Jason Caternolo

ART 119: MW 1030-1150

Professor Murphy
Essay #4 - Protest Art
11, October 2018

Protest Art and the Works of Titus Kaphar

The history and origins of protest art is impossible to trace back to a specific time. It is

safe to say it has been around for a significant portion of human history. Commonly used as a

means to against social injustice within societies or insight rebellion against a political regime.

Protest art has for better or worse changed the dynamics of how citizens interact with their

governments and the world as a whole. During the renaissance nude artwork was definitely

brazen against the catholic religion and what was considered immoral indecency. Moving

forward in time towards the present we have seen artists who have been critical of leaders of

governments such as Russia, Israel, China, Iraq, Britain, America and so many more. In Fact

there is probably no country on earth past or present which has never had an outspoken critic

who has used art as a means to spark change.

There are many artists who use art to protest ‘something’ but do so in a less in your face

set the world on fire and watch the landscape change style of protesting. They simply provide the

work, give brief context, and let the viewer contemplate the meaning of the art and allow it to

challenge their own feelings toward the work and the representation or comparisons to life. The

effect of either method can change the course of history either in a positive or negative manner.

The negative aspect or set the world ablaze aspect of protest art often gets more limelight this

paper will reflect more on the opposite, the contemplative protest art.

 
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 Looking at Titus Kaphar a modern day painter and sculptor who has created many

artworks which delve into history particularly around slaves and leaders of the United States of

America, notably George Washington and Thomas Jefferson who are often used in his works.

Other paintings of his involve wealthy aristocrats who owned slaves. His objective to to change

how we view the past and how it aligns with the present and future. There are a couple pieces

from his various collections which will be looked at in this paper. The two works of art being

covered are ​Behind the Myth of Benevolence, 2014​ and ​The Fight For Remembrance II, 2014​.

Titus Kaphar was born in Kalamazoo, MI earned his MFA from Yale School of Arts and

now resides in New Haven, Conn. During an survey of art history course in college he became

perturbed at his professors disregard of a chapter on the representation of black people in

paintings and black people who painted because “we do not have time to go through it”

(Kaphar). This led him to teach himself the history of blacks in art history. He eventually taught

himself to paint by visiting museums and studying works of art by classical painters. All of his

studying, asking questions and challenging his understanding of history has led him to the

culmination of the works he creates today and the conversations which have arisen from them.

The formal analysis starting with ​Behind the Myth of Benevolence, 2014​, it is a 150cm x

86cm x 18cm, oil on canvas painting. There is a secondary canvas attached over top as though it

were covering up an underpainting. The composition is arranged in such a manner to display half

of each image via a diagonal line. The woman on the underpainting appears to be seated in a

bathroom based on the water pot and bowl located on the left side of the painting and the

apparent nakedness of the woman who is peeking from behind the overlaid painting. The

painting on top is draped and contains a portrait of Thomas Jefferson. The implication is the

 
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woman is Jefferson’s slave and mistress Sally Mae Hemmings with whom he had children.

However Kaphar states the woman represents “the many women whose liberty was taken from

them, and whose tragic “relationships” have been shrouded by historically inaccurate narratives

of deified men in positions of power.” (“Behind the Myth of Benevolence, 2014.”). The overall

style has a French romanticism about it because of the intrigue and salaciousness because of who

the man is as well as the woman and how she may be naked bringing into question their

relationship.

Looking at ​The Fight For Remembrance II, 2014 it is a 158cm by 127cm oil on canvas

painting. The imagery is of a black male dressed in a American Civil War Union uniform

looking off to the mid left as if speaking to an interviewer while holding a lever-action rifle in his

right hand while his left points at it as though he’s explaining something about it. The figure has

a painterly style with most of the detail located in the face while shapes, colors and lines make

up the rest of the body but without significant detail. Overtop of the image which causes a great

level of contrast to the dark blue clothing, brown skin tones and the black background are the

large white brush strokes almost haphazardly brushed across the entire painting and black lines

of paint emphasising the outline of the body and clothing. The only lightly touched area is the

face and untouched area interestingly is the firearm.

With ​Behind the Myth of Benevolence, 2014 the double canvas and the content on each

speaks volumes to the relationship between these two figures. Her seemingly naked body being

covered by the second canvas as she peak around the fold making the viewer aware of her

presence. The diagonal fold and location of the canvas plays a significant role in the composition

of the painted sculpture. It draws the figure, obviously to the woman but also the man who is

 
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covering her up either as a means to keep her safe or a secret. The pitcher and basin provide the

apparent location as being a bathing room which signifies a space of intimacy and privacy

adding a hint of sensuality to the piece. The portrait of Thomas Jefferson is reminiscent of the

painting from Rembrandt Peale who also painted the portrait of George Washington. His

prominence almost foreboding but his lone eye telling you to not judge him or there is nothing to

hide.

With ​The Fight For Remembrance II, 2014 the male soldier while covered in white paint

could imply the whitewashed history of the American Civil War. The painting appears primarily

white but only to cover over the uniform and parts of the background. Large and small brush

strokes create an implied sense of movement around the painting but keeping the eye focused on

the figure and primarily the firearm. The dark small outlines provide the shape of the figure and

fill in the gaps covered over by the white paint. The facial expression is one of either fear of the

unknown or the explaining of the importance of gun safety.

I would say the majority of Kaphars works are socially charged. The chasm between

races a few hundred years ago particularly in the south between owners of slaves and the slaves

themselves which today can be compared to the racial divide of white americans and black

americans. Social injustice is equivalent to the flushing of a never ending toilet, around and

around we go where we stop nobody knows. Only through conversation, empathy, time and love

can history be changed however history is frequently filled with war and angry words which

means there will always be social injustice.

There is definitely an intent to raise awareness to works of art especially ones which have

or involve(d) a racial aspect to them and we should view them differently. Because history is

 
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strife with social injustice and frequent abuse of power and human rights, the art created during

these period speaks volumes of how people of different ethnicities and colors were treated.

The only action these pieces of art suggest the viewer should take is of remembrance to

those who sacrificed their lives and bodies for the hope of freedom and to never forget each

person no matter the color of their skin is human and should not be subjugated because of it.

The reaction to his works of art and the implications and narrative each piece brings forth

has brought awareness and success to Titus Kaphar leading him to the recipient of multiple

awards including the MacArthur "Genius" Grant. Many of his works are permanent exhibits in

museums all over.

I am interested in the two artworks because of the style and method at which the artist

conveys his message, particularly with ​Behind the Myth of Benevolence the foreground image is

of Jefferson in the typical portrait pose and it is ripped away from the overall canvas frame

revealing a second canvas beneath of a woman who appears to be in a bathroom. The implication

is this may have been the mistress of Thomas Jefferson, she was his slave and bore a child or two

from him. The draw personally is the intrigue and mystery behind the relationship between the

two people in this painting, there is a forbiddenness and unspoken relation which raises

questions. The other aspect which is visually appealing is the canvas being torn from the frame,

it is actually carefully laid over but it is if a curtain has been pulled back providing a secondary

glimpse into Jefferson’s life sparking wonder at the secret life he led. The same can be said about

The Fight for Remembrance II who were the true men and women who fought for America’s

independence, we are often shown white men and occasionally women who single handedly won

the war but never the free or enslaved individuals who were seeking a future of freedom.

 
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 I enjoy looking at the works by Titus Kaphar especially his mixed painted and sculpted

pieces they have a sense of dimensionality to them as if a two dimensional piece is transitioning

into a three dimensional work of art. To me it provokes questioning the lives of people who are

seen as model citizens or powerful figures but have skeletons in their closet which have been

hidden away because it may look badly or change the perception of who these people were.

When viewing the his works there is a political and racial tension made apparent as if

some of the figures in the paintings are coming out and saying ‘enough is enough’ it is our time

to speak up and shine a light into this world of darkness. As stated above there is a ideology

people have about certain figures in history and to challenge or show their faults and humanity is

audacious and improper because somehow they belong to us and to destroy their idols pristine

appearance is unjust and evil.

I definitely feel the works are successful in conveying the intended message of changing

how to look at art, specifically when it comes to figures used in them and the intentions for

including certain people within the works. Everything in art has an intended purpose and

meaning whether it is blatantly obvious or painfully hidden, there is a reason for it being where it

is and while it may be used because it is visually appealing the sub message speakers louder.

After combing through the list of provided artists I chose both the artist and their work on

a few defining factors. Was their website if they had one easy to navigate, were the images easily

locatable and was there information about the artwork they created available, and did it strike a

cord or peak my interest. What drew me specifically to Titus was a Ted Talk he gave called ​Can

Art Amend History? ​where he discussed a trip he had taken to a museum with his kids and

question they asked about the statue of Teddy Roosevelt and the native american and slave who

 
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walked along side as he rode on a horse, as well as an interaction he had back in college about a

chapter in an art history book about african americans and blacks and how his professor decided

not to cover it stating they had no time. These interactions and questioning the why led him on a

journey of social protest artwork which looks beautiful as he mixes painting and sculpting to

bring awareness to what frustrated him.

I believe this country was built on the backs of hard workers, claimed by affluent often

times rich white men and we often do not recognize those who spilt blood to give us what we

have now. Artwork from these periods have often portrayed the same, the rich in the forefront

and the workers in the background or not present. So with Titus’ work and his social protest of

bringing to light those who actually did the work, yes, I support them and believe it is the

morally right course he has taken to bring awareness and intention of change in how we depict

those who are often or have been viewed as cattle in yolk.

Visual art can be used as a vehicle for nearly any agenda a person has or is passionate

about. A bucket of red paint thrown onto someone wearing fur can be used to invoke rage, hatred

and protest for and against those who kill animals for fashion. Many may not see it as visual art

but it is, it is a medium applied to a surface representing an idea and a feeling which is all art is.

Protest art is important and should hold a place in both history and our future to invoke change,

ideally in a peaceful manner.

 
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 BEHIND THE MYTH OF BENEVOLENCE, 2014
oil on canvas • 59 x 34 x 7 inches

 
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 THE FIGHT FOR REMEMBRANCE II, 2014
oil on canvas • 62 x 50 inches

 
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 Works Cited

“Behind the Myth of Benevolence, 2014.” ​Titus Kaphar​, 4 Oct. 2018,

kapharstudio.com/behind-the-myth-of-benevolence/.

Kaphar, Titus. “Can Art Amend History?” ​TED: Ideas Worth Spreading,​

www.ted.com/talks/titus_kaphar_can_art_amend_history.

“Titus Kaphar Bio.” ​Titus Kaphar​, kapharstudio.com/about/.

“The Fight for Remembrance II, 2014.” ​Titus Kaphar,​ 4 Oct. 2018,

kapharstudio.com/fight-for-rememberance-2/.

 
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