Jordan Casteel's Black Lives Paintings

 

When I think about it, I'd say that the predominant public image of African-Americans over the past year is the one presented by the public actions of Black Lives Matter. This, of course, is because of the blanket media coverage of the protests that arose in the wake of the disturbing killing of George Floyd. Thus, the overwhelming impression is that the core thing to know about Black people is that they are strident and angry, and that their fists are always raised in resistance. Add this to the other predominant image -- that of the blinged-out rapper, gangsta or otherwise -- and you get a pretty thin representation of African American life. I mean, I would guess that the average Black BLM supporter doesn't walk around angry all the time. They have lives that they are living, lives filled with the whole range of concerns that arise from acting in the world in accordance with one's dreams, responsibilities, and integrity. 

Some TV shows, such as Black-ish and Insecure, seek to add this kind of nuance. In the art world, there is a whole trend in Black figurative painting that is doing the same, and with the kind of texture and gravitas that in my view are not as readily depicted on screen. A while back I posted thoughts echoing these when I featured works from Lynette Yiadom-Boakye of London who works in this vein. Other big names include Amy Sherald and Kehinda Wiley, who painted Michelle and Barack Obama, respectively. 

One the hottest artists working this terrain is Jordan Casteel, born in Denver in 1989 and now living in Harlem. Above is her painting from 2019 called "Serwaa and Amoakohene." It's huge, 90 x 78 inches, so if you see it in person the figures are essentially life-sized. The work is stylized through the treatment of folds and undulations and shadows; the fabrics add abstraction; and the colors are strong but mellow. The gazes of the sitters are self-assured but not at all confrontational. The sketch-like art on the wall conjures mystery. All in all, a very enticing work.

Since I'm not trained in art, I often orient myself by thinking of corresponding musical movements. Abstraction, my first and deepest love, expresses much of the spirit of jazz, my favorite music. In the 70s and 80s, a lot of the best art was expressive and dynamic in ways that sprang from hip hop and graffiti culture. Basquiat's mixture of graffiti art and expressionism actually was simultaneously hip hop, punk, and jazz in feel. These new works from the Black figurative painters bring in elements of domesticity and, well, happiness that are quite appealing. Too me it's like soul music, like listening to The Temptations Sing Smokey. But that's something their parents would have listened to. So, let's call it Neo-Soul, a thriving genre in its own right.