Shedding Light on "Black Art"

 Bonsoir,

As Black History Month draws to a close, I'd like to take this opportunity to tell you about an exciting documentary released this year: "Black Art: In the Absence of Light" (2021).

Although relatively short, as movies go, at only an hour and 25 minutes, this documentary is ambitious and dense.  It provides not only an overview of many living Black American artists and their breathtaking work, but also the history of major exhibitions of Black art, the importance of Black art collectors, the role of institutions such as museums and historically Black colleges and universities in the support and survival of Black art and artists, and the lineage of Black artists over centuries of an American history that often fails to acknowledge their accomplishments and contributions.

As I watched "Black Art", I found myself frequently pausing the film to study the featured pieces and hunt around on social media for opportunities to follow living, working Black artists with whom I wasn't previously familiar.  It was such a pleasure to be introduced to artists whose work is stunning and inspiring.  The film is also an impactful reminder of how much work major artistic institutions have to do to enhance the visibility of artists of color and broaden society's assumptions about who creates great works of art.

Some artists who have received considerable public attention in recent years who are featured in "Black Art" include Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald, who famously painted the official portraits of former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama.  Another artist I was happy to see mentioned, albeit briefly, was photographer Gordon Parks.  I had previously learned about Parks's work because his foundation funded a fellowship for a local photographer, Devin Allen, whose work I love.

This movie is truly a delight for the senses.  For anyone wanting a crash course in exceptionally good art, I highly recommend watching "Black Art: In the Absence of Light".  I gave the film a 4.

You can find it on HBO.

{Heart}