THE YOUNG BLACKS
Oil, 1967, 40 x 30 inches
This collective
portrait of a generation that came of age in the sixties evokes
the vital and conflicting spirit of those interesting years. They
were portrayed here as primarily urban blacks encompassing such
contradictory slogans as "Burn, Baby, Burn" and "Supercool."
They expressed the optimistic idealism of youth with its attendant
impatience. Although they shared youth and enthusiasm with the
white hippie flower children, they saw the need to do their "own
thing." The newness of that was offset by their search for
their traditions through interest in the antiquity of their African
origins and their history in American slavery. Their sense of
oneness led them to address one another as Soul Brother or Soul
Sister. The term Negro with them gave way to be replaced by the
term black and the Afro haircut became a symbol of self identity.
The artist evokes this exciting period with a choice of images
that include anchor fencing, mounted police, the stare of Malcolm
X, the various approaches to reaching audiences with their messages,
and the youthful forthrightness of the young man and woman. It
was a formative time for many leaders.
