Give Her Her Flowers

Item

Give Her Her Flowers

Abstract

This is a painting by Charley Robinson, class of 2026, as an assignment for advanced painting. Her artist statement reads: "Throughout my career, the majority of my work has highlighted both the ancestral and societal isolation surrounding the African American subject. Despite this isolation, my work yearns to find comfort, connectivity, and themes of legacy within my lineage and the Black community. My work highlights the identity and mysticality of Black people, and it encompasses the experiences and overt feelings felt by Black individuals. The mediums that I have used so far in my artistic process include: collage on paper, acrylic on canvas, graphite on paper, colored pencil, and animation/video; throughout these processes, acrylic is most prominent. Painting is very important to my process as an artist because it allows me to have a thorough process of obscure marks that eventually transcribe into complex form in the latter stages of development. The utilities of color mixing, layering, blocking, and composing all allow me to be fully in control of how distinct imagery and meaning in my work is physically portrayed to my audience. For the remainder of my career, I hope to further develop my central goal to illustrate Black life through further experimenting with mediums and allowing myself to get out of my comfort zone, because then I can envision my work reaching heights that I never thought possible. The innate impulse to create has resided in my heart ever since I was little, so being an artist not only allows me to pay respect and homage to my past self, but to my ancestors whose stories deserve to be told. " She further describes this painting: "So, the piece is titled 'Give Her Her Flowers', and the artwork primarily highlights the misogyny and dominion concerning male members of The Black Panther Party in the 1960s. Pertaining to composition, the painting is mostly comprised of feminine aspects despite the two prominent faces in the piece being Black male figures: Eldridge Cleaver and Huey P. Newton. Symbols of femininity include fertility, female biology, corporeal diversity, etc. The further the viewer dissects the painting, the further the viewer realizes that this is a painting that highlights female subjugation in the Black Panther party. This painting ultimately challenges traditional societal paradigms of gender and serves as an homage to the Black women who contributed to the fight for equal rights. Lastly, it serves as a visual affirmation that their voice, strength, and presence is equally as valuable as their male counterparts."

Description

This artwork was photographed and cataloged by Echo O'Connor (class of 2025) during the fall of 2024.