#ladyinyellow

My spirit is too ancient to understand the separation of soul & gender – Guro Ntozake (2014) by Margaret Rose Vendryes

I was saddened to learn earlier this week that the beautiful poet and playwright, Ntozake Shange passed away on Oct. 27th at the age of 70. I was reminded of the exhibition I visited two years ago at the African American Museum in Philadelphia. The exhibition was celebrating the 40th anniversary of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf. I loved that book, I loved the television movie, and I loved the play! In the exhibition was this piece by artist Margaret Rose Vendryes. I fell in love with it and so did others because I saw it featured on marketing materials for the exhibition! 

I wrote a short paper on my reaction to the exhibition for a “Race in Museums” course I took in Spring 2017 for Prof. Julie McGee. Here is an excerpt from the paper about the artist and work of art:

Margaret Rose Vendryes is an artist, Associate Professor of Fine Arts and Art History at York College, City University of New York, and Director of Fine Arts Gallery. She is an accomplished lecturer and writer. Souleo’s curational statement included an artist’s statement from Vendryes therefore we understand she created this work in the manner of her The African Diva Project.  She states,

“I was inspired by a commercial image of Ntozake Shange at the premier for the film For Colored Girls and envisioned her wearing a dynamic Guro mask (Cote d’Ivoire) in my collection. The background is Indian yellow inscribed with the words of the poem, which speaks to continuity, enlightenment, and transformation. The sawing of the mask in half not only complements the illusion of the three-dimensional form in my painting, but speaks to Africa divided in the black American mind as part of us and yet foreign. I recognize here a duality. African Americans can both wear Africa with pride as well as ideologically differentiate ourselves from what it means to be of African descent.”

I did not see the duality in the use of the mask in this work of art however now I understand Vendryes concept and it adds more to the meaning of the work of art for me. I was automatically drawn to the work of art for several visual reasons and because of the title of the piece. This work of art is inspired by “no more love poems #4” recited by lady in yellow. This represent the universal theme of self-love and pride of one’s culture. The beauty of the flowery black backless dress, the design of Ms. Shange’s back tattoo, the Indian yellow background color with the words of the poem faintly written vertically down the canvas, the use of an actual Guro mask – one half for her face and the other half as her cane, her bracelet – the details were beautifully rendered in the painting. In one review of Vendryes piece, they quote Hermine Pinson, Associate Professor in English at the College of William and Mary, who states the dress “trailing behind her with a peacock’s unfeigned beauty,” mask, and presence of her “sassy” tattoo speak to the meaning of Ms. Shange’s first name “Walk like a lion.” It also speaks to Ms. Shange’s fictional characters “that creatively bridge distance between spirit and human, and universe and music…. Shange herself is a painter of the word and the canvas…P.S.: Yes, Ntozake does paint. I’ve seen her work.”[1] Yet another connection we can make in the inspiration of this exhibition, Ms. Shange paints as well!

[1] “I Found God in Myself :: IRAAA,” accessed December 4, 2016, http://iraaa.museum.hamptonu.edu/page/i-found-god-in-myself.