Wadsworth Jarrell USA, b. 1929
83 x 66 cm
Further images
The image of Davis is an iconic, enduring image of the Civil Rights movement, and Jarrell frequently created images based on Civil Rights leaders. The painting and print embody all of the key aesthetic goals of AFRICOBRA- the bright "coolade" [sic] colors which complement African skin, the use of text to communicate ideas plainly, the balance of representation and abstraction (to separate the work from Western canon's traditional expectations), the use of "lost and found" lines which carry across the composition, and so forth. The text on Davis is based on one of her speeches, and words found to be empowering. When text can no longer carry through, Jarrell frequently just repeats the letter "B" as a kind of visual texture, and as a flexible variable that could stand for Black, Beautiful, Bad (meaning Good), Boss, and so on.
The prints were made available as part of AFRICOBRA II, based on previous paintings. They've subsequently been featured in a number of exhibitions, including AFRICOBRA: Nation Time, a collateral exhibition of the 2019 Venice Biennale. The total edition was 300, with 18 artist proofs, and 17 color trial proofs. Unfortunately, a large number of the editions has been lost to time.
Provenance
Artist's StudioKavi Gupta, Chicago
Exhibitions
Africobra 50, Kavi Gupta, Chicago, June 2018Africobra Message to the People, North Miami Moca, September 2018
Africobra Nation Time, Venice Biennial, May 2019