Mark Bradford
American, 1961
Scorched Earth, c. 2006
Mixed media on canvas
95 1/4 x 118 1/4 x 2 1/4 in.
At first glance, this looks like an ordinary painting. But what if I told you that this art object also serves as a map? Art and cartography go hand in hand as several historical and contemporary artists interpret data from maps and cultural landscapes into fine art. In this instance, American abstractionist Mark Bradford explores large-scale, abstracted mark-making as the building blocks to explore Black communities' political and socioeconomic standing in America. Bradford works at the intersections of anthropology, archeology, and psychology– which is not uncommon among artists who wish to unpack emotional disruption and turmoil passed down from generation to generation. Scorched Earth visually documents the Oklahoman culture post-Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921.
From May 31 until June 1st, 1921, affluent Black communities in the Greenwood District of Tulsa were torched by White supremacists, injuring around 800 people and killing around 300. Over 35 blocks of successful, bustling city streets were burned to the ground, displacing over 6000 people and destroying the success that they had built over decades. Not only is this a devastating attack, but much of it went largely undocumented– we might never know the entire truth of what happened.
Bradford references topographic maps and public records in combination with found objects to create his mixed media work, all while mentally sifting through how the White supremacy of the past will rear its ugly head in the future. The intensity of the orange paint and disorienting composition highlight how quickly Tulsa fell into ruin after the Massacre. Bradford mimics the city grid lines and streets using vertical and horizontal lines and built-up materials, layering the surface texture continuously. As the image area of the map becomes more tactile, the piece becomes more visceral as it extends out from the canvas. Perhaps this is a metaphor for the way that history builds upon itself. Unsurprisingly, Tulsa still has not quite recovered over a century later. Scorched Earth exists as a reminder of that.
1 comment:
As someone who shares an interest in art and its subsequent history, I am in agreeance that Scorched Earth by Mark Bradford is one of those profound examples of how art today can interconnect with historical and social commentary on an even higher level. While it could pass upon first glance as an abstract canvas, further digging uncovers a layered, complex map visualizing the aftermath of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
It is not only the heavy-handed style or disorienting composition that reminds one of the visceral effect of destruction and chaos. The cartographic elements in Bradford, in concert with the deeply personal and historical narrative he uses, cut through with a searing commentary on black community resilience and its continued struggles within such devastation.
Reference to city grid and streets, not only does this document the event within history, but it also underlines the ongoing impact of the event and the slow painful process of recovery. This piece stands as a strong reminder that racial violence has lasting consequences and that it is necessary to look backward into our collective past in order to make sense of, and hopefully take action within, the present.
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