It's surprising how many middle-school children come to school with wet coughs, clammy skin, and feverish eyes. Despite all efforts to dodge their projectile germs, by the time they come to my desk assuring me that "they feel much better, " I have already begun to feel sweaty and chilly at the same time. Nevertheless, Saturday was one of those rare fall days not to be missed. The temperature was in the mid 60's, but the sun made it feel much warmer. I lured Chloe away from the television and out of the house with promises of empanadas from La Sonrisa at The Highline. Our first stop was the new Hudson Yard Station at 34th Street and 11th Avenue. We rode the escalator up and down looking at the mosaics by Xenobia Bailey.
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| Artist Xenobia Bailey |
Next, we walked the length of The Highline to The Whitney Museum to see the Archibald Motley: Jazz Age Modernist exhibit. My first exposure to Motley's work was seeing his painting "The Octoroon Girl" used as cover art for Nella Larsen's novel Passing.
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| Octoroon Girl |
When the elevator opened onto the 8th Floor it was thrilling to see the purple and brown walls filled with vibrant painting of African-Americans. Chloe noticed that Motley's portraits were realistic looking, while the other paintings looked more like "animation." His use of blue and green tones to highlight the diversity of African-American skin tones was beautiful and unexpected. His paintings were inspired by locations as diverse as Chicago, Paris, and Mexico.
Archibald Motley: Jazz Age Modernist is on view at The Whitney Museum of American Art until January 17th.
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