Art Quote by Kerry James Marshall
![“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)
“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 tempera, and then use a repertoire of classical compositional devices to make the picture was a way of setting up an engagement with art history.”
About This Quote
Source Painting: Portrait of the Artist as a Shadow of His Former Self, 1990
The work critiques stereotypical depictions of Black figures by re‑contextualizing them in classical technique, prompting dialogue with art history.
In simple terms: It uses classic style to challenge modern stereotypes.
Key Takeaway
Use traditional methods to question contemporary biases.
Themes
art history
stereotype
representation
technique
Mood
thoughtful
critical
Type
analytical
interpretive
When to use this quote
- museum exhibitions
- art education
- curatorial practice
- public debates
Key Concepts
classical composition
cultural critique
identity
visual rhetoric
Questions to Reflect On
- How does classical technique alter the meaning of a modern subject?
- What responsibilities do artists have when re‑imagining stereotypes?
A Different Perspective
May still be read as reinforcing the very stereotypes it seeks to critique.
![“I want people to understand that this is a very calibrated image [Portrait of the Artist as a Shadow of His Former Self ], where point by point, very little is left to chance.” quote by Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/970/kerry-james-marshall-5157_art_i-want-people-to-understand-that-this-is_2009456.jpg)
![“[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)
![“Anaximenes and Anaxagoras and Democritus say that its [the earth's] flatness is responsible for it staying still: for it does not cut the air beneath but covers it like a lid, which flat bodies evidently do: for they are hard to move even for the winds, on account of their resistance.” quote by Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c55/aristotle-78_accounts_anaximenes-and-anaxagoras-and-democritus_1311623.jpg)
![“In [Ralph] Ellison's case, it's more psychological than it is phenomenal, and it's conditioned by anger, animosity, and lack of desire to engage with the black body. There was always simultaneity that had nothing to do with visuality. You can be there and not be there at the same time and be fully…” quote by Kerry James Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a13/kerry-james-marshall-5157_animosity_in-ralph-ellison-s-case-it-s-more-psycho_338598.jpg)
