ooo!! Slave Auction by Basquiat was also in IWTV, what do you think of that!
I just got this one today and I'm pulling it ahead of the queue to talk about it.
Jean Michel Basquiat was a brilliant artist. Much of his work centered on his experiences as a black man in America.
His pieces are heavy, they are deeply cultural. He covered subjects like segregation (Jim Crow), and the relationship between black Americans and the police (The Irony of Negro Policemen and La Hara).
Genuinely and honestly, I'd like you to look inside yourself and ask, why do you want me to review the eroticism of a piece about slavery? I try to keep any personal details on here sparse, but I will say, it isn't my place to do that.
Instead, I'm giving some discussion questions. You don't have to answer these, but I'd like you to consider them in your head, maybe do some looking into this piece and others by Basquiat.
What is Basquiat saying about slavery here?
What do you think the style of this piece says about the artist's view of the history of slavery? How does it enhance the themes of this piece?
Pick a single element of this piece and consider: what does it mean? What is it representing?
Since you brought up the show: What do you think the significance of this painting is for Louis de Pointe du Lac? What do you think the importance is narratively and for the character?
I'd also like to genuinely recommend some work by black artists and about black artists. I encourage my followers to add anything they recommend in the replies or reblogs.
The works of Nick Cave (Forothermore is a good starting point for looking at his work)
Black Art: In the Absence of Light, a 2021 documentary on black artists in America
The work of Kenhinde Wiley (who you can see more about in the documentary An Economy of Grace)
Brooklyn on my Mind by Myrah Brown Green
Wrong is not my Name by Erica N. Cardwell
