What makes Untitled (Man Smoking/Malcolm X) by Carrie Mae Weems a masterpiece?
– Malcolm X in a supporting role
– Where Black America meets the globe
– Arm wrestling, poker, and booze
Why does Cindy Sherman’s photograph Untitled Film Still 35 looks so familiar?
– Soft core porn set the rules
– Stereotypes beware Cindy Sherman’s face
– Setting the stage for ankles in Untitled Film Still 35
What’s the significance of the Magdalena Abakanowicz sculpture 80 Backs?
– Sacred space
– Different figures – all with the same form
– 80 Backs and zero heads
How does Ana Mendieta’s Flowers on Body both subvert and epitomize feminist art?
– Outsider gets inside the earth
– Culture and nature without gender
– Breaking binaries and boundaries
Why does the mural Ancient Mexico: Conquest to 1930 by Diego Rivera matter?
– Invaders, Animals, & a Sun God
– A Marxist makes his mark on Mexico
– Technique trumps complexity
What makes Kehinde Wiley’s painting Napoleon Leading the Army over the Alps a masterpiece?
– Strategic opposition in casting
– War bleeds – Africa glitters gold
– The field of power reframed