Artist Jonathan Harris and his painting titled “Critical Race Theory"
It’s a hauntingly effective image. A blonde figure stands, back to the viewer and paint roller in hand, covering up the images of Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, and Malcolm X with strokes of white paint. Critical Race Theory (2021) has been embraced as a powerful reminder of the importance of teaching and preserving Black history.
The canvas is the work of Detroit artist Jonathan Harris, who, since taking up painting full time nearly four years ago, has dedicated himself to making work expressing his lived experience as a Black man in the U.S. Critical race theory, which examines the ways in which racism is embedded in our nation’s legal systems and policies, has been circulating in academic circles since the 1970s. But it began making headlines, especially in conservative media, in 2022 as some local lawmakers sought to proactively ban its teaching.