blog 5

After researching several aspects of African American and civil rights artwork, I decided to discuss Faith Ringgold's "Dancing at the Louvre".  This image struck me as very interesting.  It seems to represent years of African American history while continuing to look into the future.  The people illustrated in this piece seem to be fairly wealthy because of their dress.  I am unsure how to interpret the fact that they are in Paris.  Are these people African American?  I assumed they are because of other aspects of this piece.  Because the artwork is in the form of a quilt, I see it as significant to African American history.  Using the quilt as an indicator of the characters' identity, I was intrigued as to why Ringgold chose to set the scene in Paris.  I believe that this artwork illustrates the idea of "the new negro".  By celebrating fine art and success while still hold true to their roots (the quilt), the characters in this piece of artwork are finding success in their new ideology.  Because of the fact they are dancing, it is safe to assume that they are all quite pleased.