by LeBron Hill | Mar 7, 2019 | Arts and Entertainment, News Slider
A painting featuring two African American men embracing one another in a kiss in the “Colour Somewhere” exhibit in the Hutcheson gallery will not be taken down, despite initial concerns from Lipscomb administration. Curator Lawrence Matthews III said his decision to choose the piece reflects the overall message of the gallery. “I try to represent all of the different aspects of blackness that are not always highlighted in the forefront — but also the wholeness — black people in love, existing in their own element,” Matthews said. In the piece by D’Angelo Williams entitled “The Lovers,” two black men wearing white tank tops are embracing each other in a kiss while their faces are each covered by Du-Rags. The piece is inspired by the 1928 painting under the same title by Rene Magritte. The original painting features a heterosexual couple with the same concept, faces covered by white cloth in an embrace. The male figure wears a black suit and tie with a solid white shirt. He embraces a woman clad in a red, sleeveless garment with white trim. Matthews said Lipscomb staff contacted him on the day of the event with concerns of “vulgarity” within some of the artwork, but Matthews noted that the actual night of the premiere went smoothly. A couple of weeks after the opening, he received word of negative reactions to Williams’ photo. “I got a text that someone was uncomfortable about that piece and that it had to come down,” Matthews said. “I immediately called the art department, and I’m like, ‘If that piece comes down, I’m taking the whole show down.’” Mike...
