Barkey Hendricks grew up in North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1945.
During a trip to London's National Gallery, In the 1960s, he was deeply moved by Anthony Van Dyck's 1621 Portrait of Agostino Pallavicini. This visit also made him wonder why the black people he saw and knew in his own life weren't in the museum.
His work changed the ideas of how black people were represented and depicted. Showing them as ordinary people such as mothers and sons.(Sargent, Antwaun 2017)
Anthony Van Dyck's 1621 Portrait of Agostino Pallavicini.
This oil on canvas painting with the dimensions 216.2 × 141 cm (85 1/8 × 55 1/2 in.) The colour red stands out from the brown background and also takes up most space on the canvas. It almost looks as if the subject is being swallowed by this red garment. The expression from the subject is not a distressed one, but rather has a calmness. The body of the subject is spaced out and is the key thing we see. This also gives off the element of importance.
In Barkey Hendricks work he depicts lots of portraits, with the subject standing in the centre, giving them a black power aesthetic. You can see where he has been influenced by older European style portraits. From the idea of strong stances and where the subject is looking towards.
One of my favourite piece of artwork from him is Lawdy Mama.
This piece embodies the “black is beautiful” mantra. I love the way in which Hendricks applied metallic gold leaf to a shaped canvas, completely enshrining his subject. The gold leaf gives off an angelic vibe, as it compliments the subject's skin and contrasts the dark and warm colours used in the painting
It almost reminds one of the church stained glass images, as the subjects afro can appear to mimic the look of a halo. The subject is right in the centre of the canvas, allows for a strong impact. However, the way her arms are in the painting does not suggest openness or ease as she holds one arm crossing over her stomach. Yet the expression on the subject face I would describe as neutral. I think this gives a contradicting feeling. One of beauty and strength yet also reserved.
Barkey Hendricks painted the gay black male student in 1972. Has a queer black man he also sought out to represent people like him.(Sargent, Antwaun 2017)
In the portrait, "George Jules Taylor" by Barkley L. Hendricks' Taylor wears a baby blue skull cap, a grey turtleneck under a denim jacket that matches his jeans. He has got his hands on hips, while his bare feet dance off into the foreground with no shadow. This gives his subject the appearance to be floating above it all—blackness and gayness.
The portraits Barkey Hendricks created always had a character to them whether this is because of the outfits the subject's wore or how he chose to paint them.
Reminding people that everyone is human and everyone has different experiences due to circumstances out of their control is inspiring to see.
Bibliography
Sargent, Antwaun (2017) Barkley L. Hendricks Painted Black People As We Are, Apr 24 2017, Available at: https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/aem7yb/barkley-l-hendricks-painted-black-people-as-we-are
(Accessed: 10 Dec 2018).
(Sargent, Antwaun 2017)
Artist/Maker: Anthony van Dyck (1621) Medium: Oil on canvas Title: Portrait of Agostino Pallavicini, Available at: http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/524/anthony-van-dyck-portrait-of-agostino-pallavicini-flemish-about-1621/
(Accessed: 10 Dec 2018).
Barkley L. Hendricks,(1972) George Jules Taylor 1972, Oil and acrylic on cotton canvas, 2323 x 1530 mm, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
(Accessed: 10 Dec 2018).
Barkley L. Hendricks, Lawdy Mama, 1969. Oil and gold leaf on canvas. 53 × 36 inches. Barkley L. Hendricks. Courtesy the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery.
Available at: https://brooklynrail.org/2016/04/art/barkley-l-hendricks-with-laila-pedro
(Accessed: 10 Dec 2018).
Kommentare