Kerry James Marshall's Afro-Modernism Examined in Afterall Essay

In Afterall Journal 48, published on May 21, 2010, Kobena Mercer identifies Kerry James Marshall as the quintessential history painter of the post-Civil Rights era in the United States. His expansive canvases resonate with the idealistic visions of the 1960s, bridging historical contexts. Marshall’s artistic approach, characterized by collage and a flat painterly style, critiques 1980s postmodernism while engaging with modernist traditions, particularly those of critic Clement Greenberg. Works from the mid-1990s, such as De Style (1993) and Lost Boys (1993), subtly reference historical themes. The Souvenir series (1997-98) intertwines Civil Rights narratives featuring Martin Luther King Jr. and the Kennedys, while the Garden Projects series, including Better Homes Better Gardens (1994), reflects the mass housing initiatives of the 1960s, merging public and private realms.