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Copyright ©
Mickalene Thomas
or applicable right holders.
Poster
Black is Beautiful operates as a bold reclamation of Black female subjectivity and a direct homage to the aesthetics and political urgency of the 1970s cultural movement of the same name. By centering a self-possessed Black woman with a short, natural crop, Thomas subverts the historical legacy of Western portraiture that has long marginalized or objectified Black bodies. Stripped of the dense material excess that characterizes much of her later work, this unvarnished studio portrait bridges personal intimacy with fierce political assertion to redefine the contemporary muse.
While this image was released in 2018, its aesthetic is deeply rooted in Thomas' early career's work (such as her early 2000s Quanikah and Muse series). Before she became famous for her monumental, materially dense canvases, she used straightforward photography to lay the conceptual groundwork for her practice.
Black is Beautiful operates as a bold reclamation of Black female subjectivity and a direct homage to the aesthetics and political urgency of the 1970s cultural movement of the same name. By centering a self-possessed Black woman with a short, natural crop, Thomas subverts the historical legacy of Western portraiture that has long marginalized or objectified Black bodies. Stripped of the dense material excess that characterizes much of her later work, this unvarnished studio portrait bridges personal intimacy with fierce political assertion to redefine the contemporary muse.
While this image was released in 2018, its aesthetic is deeply rooted in Thomas' early career's work (such as her early 2000s Quanikah and Muse series). Before she became famous for her monumental, materially dense canvases, she used straightforward photography to lay the conceptual groundwork for her practice.
