Walking into the fifth floor of the MoMA, this piece by Faith Ringgold immediately caught my eye. The violence that embodied this piece stood out to me in a chaotic manner that it was presented under. I immediately noticed the contrasting colors from the grey shade in the background to the white dress shirts the men are wearing and the orange dresses that the women are wearing. The painting evidently displayed the racial violence that is occurring between white and black people. There are blood stains on the white shirts and orange dresses. Ringgold carefully chose these colors and people dressed in business attire to represent the more upper-class American society. It shows the hidden racial violence that occurs in all areas of society. This piece of work addresses the tense race relations and Ringgold’s fear for the racial violence that will continue to filter through to society. There is a contrast between the trickling red blood that is leaking onto the crisp white dress shirts. The white people and the black people are pitted against each other and attacking each other using weapons such as guns and knives.
What I did not notice until I looked more closely in the artwork was the children in the middle of the canvas. There is a black and white child crying in the middle of this chaos, clearly fearing for their lives. This painting makes me feel uneasy because of the violence that is occurring around these children. Yet, it seems like no one is listening or caring or paying attention to them. Everyone is wrapped up and concerned with themselves. The painting makes me feel unsettled because of the facial expressions of fear in everyone’s faces, especially the children. They do not understand why there is so much violence and hate that surrounds them in this world.
I like how the painting portrays something real that is happening in the world around us. Ringgold modeled her painting after the race riots that occurred in the United States in the 1960s but is something that can still be applied to today’s society. I think that the facial expressions played a significant role in the way that the painting was portrayed. It makes the painting much more serious and urgent. Their facial expressions are of pure fear. Additionally, bringing the children into the piece of work, which creates a longer lasting impact.
Hey, Jessica! Wow! I really enjoyed reading your take on this mural painting by Faith Ringgold. I thought it was interesting how you noticed things like the addition of children, the business apparel, and the facial expressions and you were able to draw conclusions from those subtle details. I liked how you brought up how the innocence of the children adds another layer to the horror, because these kids have no idea why there is so much violence yet they are subject to it at such a young age. Racial violence is always a very serious issue, whether it’s in the 60s or today, and it is through graphic works of art like this that really spark a conversation that needs to be had. We cannot sit around and pretend like everything is okay when there are things like this happening all around us.