Mailou Lois Jones created a colorful piece called La Baker that is displayed in a museum in Boston. Boston is where Jones was born and raised, so it is beautiful that her art resonates there. Jones got a lot of inspiration for her art from places such as Haiti, Africa, and France. In the painting, (left) there is overlapping of colors and shapes. Most of the colors used reminds one of Africa, which means that Jones took her inspiration very seriously. Being that Africa is very colorful, it attaches Black America to their roots. Even though Black America lacked a sense of identity towards their African roots because of colonization and the slave trade, Black women like Jones were able to connect Black America with their ancestors through colorful art. This piece critiques America by having resentment that questions why Black Americans were brought to America to suffer.
Another painter and art education was Alma Thomas. She was best known for her colorful paintings. All of her painting looked similar to a Mosaic, where the colors were in small sort of pieces that made up a mural. She became the first African American woman to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art. This is a huge accomplishment given the fact that Black women have had the disadvantage of being a part of museums and different social spheres because of race. Thomas made headlines by being the first Black woman to be a part of such a public facility that was shown to everyone. Thomas’s art is so colorful, which is such a beautiful thing. Even though Black America was facing a lot of trauma at this time, her art wash so colorful. Her art definitely reveals that Thomas was a very optimistic individual. Apollo 12 Splashdown is one of her paintings (left) that critiques America through Black tradition and silence. Color allowed both her and Jones to reveal that healing of Black oppression will come.
