black photo create a serious vibe and made this work more ceremonial. The stroke of the logo seems casual, but there is strength in it, it contains faith. Black photo is a better way to show the shade of people, like the shade at the corner of the eye, the shade in man’s eyeball and shade under the eyebrow. At the same time human face present more corner angles, make people looks with inflexible will. In this photo, the express in this black man’s eye is lackluster, seems to be compromise the facts. There is helpless， there is a little remaining faith. There is a deeply conflict in this photo. Lawyer is one of the most decent occupation in American. However, the man who wear this suit is a black people. Rashid place the logo in front of this black man’s face, it gives people a more intuitive feel about the injustice in this event. I think the creator wants to wake people up from patience and disregard and this art work is a good reminder for people to reflect about that time and to truly regret.
