Soul of a Nation

 At the Soul of a Nation exhibition in the de young museum in San Francisco, Ca.

One of the most powerful pieces of art was this Sculpture by David Hammons. The simplicity mixed with the choice of material creates a powerful and sticking image that you could smell and almost taste.

One of my favorites at this exhibition, once again because of the choice of material and its simple yet striking final form. The delicacy of the rips in the nylon is impressive to me but most importantly it is the tension that is created by the stretching. This physical tension becomes emotional tension giving the topic at hand. 

This image shows how far the tension of the nylon goes and how such display makes the piece that much more impressive.

 Barkley Hendricks Blood uses this vivid red backdrop to attract the attention of the viewer. It serves more of a purpose than just attract attention but to me, it creates a painting that will catch your eye across the gallery floor. Then after you've come closer to it, the figures relaxed posture and daring stare will captivate your interest. 

Charles Alstons Black and White #7 is to me, one of the most powerful paintings at the Soul of a Nation exhibition. As the first thing that came to mind when I saw this piece was the idea of colonialism. The white paint symbolic of European conquistadors taking over the canvas and surrounding as well as painting over what little black pigment we see in the canvas. The use of directional brushstrokes, as well as overlapping, is what created this feeling fro me. The black pigment symbolic of indigenous people. It is clear that the white has taken over the majority of the canvas and the black paint is being consumed and overrun by it.

One beautiful print!!!

Me at the entrance to the gallery questioning the significance of my smile at the moment.