Political Art of the Black Panther Party: Cultural Contrasts in the Nineteen Sixties Countermovement

Location

CSU 202

Start Date

27-4-2009 8:00 AM

End Date

27-4-2009 10:00 AM

Student's Major

Art

Student's College

Arts and Humanities

Mentor's Name

Alisa Eimen

Mentor's Department

Art

Mentor's College

Arts and Humanities

Description

The Black Power Movement found its beginning in the late fifties with sit-ins and freedom rides, which conveyed a new racial consciousness within the black community in the United States. However, these initial forms of protest were non-violent. The civil rights movement did not see a great deal of violence until nineteen sixty five when Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale founded the Black Panther Party. Through the pages of the Party's weekly newspaper the Black Panther, resident artist Emory Douglas used his drawings to persuade action and vengeance. His work was similar in style to the work of Pop artists Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol. While these artists thrived in the culture of the nineteen sixties, Douglas was widely unpopular, or rather unrecognized, despite what I will argue is an obvious resemblance. In contrast to Douglas' work, critics wanted to see non-resistant ideas portrayed in art. These could be foimd in the work of Warhol and Lichtenstein. But even when Warhol's work began to convey images of race and violence there was no change in his popularity. This begs a comparison between the popularity of Douglas and Warhol, as they both depicted scenes of violence. Upon comparison, the conclusion that Douglas' art was unacceptable for discriminatory reasons, lack of an influential audience, and also for its subject matter, which transformed the weak protestor into an armed and powerfiil force, can be reached. Women's role in the Party will also be discussed in comparison to the typical image of the female in the nineteen sixties culture.

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Apr 27th, 8:00 AM Apr 27th, 10:00 AM

Political Art of the Black Panther Party: Cultural Contrasts in the Nineteen Sixties Countermovement

CSU 202

The Black Power Movement found its beginning in the late fifties with sit-ins and freedom rides, which conveyed a new racial consciousness within the black community in the United States. However, these initial forms of protest were non-violent. The civil rights movement did not see a great deal of violence until nineteen sixty five when Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale founded the Black Panther Party. Through the pages of the Party's weekly newspaper the Black Panther, resident artist Emory Douglas used his drawings to persuade action and vengeance. His work was similar in style to the work of Pop artists Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol. While these artists thrived in the culture of the nineteen sixties, Douglas was widely unpopular, or rather unrecognized, despite what I will argue is an obvious resemblance. In contrast to Douglas' work, critics wanted to see non-resistant ideas portrayed in art. These could be foimd in the work of Warhol and Lichtenstein. But even when Warhol's work began to convey images of race and violence there was no change in his popularity. This begs a comparison between the popularity of Douglas and Warhol, as they both depicted scenes of violence. Upon comparison, the conclusion that Douglas' art was unacceptable for discriminatory reasons, lack of an influential audience, and also for its subject matter, which transformed the weak protestor into an armed and powerfiil force, can be reached. Women's role in the Party will also be discussed in comparison to the typical image of the female in the nineteen sixties culture.

Recommended Citation

Seifert, Melissa. "Political Art of the Black Panther Party: Cultural Contrasts in the Nineteen Sixties Countermovement." Undergraduate Research Symposium, Mankato, MN, April 27, 2009.
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/urs/2009/oral-session-01/5