London: The painting School of Beauty, School of Culture is a centerpiece in a major new London retrospective of the acclaimed US artist, Kerry James Marshall. This striking salon scene is more than just a visual spectacle; it invites viewers to explore its deeper meanings.
According to BBC, the artwork, standing at nine feet tall and 13 feet wide, commands attention both by its sheer size and the intricate narrative it presents. “If you want to make a painting that many people can look at together and that can compete with paintings in big museums, then it’s got to have scale,” says art historian Mark Godfrey, curator of Kerry James Marshall: The Histories at the Royal Academy, London. The painting is prominently displayed on its own wall, visible from a distance of about 60 meters.
Kerry James Marshall is a celebrated figure in the art world, having set a record in 2018 when his work Past Times sold for $21.1 million at auction, a groundbreaking figure for an African-American artist. The Royal Academy exhibition, the largest of his works ever shown in Europe, has been met with critical acclaim. School of Beauty, School of Culture stands out as a particularly captivating piece in the show.
Marshall, speaking to the BBC, reveals his focus on beauty shops and barbershops as central themes in his work, places deeply rooted in the black community for their transformative and healing qualities. He draws inspiration from a beauty school near his Chicago studio, noting their role in everyday life as spaces where people emerge transformed.
The painting also engages in a dialogue with Marshall’s earlier work De Style (1993), which similarly explores the black barbershop as a cultural institution. Both pieces reflect Marshall’s interest in art history, with De Style referencing the Dutch art movement De Stijl and featuring striking visual elements.
School of Beauty, School of Culture is rich in art-historical and contemporary black cultural references. It features an anamorphic depiction of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, a nod to Hans Holbein the Younger’s The Ambassadors, and incorporates mirrors similar to those in Jan van Eyck’s and Diego Velázquez’s renowned works. These elements invite viewers to consider how white standards of beauty intersect with black cultural spaces.
The piece also includes contemporary references, such as posters of Lauryn Hill and Chris Ofili, symbolizing the blend of historical and modern influences in Marshall’s work. The painting’s figures, depicted in deep shades of black, challenge traditional Western art norms and emphasize the presence of black identity in large-scale paintings.
Marshall’s approach to painting black figures has evolved over time. Initially depicted in a one-dimensional manner, his figures have grown richer and more nuanced, representing a sophisticated portrayal of blackness. These fictional characters, he asserts, are inherently black, embodying their identity fully within the artwork.