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1981
Volume 11, Issue 2-3
  • ISSN: 2045-5879
  • E-ISSN: 2045-5887

Abstract

The revolution that is presented in this article is a social and cultural shift that can be experienced through the form of artistic expression. This article discusses why ‘the revolution will not be televised’ since it is more what we witness as it is presented to us through media and technological ‘devices’. I propose we use my concept Black Artistic Thought, defined as the creative thought process of many Black people (whose artwork is based on their lived experiences and used as a cultural representation of their life) to help in our moving towards revolutionary freedom. I suggest that Black Artist Thought is inborn for persons of the African diaspora, and I link its origination in childhood. My thesis is grounded in an argument that makes a clear distinction between Kant’s binding freedom and Eckhart’s anarchic way of thinking (concept of God) about freedom that frees him from detachments. I express that by applying Black Artistic Thought (rooted in Negritude) to our ontological thinking, we can move beyond the boundaries set in society. I use artworks from artists Harmonia Rosales, Hank Willis Thomas, Augusta Savage and Jacob Lawrence to show how art plays a significant role in the development of the collective group. Implementing concepts like Black Artistic Thought and learning from movements such as the Harlem Renaissance and Black Lives Matter will assist (the United States) in moving towards a revolution that is beneficial to everyone once it is understood.

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2023-12-08
2026-04-12

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Black Artistic Thought and the art of freedom
Visual Inquiry 11, 107 (2022); https://doi.org/10.1386/vi_00080_1
/content/journals/10.1386/vi_00080_1
/content/journals/10.1386/vi_00080_1
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  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): Black Lives Matter; concept of God; cultural shift; for freedoms; Harmonia Rosales; Negritude; revolution; spirituality

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