Revolutionary (Angela Davis) by Wadsworth Jarrell is an artwork that both dominates a room and rewards the close observer. In this powerful tribute to political activist Angela Davis, vibrantly colored lettering delineates Davis’s features as well as bursts with messages related to the Black Arts Movement, such as “seize the time,” “resist,” and “I have given my life to the struggle, if I have to lose my life in the struggle that’s the way it will have to be.” In the portrait, Davis wears a Revolutionary Suit, designed by the painter’s wife Jae Jarrell.
This artwork is composed of more than paint; the artist created the entire structure, from the wooden strainer supporting the canvas, to the 3-dimensional cartridge strap, to the frame. He even repaired damages to the painting himself in the 1990s. The concentrated effort Jarrell put into the wooden structure can be seen in an x-ray image of the lower right corner (nails and staples appear white).
Jarrell provided the Conservation department with details of his working process in 2012. From this we learned of creative tidbits such as the use of a soft drink can tab as the buckle on the cartridge strap. The rest of the strap is composed of leather and colorfully painted wooden dowels. Text on a collaged paper identifies the Revolutionary Suit as inspiration.
Conservators strive to preserve all of these unique artistic choices, even when they present physical challenges. For example, until recently the canvas was sagging from the weight of the paint and collage elements. Instead of using a traditional method of restoring tension to the painting, which would have required altering Jarrell’s elaborate corner construction, conservators created a specialized insert that passively supports the weight of the canvas from the reverse. Every conservation treatment must be tailor-made, responding not just to the materials but also to the purpose and context of the artwork, so that the artist’s intended message can endure.
Come see Revolutionary (Angela Davis) in person when We Wanted a Revolution: Black Radical Women, 1965-85 opens at the Brooklyn Museum on April 21.
