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Kerry James Marshall Identity Analysis

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Identity is the pursuit of artists in their work, especially after the end of World War II. Artists have different ways to express their own identity of meanings in their works by many diverse factors such as gender, class, cultural factor, and political factor. In this article, I will compare Ah Xian and Kerry James Marshall works of art, and analyze the similarities and uniqueness of their works as well as the process and reasons of their identity. I will explain the construction of identity and fluidity of identity by comparing the art works of Ah Xian and Kerry James Marshall.
Ah Xian grew up in China, and then emigrated to Australia and lived for almost twenty years. Because of these two kinds of background culture, he shows the combination …show more content…

Kerry James Marshall was born in Alabama, and grew up in Watts, Angeles Los. The life and history of the black subjects as the core have always been his signature style. His work always provides a perspective on the complexity of the situation of African Americans, and his views on race, politics, and culture. Obviously, Kerry James Marshall use black race as his way to approaches identity politics so that his work also shows essentialism. “Essentialism is the idea that members of certain categories have an underlying, unchanging property or attribute (essence) that determines identity and causes outward behavior and appearance”(Bain, P. G., 2013, page 115). Marshall identifies himself as belonging to the “black” group so that his work shows a special identity which is …show more content…

“Marshall seems to identify that blackness is fundamental to what it means to be African American”(Robertson, J., & McDaniel, C., 2005, page 49). Marshall always attempts to reconcile the Western ideals and black theme, he will make the juxtaposition of the two objects in his painting, prominent hero of black identity, emphasizing the background of the identity of the history and the current social and political conditions. Marshall is committed to the pure western countries in the black culture and black social identity, which reflect the social problems of racial discrimination. Since he concentrated on the painting of black objects, people often recognize his paintings and feel the black cultural background that he

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In his letter, he stated, “Why should I strive hard and acquire all the constituents of a man if the prevailing genius of the land admit me not as such, or but in an inferior degree!” (Doc C). This statement shows the feelings of a person who has had their rights taken away from him, making him feel insignificant and weak. Blacks are not truly free if their rights are denied and they are segregated from the whites. Finally, an image of an African American church in Ohio is shown.

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Thesis: In “The Autobiography of Malcolm X”, Malcolm X in his telling of his life to Alex Haley uncovers the theme of positive and negative environments unearthed by the interaction of African Americans and White Americans in his life and what those kinds of environments inherently produce. Annotated Bibliography Nelson, Emmanuel S. Ethnic American Literature: an Encyclopedia for Students. Greenwood, An Imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2015.This encyclopedia points out that the negative interaction he held with the white man as a young hustler was countered by these same experiences pushing Malcolm X to reclaim his “African identity”. This shows, as described by the cited work, what a man pushed by his negative interactions with the oppressive white men is willing to do to find his identity (i.e. through hustling).

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Marshall grew up in Baltimore, a city that was deeply segregated, with African Americans living in crowded and impoverished neighborhoods while whites lived in more affluent areas. The discrimination that Marshall experienced firsthand in his community undoubtedly fueled his passion for justice and equality (Rothstein). Sam Kling mentions in his book that Marshall's upbringing in Baltimore gave him a better understanding of the devastating repercussions of segregation and prejudice against communities of color. Marshall was a great civil rights champion who was able to overthrow America's long-standing systems of discrimination and segregation thanks to his personal experiences and legal education. Marshall's legacy continues to inspire people today to fight for justice and equality in their communities, and his example shows us that it is possible to make positive change, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges

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204). The art showed off their love and passion for their culture and the fearlessness they possessed with the challenges they’ve faced daily. The upper and middle classes of the black community could only relate to the white community by denying their tie to the lower class (Huggins, p. 204). The difference is, the lower class wasn’t so effected by the shame, they loved every part of their poor, loud, and acentric lives.

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