Vincent Dacosta Smith, American, 1929 - 2004 Search this
Medium:
oil and sand on linen
Dimensions:
H x W (painting): 29 1/2 × 24 in. (74.9 × 61 cm)
H x W (frame): 31 × 25 1/4 × 1 1/2 in. (78.7 × 64.1 × 3.8 cm)
Type:
oil paintings
Place made:
New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
Date:
1968
Caption:
Vincent Smith was best known for his skill in depicting the complex dynamics of race, resistance, and power during the turbulent decades of the 1960s and 1970s. This painting engages some of the era’s most salient social and political issues. The primary figure casually leans against a wall covered with graffiti phrases such as Vietnam, Black Power, and Soul Brother. The do-rag is a version of a headscarf used primarily by African American men at night to smooth kinky hair and create a wavy, more European texture. Smith’s decision to paint this man wearing a do-rag and surrounded by political terms suggests some of the many pressures faced by black men with regard to issues of patriotism, racial and economic injustice, self-empowerment, and black pride.
Description:
This painting depicts two figures against a wall. The left side of the painting features a figure wearing a red shirt and green cap. A second figure with a goatee is shown in profile in the bottom right corner of the painting. The background of the painting is red and grey with words written in black. Some of the words in the background are "LATER", "SOUL BROTHER", "BLACK POWER", and "Vietnam". Written in black in the top right corner of painting is the signature "VINCENT/6/9."
