Tag: charles white

Charles White’s 1945 mural @michaelrosenfeldart.com

Strong, capable and key to the nation’s economy, this female figure was a highlight of Charles White’s 2018-19 MoMA retrospective.  Now, Michael Rosenfeld Gallery is spotlighting a mural study by White, created for the International Workers Order interracial, co-ed kids summer camp in NJ where White oversaw the art program in the summer of 1945.  An accompanying text highlights this White’s politics and digs into the mural’s complex iconography, which melds west African and Buddhist references with influence from Mexican mural painting tradition.

Charles White, Our Land, egg tempera on panel, 1951.

Charles White at David Zwirner Gallery

Charles White called painting his weapon in fighting racism and poverty in the United States.  His painting of a sharecropper from 1947-48 demonstrates the difficulty of that life and the resilience of the farmers.  Part of an exhibition highlighting White’s last mural – a celebration of the achievements of educator and activist Mary McLeod Bethune – the work exhibits White’s commitment to representational art (when abstraction was becoming the new norm) in service of social change.  (On view at David Zwirner Gallery through Feb 16th).

Charles White, Sharecropper, oil on canvas, 30 x 24 inches, 1947-1948.

Charles White at Michael Rosenfeld Gallery

Titled ‘Juba’ after a West African dance tradition, Charles White’s portrait of this contemplative woman is dynamic though she’s still.  Michael Rosenfeld Gallery’s exhibition of work by White and contemporaries from his wide circle of influence and friendship showcases large-scale drawings like this one from the 60s and 70s, illustrating White’s masterful ability to confer serene wisdom on his characters.  (On view through Nov 10th).

Charles White, Juba #2, Wolff crayon and oil wash on illustration board, 26 ¼ x 36 inches, 1965.