Organized in chronological order, this book’s content offers
information about the artistic work of black people in
the United
States from the 1600s through the 1990s. According to the author,
standard texts have failed to provide satisfactory coverage of the
artistic endeavors of black
people. Consequently, the main purpose of
this book is to compensate for that lack of coverage.While
describing trends and movements which have developed over the years,
the author makes the most use of biographical sketches to inform
readers about individual
artists. In those sketches, she describes not
only the type of type of work an individual did—painting, sculpting,
etc.—but also details about the type of materials the artist preferred
to use in his work. Moreover, she offers frequently commentary on the
beliefs guiding an artist’s work, as well as the inspiration for
certain pieces.As to be expected from a work of this kind,
there are numerous photographs to illustrate the work of artists
identified by the author. Most of the photographs are in color. The
caption for each contains such information as (1) the title of the work
shown, (2) the name of the artist who produced the work, (3) the year
the work was done, (4) the physical dimensions of the piece, and (5)
the name of the collection (or collector) owning the piece.The
chronological framework in the book enables the author to present
readers with helpful historical context for the artists and works she
highlights. This supports also the author’s goal of attempting to the
reading public and society at large with more information about black
visual artists. Unlike, for example, musicians whose names and works
are commonly known, visual artists have not achieved the same level of
recognition.Given the wealth of information contained in this
book, it can easily serve as a reference work for scholars and lay
people alike in their desire to learn more about black visual artists
in U.S. history.