Hidden After Offending, Mural at a State Office Is Back, for Peeks Only
For the last decade, one of New York's most controversial pieces of art has been hiding behind a curtain in the State Education Building. The 30-foot mural, entitled "The Genius of America", was painted by Adolphe Yvon in the 1870s. It depicts "angels, babies and women in togas; Gen. George Washington and a god of war; and what seems to be a group of colonial zombies rising from the grave:" The controversy lies in the lower right corner, where a slave in a loincloth is seen being held under the arms by a well-dressed white man. Staff members aren't sure whether the slave is being lifted up or restrained, but the painting was covered nonetheless after numerous complaints. Now the department, led by its first African-American commissioner (John B. King, Jr.), is unveiling the mural for a single hour, once a month, allowing visitors to form their own opinion about the painting's meaning. Thoughts on the piece are varied; the opinions range from "a majestic work of art" to "an offensive and stilted portrait."
The author, Jesse McKinley, doesn't seem to have any strong feelings about the topic. More often than not, he uses quotes to transmit his feelings. For example, he quotes Mark Schaming saying that the slave image is “about abolition than about emancipation.” He also quotes Dr. King, Jr. saying that "we should make it accessible." This led me to think that McKinley believes the mural should be open to the public. He also seems to think that the painting is about the liberation of slaves, not the use of them.
This article made me think about the past, and how we can learn from it. I believe it was a bad idea to cover "The Genius of America" as it is a good source for looking back and seeing how much the world has grown. Seeing the slaves in the corner made me happy that we have left behind that horrible episode of history. Many mistakes have been made in history and in our personal lives, and it is important to learn from them so we never make them again. We must work forward, trying to solve today's problems so they will not crop up again in the future.
~Adrian
I agree with you that this is a painting about showing how much America has grown. We are no longer the country of slaves and mistreatment. It is a shame they covered it. Besides, it looked like the artist worked hard on it and not to show it to the world just because of one detail is strange especially when we are unclear as to what it means.
ReplyDeleteI think that hiding the painting because of what some people think is hiding a historical piece of artwork. It is important to learn about the past, not to hide it from view like it never happened. I am not saying that the particular detail in the corner was not offensive, but it was clearly the view of a certain time and place. I think the artwork should be put on display for scholarly use. In my opinion, controversial works of art or writing are the most interesting to study.
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