Black Belt Postcard by Archibald J. Motley, Jr.

Description

With his complex and stylish portraits and exciting scenes of nightclubs, backrooms, barbecues, and city streets,  Archibald J. Motley, Jr. became on of the most significant artist in the 20^th century.  Motley’s colors and symbolic patterns have inspired modernist peers and even influenced mid-century Pop artists. Archibald J. Motley, Jr. strove to get to the heart of black life in America.

Black Belt  is a reference to a commercial strip of the Bronzeville neighborhood. Motley creates balance through the distinctly colored dresses of three female figures on the left, center, and right of the canvas; the dresses stand out surrounded by the darker blues, blacks, and violets of the people and buildings. The background is made up of a street intersection, several buildings and cars driving in all directions. The figures in the background are just like those standing in the front with their lively clothing and leisurely enjoyment of the city at night.

6″ w x 5″ h