The artwork of Faith Ringgold

The National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington DC is currently exhibiting American People, Black Light: Faith Ringgold’s Paintings of the 1960s (to November 10, 2013).

Faith Ringgold (1930--) painted landscapes around Princetown, Massachusetts from 1957 but, influenced by the Civil Rights movement in the early 60s, she commenced a series of pictures that later she called American People. These are her provocative paintings depicting the Civil Rights and feminist movements of the 1960s.The exhibit at the National Museum contains her three monumental works: The Flag is Bleeding; US Postage Stamp Commemorating the Advent of Black Power; and Die. The images she portrays are extremely dramatic and emotive.

In 1967 she commenced her Black Light series. The works are divided into grids composed of browns and blacks, reds and yellows, and blues and greens such that the images seem to emanate light without the use of the colour white. It is text-based work with profound political messages.

Her strong use of colour creates vivid depth to her paintings as well as making the volatile images seem more striking. I find the depictions of people’s eyes the most mesmerizing feature of her works.

Not included in the exhibition are her children’s book images. Ringgold is also well-known for her story quilts and children’s books, such as the award winning, Tar Beach (1991). Her book illustrations are also amazingly colourful, with wonderful images of children, especially girls. The images here are from her cards, The Art of the Children’s Book.

http://www.faithringgold.com/

http://nmwa.org/

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