Final Paper Proposal

For my final paper I will be exploring how artists in the Black Arts movement fashioned a Black American identity in their art by showing Black figures in relation to the flag. I want to explore different relationships to the flag, and the flag's ability to represent Americanness. I am interested in how this is juxtaposed with representations of Black struggle and/or Black oppressions. My paper will attempt to understand how this identity was influenced by the Black Power movement and how it may have differed.

I plan to focusing on three paintings. However, as my research progreses, I may find it more productive to focus on a single artist. As it stands, I will be analyzing:

1. The Flag is Bleeding by Faith Ringold
2. Aunt Jemima and the Pillsbury Dough Boy by Jeff Donaldson
3. Injustice Case by David Hammons

Primary Sources:

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Secondary Sources:
1. The Black Arts Movement by Amiri Baraka
2. African American art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era, and Beyond by Richard J. Powerll and Virginia M. Mechlenburg with contributions by Marcia Battle.
3. African American art and artists by Samella Lewis; foreword by FLoyd Coleman; introduction by Mary Jane Hewitt