“Dancing at the Louvre”. Faith Ringgold. 1991. Acrylic on canvas, tie-dyed, pieced fabric border. From the series “The French Collection” part 1.
Ringgold’s piece may face criticism for several reasons; one being its medium of acrylic paint on what is essentially a quilt. The other being that the depicted figures stand awkwardly and mechanically; they are not shown standing fluidly like human figures normally are.
Everything that went into the making of this quilt was done deliberately in support of Ringgold’s intended message. The use of a quilt comes from her African heritage and is also a purposeful contrast to a Western and male dominated art world where oil and canvas were the primary tools for creation.
Ringgold’s quilt is narrative in nature, telling the story of a young black woman named Willa Marie Simone who moves to Paris in the 1900s and meets world-famous artists such as Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. This piece can be interpreted as a struggle for recognition in a world where she doesn’t meet the subtle “criteria” of being successful (namely being white and male).