In regards to the dispute of whether Dana Schutz’s painting Open Casket, an abstract depiction of Emmett Till in his casket after being lynched, should be destroyed, I personally think it should not. Many people see it being a shameful act for a white person, who has no direct association with Till, to be illustrating black suffering–I disagree. The mere fact that Till’s mother opened the casket in the first place immediately suggests that she wanted her son’s death to be broadcasted, almost to serve as a wake up call that racism and/or black suffering exists and is actually happening as we speak. With this, I believe Schutz interpreting the situation at hand for herself makes it independent of the actual occurrence.
Schutz’s use of abstraction casts a different light on the painting. It sheds a light that captivates the painting’s viewers, evoking different emotions due to her use of color and stylistic approach. Her depiction encourages viewers to empathize with the painting, in a way that is viewable and is not disrespectful in any way. This ties in with the concept Zadie Smith shares in her article “Getting In and Out,” where she points out that “we are inside one another’s skin and intimately involved in one another’s suffering.”1 In other words, regardless of how much one is directly associated with a certain matter, anyone and everyone is still prone to being able to relate and identify with it. In this situation, I believe everyone who views the painting will inevitably feel something towards it because of how easy it is to put oneself into the shoes of Till’s mother or even in Till’s shoes.
Schutz’s decision to create this painting can be seen as a reality check for people, to make it a point to advocate for the lack of attention when it comes to injustice, especially towards the minority. To me, I simply interpret her work to be a move towards change, as she is taking the initial step of addressing the problem and not brushing it off. Change will happen only when it is acted upon.
1 Zadie Smith, “Getting In and Out,” In Harper’s, (New York, 2017), 89.
