Post-Modern Art in 20th-century U.S. Art WEEEK 14

  • Artwork ID: Artist, Title, date, media, dimensions, repository (where it lives) Two sentences explaining the painting's significance to the art movement/culture, the major characteristics, and themes of art

    Artwork ID: Artist, Title, date, media, dimensions, repository (where it lives) Two sentences explaining the painting's significance to the art movement/culture, the major characteristics, and themes of art

    The mural served as the catalyst for the mural movement in the country as it was the first group mural in Chicago. It included a collage of African American heroes and heroines that were sectionalized in areas such as heroes, heroines, and musicians in an attempt to promote Black identity at a time when the mainstream media had very few images of blacks. https://www.artic.edu/artworks/238876/untitled-wall-of-respect
  • Faith Ringgold Black Light Series #10: Flag for the Moon: Die Nigger 1969 Oil on canvas 36” x 18”

    Faith Ringgold Black Light Series #10: Flag for the Moon: Die Nigger 1969 Oil on canvas 36” x 18”

    This painting is a powerful example of protest art from the Black Power movement, using the iconic American flag to critique the nation's violent history of racism and injustice. Its major characteristics include flat planes of color and sharp graphic contrasts, with the word "DIE" subtly written over the stars, challenging the ideals of liberty and equality that the flag represents. https://voca.network/blog/2022/03/21/faith-suffering-and-beauty-an-exploration-of-arthur-jafa
  • Ray Patlan Casa Aztlan 1970 1831 S. Racine Ave Chicago. IL

    Ray Patlan Casa Aztlan 1970 1831 S. Racine Ave Chicago. IL

    The mural is significant to the Chicano art movement and local culture as a powerful symbol of community identity and heritage, featuring Mexican cultural icons to remind viewers of their roots. Its major characteristics include a vibrant, improvisational style and themes of cultural pride, community identity, and resistance against gentrification. https://chicagopublicartgroup.org/project/casa-aztlan/
  • Barbara Jones-Hogu Unite 1971 Screen print 22.5” x 30” National Museum of African American History and Culture

    Barbara Jones-Hogu Unite 1971 Screen print 22.5” x 30” National Museum of African American History and Culture

    This artwork is a consummate example of the AfriCOBRA ethos, embodying the group's visual and theoretical ideals within the broader Black Power movement. Major characteristics include the use of strong silhouettes, limited vibrant colors, bold lettering, and the repeated motif of the raised fist to signify ideals of racial pride, political resolve, and militant unity. https://www.artic.edu/artworks/185757/unite-africobra
  • Betye Saar The Liberation of Aunt Jemima 1972 Mixed Media Assemblage 11.75” x 8” x 2.75” UC Berkeley Museum of Art

    Betye Saar The Liberation of Aunt Jemima 1972 Mixed Media Assemblage 11.75” x 8” x 2.75” UC Berkeley Museum of Art

    The work is a symbol of Black liberation and radical feminist art, credited with launching the Black women's movement. Its significance lies in its powerful re-contextualization of a derogatory, racist caricature into an armed, empowered figure, challenging deep-seated American racism and racial stereotypes through the use of found objects and assemblage. https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/objects/222983
  • Willie Herron & GRONK The Chicano Moratorium (National Chicano Moratorium Committee Against The Vietnam War) 1973, 1979 Estrada Courts Housing Project Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles

    Willie Herron & GRONK The Chicano Moratorium (National Chicano Moratorium Committee Against The Vietnam War) 1973, 1979 Estrada Courts Housing Project Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles

    The mural is significant to the Chicano art movement because it was a dynamic and immediate response to the politics of the day, specifically the 1970 Chicano Moratorium protest against the Vietnam War and police brutality in the barrio. Major characteristics include its monochromatic, photo-realistic montage style, and its themes revolve around political protest, social justice, and historical events impacting the Chicano community. https://lahistoryinmurals.omeka.net/items/show/24
  • Judith Baca The Great Wall of Los Angeles (Click image for video) 1974-1979 Tujunga Flood Control Channel of the San Fernando Valley 2754 ft. length (1/2 mile)

    Judith Baca The Great Wall of Los Angeles (Click image for video) 1974-1979 Tujunga Flood Control Channel of the San Fernando Valley 2754 ft. length (1/2 mile)

    The mural is a significant public art monument rooted in the Chicano/a mural movement of the 1970s and the traditions of 1930s Mexican muralists. Its major themes involve presenting a "people's history" of California from the perspective of marginalized communities, including African American, Asian American, Native American, and Chicano populations, who were often omitted from dominant historical narratives. https://planning.lacity.gov/blog/great-wall-los-angeles
  • Congresso de Artistas Chicanos en Aztlan We Art Not A Minority Mural 1978 Estrada Courts Housing Project Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles

    Congresso de Artistas Chicanos en Aztlan We Art Not A Minority Mural 1978 Estrada Courts Housing Project Boyle Heights, East Los Angeles

    The mural is significant to the Chicano Art Movement as a form of activism that uses public art to challenge the perception of Mexican Americans as a marginalized group. Major characteristics include the use of bold imagery, such as the figure resembling Che Guevara pointing at the viewer, and direct text to convey a powerful political message. https://www.historypin.org/en/explore/geo/37.77493,-122.419416,12/bounds/37.702303,-122.493402,37.847486,-122.34543/paging/1/pin/1180506
  • Yolanda Lopez Portrait of the Artist as the Virgin of Guadalupe 1978 Pastel on Paper

    Yolanda Lopez Portrait of the Artist as the Virgin of Guadalupe 1978 Pastel on Paper

    Explanation: This work is an iconic piece of the Chicano art movement, known for its feminist reinterpretation of the Virgin of Guadalupe, challenging colonial and patriarchal conventions. Major characteristics include the artist depicting herself in modern attire, such as running shoes, to represent contemporary, active women, and the themes revolve around cultural identity, activism, and female empowerment. https://artinamericaguide.com/event/yolanda-lopez-portrait-of-the-artist/
  • Jeff Donaldson Victory in Zimbabwe 1980 Mixed media 41” x 45” Smithsonian American Art Museum

    Jeff Donaldson Victory in Zimbabwe 1980 Mixed media 41” x 45” Smithsonian American Art Museum

    Jeff Donaldson was a pivotal figure in the Black Arts Movement and a co-founder of the AfriCOBRA artists' collective in Chicago. This work displays hallmarks of the AfriCOBRA aesthetic, including symmetrical design, rhythmic patterns, and Afrocentric imagery, celebrating Zimbabwe's independence. https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/victory-zimbabwe-113853
  • Ester Hernandez Sun Mad 1982 Screenprint on paper 20” x 15” Smithsonian American Art Museum Washington, DC

    Ester Hernandez Sun Mad 1982 Screenprint on paper 20” x 15” Smithsonian American Art Museum Washington, DC

    The artwork is significant to the Chicano Arts Movement and culture, using a skeletal figure characteristic of Mexican art to critique the exploitation of farm workers and the use of pesticides. Major themes include social justice, environmental concerns, and the unmasking of agribusiness's "wholesome" image. https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/sun-mad-34712#:~:text=Artwork%20Description,in%20the%20print's%20lower%20register.