Kerry James Marshall's Portrait of the Artist 

I think missing a front tooth is also symbolic of losing part of your identity. I also think it's worth noting that, as a shadow of his former self, he has also become something uncanny and frightful. "The Man in the Hat" and "The Grinning Man" are two different bogeyman characters, and it seems like the artist might have included those features to show how black people are made into a bogeyman as part of the eraser of their identity.

How do I marry this video? I've been thinking a lot recently about how my blackness comes before my identity, sometimes not only to nonblack people but also, occasionally, to other black people. It makes me feel hopeless, and I'd never thought of using the word "invisible" to describe it, but it is perfect. I almost cried hearing the meaning behind this seemingly racist/scary painting. Kudos to Marshall and to you for making this video. Thank you.

The portrait gave me chills when I first saw it in the thumbnail. It's like existing, yet not existing at the same time. People see you, but don't see YOU. They see a shadow, a projection of their own prejudices.

I’ve been reading many books lately to get a better understanding of society but despite following my friend’s recommendeations of reading Marx, Wittgenstein, Rand etc nothing quite does it for me like art. This is seriously one of the most underrated channels on youtube and it’s infinitely inspiring!

I love how despite all of your great analysis, his paintings' meaning are so straight foreward. It says 'I'm more than just black' and that's all it needs.

I only recently became aware of Marshall's Portrait, and really appreciate you taking the time to go over it. Great video!

It’s a shame how ironic the situation is. People trying too hard not to be racist by immediately putting the imagery in the box of “black face” ironically perpetuates the idea that this man in the painting will not be seen as a message or a painting with intention, but a shallow stereotype with no depth or personality. To them, black people are a category to protect, but to never interact with or analyze as a people.

The moment I looked at this painting it struck a cord with me, it is so complex and striking. I will do my best to throw my hat in the ring as to what the title means. I think its important to recognize that an artistic choice can mean more than one thing at once. sure, the choice of black is about his identity as a black man and finding acceptance, but it could also be meant more literally as well. He is a "shadow" of his former self, and shadows are black. So of course he would represent this hollow feeling of no longer being the person you once were, as a vague outline of what he is. lacking nuance or depth, the only identifiers of his individuality being his facial features, and his clothes. it almost feels rebelious, like he's saying " admit it, this empty, vaguely racist figure is essensially all that you see when you look at me" or at least, thats how their ignorance of anything about him besides his blackness makes him feel. like how many people lash out and do inapropiate or controversial things, as a way to express their discontent with their societies in a way that cannot be as easily ignored like you could, say: a mild mannered paper describing the same issues. I do not believe it looks so creepy or kinda fucked up on accident. Unlike a racist charicature that tries to make minorities look inhuman to demonize them and justify further cruelty, the unsettling deconstruction of a human being into nothing but a pair of eyes and a smile is a metaphor for how it feels to be dehumanized, it doesnt look whole or complete because that is how it feels to start believing you are nothing but an outline of who you were, your inner individuality gutted, your identity flatened into a single word, concept, or label.

I think the title is, in part, a reference to James Joyce's "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man," written in 1916. In it, the main character, Stephen Dedalus, feels trapped by society also, as highlighted by his famous statement "History is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake."

A beautifully presented, richly layered video as always, similar to the very paintings you analyse. I love your videos.

This is excellent! I love Marshall's work. One request: can you upload a version of this for the visually impaired? Either upping the contrast in your slides or uploading official subtitles (rather than auto-generated). The low contrast is effective, but it also makes this video harder to share.

The meaning i took from this terrifying painting was actually very different: i thought of it by the title. That is what happens when someone loses themselves. That is what happens when you reduce yourself to a shadow, when you, once an artist, once a person, become malice. A portrait of the artist as a shadow of HIS FORMER SELF. Its not only "i am a person", for me, it also says "i am a person, and if i dont remind myself of so, i will turn into a shadow". This painting scares the shit off of me.

Maybe im wrong, but i see the name of the painting as Kerry Marshall expressing that he actually did have interest, personality, and an identity. However, society ignored that and casted aside who he is. Instead they put all their attention on what he is: a black man. Because society stereotyped him and other black people, they ignored what made Kerry Marshall a person just like them. They deemed him, practically a nobody and painted him over with black because when society looked at him, they saw nothing but a black man. Kerry felt like that he was just a shadow of who he really was.

You know, there’s something particularly obnoxious and off-putting about a person who has stalked a video they dislike for days, potentially weeks in order to reply with unprompted and often cruel performative contrarianism on virtually every comment. Great video by the way, Canvas.

I love your videos so much, please dont stop making them

I’m not that into art but I love watching your videos, keep it up!

I LOVE this!

Really wonderful video! I was really interested to learn more about this artwork so thank you

I’m fascinated and sometimes haunted by what I’ve seen of Kerry James Marshall’s work. Another of his creations, “Heirlooms and Accessories”, was recently on display at a local museum as part of a temporary exhibit. From a distance it seems quite ordinary and unremarkable. But taking a closer look and learning of the event that served as a basis for the images reveals a clever and powerful statement on a cruel chapter in America’s history. A chapter that is too often ignored.

That ending line left me with goosebumps, great video and analysis!

The title of this painting really strikes me, and while I'm not quite sure of the meaning as of yet, there are two connections that I'd like to point out. Firstly, it's in iambic pentameter, and reads almost like poetry. It's raw like a heartbeat. Secondly, it could be juxtaposed with the James Joyce novel "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man," in which an artist struggles in a society which ignores art as a profession. Joyce never tackled the identity issues at the heart of this portrait in his novel though. So "A Young Man" is replaced with "A Shadow of His Former Self." Whether intentional or not, it struck me deeply.

"To fully understand, appreciate and accept artworks, they require openness and a will to actually understand them; to see them for the complex creations that they are." This is just one of the many amazing quotes we have in this awe inspiring video and that is just beautiful.

I adore that you continually used black text on a black bg to keep the theming.

I don't find this paintimg racist at all. Actually, quite thr opposite. The reason of that is the title. No wonder this painter mentioned he experimented surrealism and source of it - title. By that he shows that thr title is part of the painting. "Shadow of former self" means retrospective into black people image or rather stereotype created by white people. "Former self" means "former shadow of his (artist's) race or maybe even hid ancestors". Plus "shadow" only shows forms of an object, not details. That's why this shows stereotype rather actual representation.

I had the good fortune to see Kerry James Marshall work up close and personal his work is so rich and varied . I am interested in the fact that it’s titled shadow - and not self portrait there is this idea of dealing with the shadow self the part of us that we don’t want to address. I don’t believe that the artist sees himself as a minstrel act but he well aware that this image of blackness is one he contends with as he moves through the world

Good touch the font with the background's black against a black background

Marshall is what made me stop he’s one of my favorite artists. Growing up my mother made it a point to expose me to lots of art and culture. I clung a lot to surrealist art and artists. Many of them never looking like me. Marshall is the first surrealist artist whose work I got to see in person. When I saw the self portrait I cried. Ironically it was the first time I had truly seen myself in an art genre I held so dear.

Frank oceans homage through the cover art on his single ‘Lens”

Love your videos

I saw an exhibit of his works in Madrid. I remember two canvases, one completely white and one black except for the white of the eyes, wich made me think of the black cube of Malevitch, the Russian constructivist. So, Malevitch's painting, the ultimate painting of the paintings was overthroned by the humor of Marshall's portrait. If I correctly remember, he did some museographe work, in Baltimore, adding the works of slaves in the displayes of silverwear of the whites

Yes! Love this painting

Will you ever make a video on John Baldessari and/or Richard Prince? I've always found the use of other people's images in painting to be a very interesting technique/idea.

I never realized this notion harder than when I moved out of my home town, and had a group of friends help me move out. I treated them to lunch at my favorite diner. Two of them were black, and they pointed out they were the only black people there. And I sort of realized I was living in a bubble. My hometown is a little more diverse now, but for a long while it was an old white person town

A good book that discusses the Black experience as a collectivist one is "the fact of blackness" by Franz Fanon. I recommend it if you are interested in this sort of stuff!

I cannot wait to read this book

Is it just me or is the painting a little creepy looking? It’s the type I’d imagine seeing in a dim lit hallway of an old, exotic mansion or something

As an autistic AFAB, I feel deeply connected to Ralph Ellison's story. I also wonder if Reinhard's black canvases induce hallucination and are meant to be a sort of sensory deprivation? That's pretty brilliant to install in an art gallery or museum. It offers respite, relief among so much stimulation.

I think what I find striking about this is the smile. Despite invisibility, we still notice him and even as a shadow he still exists.

Odd opinion but I love how people thought it was racist. Cause they saw a painting of a black man with a big smile and *assumed* a white man painted with racist intentions. They hadn’t considered it to be by a man of colour. The sort of preconceived notions of strangers that “if it’s an artist it’s a white cishet man” and thus opinions are formed: “that this is racist”

I have no idea how you have this few subs.

Thanks! HB!

While the inspiration Marshall took from invisible man is fascinating, it feels a little bit reductive to ignore the even more obvious reference to the James Joyce novel “a portrait of the artist as a young man”. Other than that, great video

Somewhat of a side comment- immediately thought of the art done for Frank Ocean's 'Lens' song. As per usual, an amazing video. Thank you for the education/analysis.

It reminds me the self portrait of Basquiatt

cant help but wonder if Young Fathers' Cocoa Sugar album art is inspired by that painting

Man I'll never forget someone calling a video game character I liked Barack Obama like every time they spoke about it and hearing it always pissed me off I could never really fully understand my reason why but this is exactly it it feels like its undermining the character as an actual character like all the other characters and just turning him into another black person like the backstory on this specific character doesn't matter because he's just black like Barack Obama its crazy because I personally think I'm the last guy to get really offended by stuff like that like watermelon chicken and no dad stuff never made me think much than that's dumb but the video game character being called just barrack Obama bothered me and I never even fully understood what my problem with it was until I randomly found this video it feels surreal just randomly opening this up

When this got recommended to me 2 years later...I thought it was another horror story about this painting but luckily it had more symbolism about race and identity rather than another horror story about the portrait being cursed

It also interesting that he portraited himself with a nice stylish hat and probably full outfit, but they have no weight defining who who he is. these things are only shadows.

I love Kerry James Marshall

Have you read the works of psychiatrist Frantz Fanon? I think his discussions in "Black Skins, White Masks", in particular, dialogues pretty well with some of the themes in "The Invisible Man".

What was the music in the intro?

The painting’s title is inspired by Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Every time I see this painting it always scares me. Because it makes me think of fading into nothingness. Also, as much as I love the color black I really appreciate how light bounces of of it to show the shape, shadow and depth of an object. I know the artist intentions probably wasn’t to be scary. But because the subject (his shadow) is flat and an every thing surrounding it is dark. I can’t look at it too long without being scared. An I Also admire the painting for that as well I just can’t look at it for too long with out my heart wanting to jump out of my chest😅.

Fascinating

As far as the title is concerned, the reference to Joyce is clear

What's the adjusted for inflation price from the $850 in 1984? About $2,516.81

Extremely somber piece and history. "You are not Ralph Ellison, you are a black man" is such a painful line. Also, the piece is gorgeous, and conveys its message well imo.

I don't know about you but I like the painting looks dope.

shouts out to Kerry James Marshall for making the number one type beat thumbnail on RU-vid

Wow 😮

Woah.

LIKE, THANKS BRUH!

I think the title of the portrait is ver simple. It is himself but it’s was form of himself. It was him before he had more of a voice or before he knew he was more than just a black man. It could also be a form of himself in the present that is easier for people to see but not who he completely identifies with. However it is His shadow. He has to see who he past identifies with and take ownership. As an Artist he must make a portrait of this as it is his responsibility regardless of how grotesque it looks. My interpretation though

The shadow confirms us, our existence, but the shadow is deformeted; it is us, but not the real us!

Very scary painting

I dunno. I may have a problem with your take on the painting and/or Ellison's book, or I may not. I've been looking at Marshall's work tonight, as well as Charly Palmer's, and Kara Walker and K. Wiley were next, but I ran into you on the way there; I'm not unfamiliar with the works of these artists, but you can never get more than enough truth - I'll have to sleep on it, as it's 3:30am, and try to figure out the source of my uneasiness - it may be that there is none. . . I dunno. . . Interesting. (*yawn*) Okay. I'll be back.

Maybe «A Portrait of the Artist as a Shadow of His Former Self» is a portrait of the artist before he found is own identity, when he would simply just be perceived as a stereotypical render of a black man

At face value, this painting scared the living soul out of me

Hablantes del inglés, siempre tan predecibles en sus "opiniones". Cool research!

I agree, these two go very well together thematically

Wow

He's saying that the aforementioned portrait is his former self. That self being an invisible black man who just smiled threw the insanity of his social world, and its presence amongst other races. He's seen as a monster, a man with substance, but is unable to prove it because of social set backs & short comings. He exists among others lost behind their own shadows. Unable to be seen, hear or voiced.

iI don't understand how someone who doesn't know the story or the book (it's amazing by the way, I highly recommend it, I'm a gypsy, but I still understand what it's like to be reduced to the fact that you have darker skin than others) can look at that paiting and say it's a racist caricature. When I saw the painting for the first time, it gave me chills, I thought it represented dark thoughts that wants to hide from the light of the world or something like that. Or I wasn't sanctified by Twitter and I don't see something offensive, sexist or racist in everything around me. ￣\(ツ)/￣

The black canvasses are just different values of black mixed with other colors. You can't really compare that to the work and greater statement of Marshall's painting.

Mentioning a bildungsroman and the name “Portrait of the artist as a…” without mentioning James Joyce neglects “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man,” Joyce’s semi-autobiography about growing up and identity in Ireland. I think some analysis could be made between the various oppressed groups and their interactions here.

HOLY SHIT IT'S THE OTHER OPPENHEIMER

when do he shows the meme of the black guy with the smile?

Reminds me of that meme. where a guy face apears out of the shadows and goes ehehehe.

that painting looks like Mikel Afton at the end of fnaf sister location, but black instead of purple

This image should be presented as a U. S. Postal Stamp.

I don't get why people see race in this painting and depicted it as a caricature of black people. I see this painting as a depiction of the artist's past regrets or his sinful past. Maybe in his younger years, he did something bad and was proud of it at the moment but as he got older he felt remorse thinking about it.Probably why he titled it as A Shadow of his Former Self. But this is just my own interpretation.

La creatura

Wtf? I had this artist on the ACT yesterday

When I think about it. It’s still the same today. People only see black people as a group of people who need help. While in reality you have to look at the individual. Fighting fire with fire isn’t the right way. It’ll just make the fire larger and more dangerous.

Nice video. The discussion is fascinating. Makes me think about all the discussion we have today coming from radical ideas, where we are being encouraged to let go of individuality and perceive people only by the "oppression group" they might fit in (race, gender, sexual orientation, etc.)

Frankly, even without the context I can't see how this picture can be considered racist. I didn't even connect it with race, blackfaces and other stuff, until I started watching the video and heard about its story.

very cool

I dont wanna be rude or anything but this reminds me of a meme that has a guy almost exactly like the man in the painting

real

I can 100% see the value of Marshall's "A Portrait of the Artist as a Shadow of His Former Self", even as a total brainless dolt whos never cared much for painting. However, i cannot, shall not, WILL NOT EVER concede that the "Ultimate Paintings" are deep and brilliant. that's just a black canvas.

why does he spell color like that?

That art Would be a badass villain

OMG Mandela Catalog!!!!

this painting reminds me of the babadook

Painted by a white man, it would read as racist (same exact painting, different potential outcome). Now is a masterpiece. Wondering if I have a shot as an Italian immigrant ;)

So who is telling you to look for the color and never forgot the color of your skin in the first place?

People calling the painting racist are so damn stupid it's incredible.

Sheeeiiitttt

people saw it as racist when they first saw it? when I saw it I didn't think it was racist at all until you said it was and then put the idea in my head and now I can see it. at first I just thought it was a cool creepy painting.

ok