A few weeks ago, I visited the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan. During my time there, my class was given a tour of the Charles White exhibit “A Retrospective”.  I have been to the Museum of Modern Art before but this is the first time that I was fortunate enough to be given a guided tour of an exhibition. I felt that the tour was particularly beneficial to my understanding of the works of Charles White. The tour guide not only told the class about each work that was part of the exhibit but also gave a lot of interesting information about the background behind each of these works. I feel that this information was very constructive as it helped me better understand what the artist of these works, Charles White, was trying to exemplify, and come to a more informed conclusion about the message encoded in each of these paintings. In addition to making me significantly more informed about all the works that were part of the “A Retrospective” exhibit, the tour also sparked a measure of interest in me about Charles White’s history and particularly, how much of the factor it was in what each of his works portrayed.

Charles White was an African American artist who was born in Chicago in the beginning of the twentieth century was most famous for his paintings and murals that portrayed the quality of life of African Americans in his society. To best understand the images he chose to paint, I feel that is very important to know that he was ardent in his belief that art should reflect and draw attention and support against the injustices present in society. In fact, he has said “Art must be an integral part of the Struggle. It can’t simply mirror what’s taking place. It must ally itself with the forces of liberation.” This belief about the purpose of art is very prevalent in the works that are part of the exhibit I saw. For example, in the work above, titled “Soldier”, an African American soldier during World War II is holding his musket with a look of fear and anxiety on his face. The main message that Charles White was aiming to transmit through this work was the unjust and hypocritical nature of the fact that African American soldiers like the one painted in this painting were risking their lives in the fight for freedoms that they were essentially denied at home. This theme of protesting the injustice against African Americans in society is a rather prevalent one in all of White’s works that were a part of the exhibition that I was fortunate enough to see.