Art Quote by Kerry James Marshall
“I used to always say - and I think a lot of artists think of it this way - that when you see a black figure, the way the critical establishment operated, you can only imagine that figure having a sociological value. They never say the ways in which their aesthetics were equally worthy of consideration.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Art Critique Forum, 2016
He critiques how black figures are valued only for sociological significance, ignoring their aesthetic worth.
In simple terms: Black art often reduced to social commentary.
Key Takeaway
Advocate for aesthetic appreciation of marginalized art.
Themes
representation
art criticism
cultural value
Mood
analytical
advocacy
Type
artistic
social
When to use this quote
- galleries
- educational curricula
- public discourse
Key Concepts
aesthetic merit
social context
Questions to Reflect On
- How can critics broaden their evaluative lens?
- What platforms can showcase aesthetic value?
A Different Perspective
Changing entrenched critical frameworks is slow.
![“[My picture A Portrait of the Artist as a Shadow of His Former Self ] was a way of demonstrating that there was a broad range of possibilities and fairly unlimited utility for a black figure that didn't have to comprise its blackness in order to preserve a place in the field of representation.” quote by Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b2d/kerry-james-marshall-5157_art_my-picture-a-portrait-of-the-artist-as-a_2641070.jpg)
![“If you look at the image [ Portrait of the Artist as a Shadow of His Former Self ], it treads on a kind of popular stereotypical image of the black figure, in both its flatness and slightly comic edge. To take that image as a starting point and to render it in a proto-classical medium, like egg…” quote by Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/584/kerry-james-marshall-5157_art_if-you-look-at-the-image-portrait-of-the_829024.jpg)
