Artist Elizabeth Catlett (1915-2012) was born in D.C. She went to the segregated Dunbar High School and graduated from Howard University.
Last night I attended a National Gallery of Art reception celebrating the opening of an exhibit of her work called, A Black Woman Revolutionary Artist and All that It Implies.
Her skill as an artist in all mediums is exceptional. Sculptures large and small are done in stone, bronze, terra cotta and wood. The drawings, prints, oils and pastels are equally expert.
But just as important was the constant purpose for her art. She believed art should be for the public and address the hopes and lives of the people she portrayed.
When she saw the Mexican mural artists on a trip to San Francisco, her work focused on portraying the lives and political struggles of America’s black communities.
The NGA’s hundreds of works are immediately accessible upon viewing, whether literal portraits or abstract sculpture. They communicate feeling and meaning at once.
The terra cotta sculpture below, Tired, captures a woman at rest, her plain clothing suggesting a day of labor. Her long neck and uplifted chin suggest pride. Her folded hands, rest.
This is a very small, even understated, example of some very dramatic sculptures and portraits of hundreds of Catlett’s creations.
It communicates because it is universal in its expression. When have we all not at some point felt this way. Especially those who, like the artist, commit their skills to change the lives, futures and understanding of those society leaves behind, ignores, or persecutes.
Struggle for change in any country is never easy or finished. It is simpler to move on to more traditional roles.
But this exhibit of a lifetime dedicated to a revolution demonstrates a constancy of purpose that enhances every single work.
Elizabeth Catlett is an example of an artistic leader whose life was dedicated to change how we see and remember our country’s past.
If in D.C. visit the National Gallery East Wing for an experience that will be enlightening both for the art and example of a person who never tired fighting for change.
While there will be few who will ever create such a leadership legacy, we all leave examples of our ambitions and passions. Sometimes that motivates persons to spend their professional lives with credit unions. How would you like that work to be remembered?