IMAGES OF ABSTRACTION

“IMAGES OF ABSTRACTION,” presented by Hampton Art Lovers (HAL), is a series of abstract works of art from various African-American artists. HAL presents these works in the spirit of re-defining and re-imagining the aesthetic limitations imposed on Black artistic production. It is not enough to say "Black is Beautiful.” In terms of artistry, color alone cannot contain Blackness. The Black-American aesthetic, abstractly expressed in this presentation, erases the confines of contemporary racial conventions. Through abstraction, Black artistry is liberated. In the midst of a global pandemic where racial disparities have been foregrounded, and in concert with our ongoing commitment to fight for racial justice, the artistry in “Images of Abstraction” challenges all of us to re-envision what is possible for the African-American community and this entire nation. The charge is simple: we must redefine ourselves, our families and our communities.

Hampton Art Lovers "Images of Abstraction" is sponsored by One United Bank, the largest Black Owned bank in America with offices in Miami, Boston and Los Angeles. All the works presented in this series are found on pages of books, journals and catalogues shown and cited in the post.

NORMAN WILFRED LEWIS (b. 1909 - d. 1979)

Migrating Birds
NORMAN WILFRED LEWIS
1954
40" x 60"
Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh

(A History of African-American Artists: From 1792 to the Present, Romare Bearden, Harry Henderson, © 1993 Harry Henderson and the Estate of Romare Bearden, p. XXIII, 315)

BEAUFORD DELANEY (b.1901 - d.1979)

Untitled (Greene Street)
BEAUFORD DELANEY
1940
Oil on board
22.5" x 17.5"

(The Search For Freedom, © 1991 Kenkeleba House Inc, Two Worlds: African American Abstract in New York at Mid-Century, Ann Gibson, p. 19, 66)

CHARLES HENRY ALSTON (b. 1907 - d. 1977)

Black and White #7
CHARLES HENRY ALSTON
1959
Oil on canvas
45 x 54 in
Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery

(Charles Alston: The David Driskell Series of African American Art: Volume VI, Alvia J Wardlaw, © 2007 The Estate of Charles Alston, Alvia J. Wardlaw, p. 90, 93)