Kerry James Marshall

Art Appreciation

Kerry James Marshall was born on October 17, 1955, in Birmingham, Alabama, and moved with his family to Los Angeles in 1963, settling in the Watts neighborhood. Growing up during a period marked by social unrest and the rise of the civil rights and Black Power movements, Marshall developed a strong awareness of representation and history. 

His childhood, shaped by both upheaval and artistic discovery, informed his later work. He studied at Los Angeles City College before earning his B.F.A. from Otis Art Institute in 1978. This foundation in both practice and theory laid the groundwork for a career rooted in mastery of medium and narrative complexity.

Marshall’s art centers on Black life, presented in large-scale, richly rendered paintings that employ deep, literal black pigments. His early work, such as A Portrait of the Artist as a Shadow of His Former Self (1980), set the tone for a career steeped in narrative, history, and irony. 

Peter Schjeldahl’s review of Marshall’s 2016 retrospective Mastry at the Met Breuer emphasized that rather than making a political appeal, the exhibition affirmed the cultural and artistic gains of African Americans. His paintings celebrate everyday experiences—beauty salons, public housing, intimate domesticity—without reducing them to cliché or victimhood. Works like School of Beauty, School of Culture (2012) embody this approach, presenting confident Black women and children in a salon.

Marshall draws influence from both African-American and Western traditions, often positioning himself in dialogue with artists like Romare Bearden and Charles White alongside old masters such as Ingres and Seurat. This deliberate inclusion, described by Schjeldahl as a “show within the show,” highlights Marshall as a conservative aesthete compared to more concept-driven peers like Kara Walker or David Hammons. 

Notable works such as Great America (1994) and The Lost Boys series (1993–1995) demonstrate his ability to merge social commentary with technical brilliance. His retrospective underscored a career committed to reframing the Black experience as central to American cultural life. Schjeldahl argued that Marshall’s technical skill and emotional range suggest a new standard in contemporary art—an affirmation that Black presence is not marginal but integral to the story of America.

Bang (1994)

Past Times (1997)

When Frustration Threatens Desire (1990)

A Portrait of the Artist as a Shadow of His Former Self (1980)

School of Beauty, School of Culture (2012)

Great America (1994)

Sources:

Wikipedia

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/11/07/kerry-james-marshalls-america

https://www.artsy.net/artwork/kerry-james-marshall-great-america

https://www.artsy.net/artwork/kerry-james-marshall-school-of-beauty-school-of-culture

https://www.artsy.net/artwork/kerry-james-marshall-a-portrait-of-the-artist-as-a-shadow-of-his-former-self

https://figuringhistory.site.seattleartmuseum.org/kerry-james-marshall/

https://art21.org/artist/kerry-james-marshall/

https://www.theartstory.org/artist/marshall-kerry-james/

https://www.otis.edu/alumni/featured-alumni/kerry-james-marshall.html

https://www.nga.gov/artists/35534-kerry-james-marshall

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kerry-James-Marshall

https://www.studiomuseum.org/artists/kerry-james-marshall

https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/kerry-james-marshall-39

Album Cover: Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland

Album Cover

Album: Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland

Released: October 16, 1968

Cover Photographer: David Montgomery

Models: 19 unknown ladies

Sources: 

Wikipedia

https://www.discogs.com/master/24535-The-Jimi-Hendrix-Experience-Electric-Ladyland

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Max Frost - Adderall

Music Appreciation

Matthew Alexander "Max" Frost (born 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist from Austin, Texas. He began playing drums around age four, and guitar by age eight, growing in a musical environment that blended vintage soul/R&B, blues, and hip-hop influences. 

Over the years, he has released EPs such as Low High and Intoxication, signed with Atlantic Records, and become known for writing and producing much of his material himself.

One catchy song in his catalog is Adderall, which came out in October 14, 2016 as a single. Adderall uses the metaphor of the drug to explore themes of anxiety, pressure to perform, sleeplessness, and the highs and lows that come with trying to stay "on" in creative and academic life. Frost has said that the song draws on his own experience using Adderall during high school/college, where it helped alleviate procrastination but also led to unrest, imbalance, and what he described as a "worn out" state. 

Musically, the song blends pop-structure with indie/hip-hop-tinged production, a driving beat, vocal hooks, and Frost's characteristic merging of vintage tonal textures with modern rhythm. The song builds a tension between urgency (in lyrics and delivery) and moments that feel like crash and withdrawal.

The Adderall music video was directed by Tough Town. It was filmed largely in an ice cream truck driving around the streets of Los Angeles. The visual concept leans into contrast: Frost wanted something that avoided being "too dark" but still captured both sides of what the song is about -- the energy, the heightened state, the crash. The ice cream truck serves as a surreal, perhaps ironic vehicle -- it's cheerful and whimsical, juxtaposed with the song's darker internal reality.

Sources:

Wikipedia

maxfrost.net

https://www.digitaljournal.com/entertainment/interview-max-frost-discusses-new-music-video-for-adderall/article/481303

https://wolfinasuit.com/2016/12/20/music-video-recommendation-adderall-max-frost

https://insertsonghere.wordpress.com/2017/04/27/adderall-max-frost

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Carolee Schneemann

Art Appreciation

Carolee Schneemann, born on October 12, 1939, in Fox Chase, Pennsylvania, was an American visual experimental artist renowned for her provocative works that explored themes of the body, sexuality, and gender. She pursued her passion for art by studying at Bard College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in poetry and philosophy. Schneemann further honed her artistic skills by obtaining a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Illinois. 

In the early stages of her career, Schneemann was influenced by the Abstract Expressionist movement, initially focusing on painting. However, she soon became intrigued by the possibilities of performance and multimedia art, seeking to break traditional boundaries and challenge societal norms. Her early works often incorporated her own body, emphasizing the physicality of art and the role of the artist as both creator and subject. 

One of Schneemann's most controversial and groundbreaking performances was "Interior Scroll," first presented in 1975 at the Women Here and Now exhibition in East Hampton, New York. During this performance, she stood naked on a table, painted her body with dark paint, and slowly extracted a scroll from her vagina, reading its contents aloud to the audience. The text was a critique of the male-dominated art world and a bold statement on female sexuality and autonomy. 

"Interior Scroll" exemplified Schneemann's commitment to using her body as a medium to confront and challenge societal taboos. Her fearless exploration of the intersections between art, gender, and sexuality has left an indelible mark on the art world, inspiring generations of artists to push the boundaries of creative expression. 

Personae: JT and Three Kitch's, 1957

Untitled Collage, 2018

Terminal Velocity, 2001

Interior Scroll, 1975

Sources:

Wikipedia

https://www.schneemannfoundation.org/

https://www.moma.org/artists/7712

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Carolee-Schneemann?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://library.fiveable.me/key-terms/art-renaissance-to-modern-times/carolee-schneemanns-interior-scroll

https://sites.barbican.org.uk/carolee-schneemann-biography/index.html

https://zielinski.photography/unveiling-the-power-of-professional-visual-documentation-the-case-of-carolee-schneemanns-interior-scroll/

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/schneemann-interior-scroll-p13282

https://www.artbasel.com/catalog/artwork/53501/Carolee-Schneemann-Interior-Scroll

https://www.eai.org/artists/carolee-schneemann/biography

https://www.ppowgallery.com/artists/estate-of-carolee-schneemann#tab:thumbnails

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/1467-8365.12529

https://foundation.generali.at/en/collection/carolee-schneemann/

https://artincontext.org/carolee-schneemann/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

https://www.actipedia.org/project/carolee-schneemann-interior-scroll-1975

https://anushka94nair.wixsite.com/performanceartblog/post/seeing-carolee-schneeman-interior-scroll-1975

https://culturacolectiva.com/en/art/carolee-schneemann-masterpiece-interior-scroll/

https://fineartmultiple.com/blog/carolee-schneemann-interior-scroll-masterpiece

https://www.deprivedmagazine.com/a-review-of-carolee-schneemanns-interior-scroll

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