This oil painting was created by Benny Andrews and titled "Cotton Choppers" in 1965. This painting is centered around an African-American man standing, with poor posture, surrounded by a dirt field with scattered spots of vegetation. The man is wearing jean overalls and a dirty white t-shirt, holding a hoe in his left hand. Also in the field are two other workers and a lonesome tree that seems to be struggling to live. The dirt field stretches to the horizon, where it meets the light blue sky.
This piece was created in 1965, which was a few years after the abolition of segregation. Benny Andrews, born in 1930, experienced this fight for equality first hand. Although slavery was outlawed for awhile, African-Americans were still treated unfairly by being forced to use different bathrooms, water fountains, restaurants, and public transportation. In his pieces, he often uses memories from his childhood in order for them to leave a lasting imprint. Living through this time period definitely gives Andrews credibility in this field.
This piece has a very depressing feel to it despite its use of multiple bright colors in the scenery. These bright colors cause the shadowy workers to stick out to the observer, helping them feel the physical and emotional pain being felt by the workers. This pain and suffering is also shown through the poor posture of the man wearing overalls. This shows that he is fatigued to the point that standing is starting to become a chore. The woman to the right of him is facing us, holding either her hand or her wrist, allowing us to believe that either her hands hurt from all of her work or she has suffered from an injury. This is also reiterating the idea of pain and suffering in the piece. Along with their pain and suffering, the workers are lacking energy and seem to be lifeless. In the painting, the lack of life and energy is not only shown through the workers, but also through the scenery. The arid ground fails to show many signs of life here, but it also shows the extent of the work for these people. The ground stretches to the edge of the horizon, seeming to never end. This illustrates the immense workload given to these workers and reveals a sense of hopelessness. The vegetation sprouting from the arid ground is quite scarce. Other than the thin rows of cotton plants, the only other vegetation present is the skinny, bare tree standing in the background. This lack of vegetation refers to the lack of life and energy in the workers. Overall, this depressing piece shows the struggles and feelings associated with slavery, and illustrates why this horrible past has been put to an end.
I believe that this piece is illustrating all of the pain and misery felt by the African-American slaves prior to and during the civil war. His use of imagery strongly shows this claim and persuades the observer into thinking this way about the topic.
This was my first time in the Palmer Museum of Art. To be honest, I expected to walk in, find a piece that I could write about, and then walk right back out. The first gallery did not really interest me at all, so I continued in order to find a piece that interested me. After being in the gallery upstairs for a little, I finally was able to analyze each painting, looking deeper than the surface. I was no longer in a rush to leave anymore. The artwork had drawn me in. I was never one to be interested in art museums or any other related activities, but this visit had changed my opinion. I can definitely imagine myself going back again.
