The Art of Assimilation

Chapter 2 examines Motley’s conscientious placement of himself within Western traditions of art. Contextualizing the artist’s training at the Art Institute of Chicago, the chapter considers Motley’s early meditations on the role of the black artist, which differed in many ways from how the artist was eventually historicized. Analyzing three significant compositions spanning an almost twenty-year period, the chapter investigates Motley’s approach to citing and revising canonical works of art as a means of situating himself as a Western, and not just Negro, artistic master. Motley’s citations of recognized works of art allow black figures to function as symbols of beauty (albeit limited by Western constructions of the concept), timelessness, history, class, labor, and leisure within an increasingly diverse urban environment, while also exhibiting the artist’s aptitude for formal play and experimentation.