Revolutionary

Wadsworth Jarrell is a painter, sculptor, and printmaker. He and his wife, textile artist and designer Jae Jarrell, were founding members of the Coalition of Black Revolutionary Artists (COBRA), later renamed the African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists (AFRICOBRA). Jarrell’s screen print “Revolutionary” reproduces his 1971 painted portrait of civil rights activist Angela Davis composed with a mosaic of brightly colored letters and dabs of pigment. Together, the text and dots generate a cacophonous, pointillist-like effect across the entire picture plane. Close examination reveals that the dominant letter present in the composition is ‘B,’ representing, as the artist has articulated, “the profound statement of praise extolling our people at that time—‘Black is Beautiful.’” The portrait, based on a photograph of Davis, exemplifies several characteristics of AFRICOBRA art, including “cool ade” colors, horror vacui, integration of subject and background, embedded written statements, and “expressive awesomeness” intended to appeal to the senses.