The Revolution Will Be Visualized
POLITICAL GRAPHICS Will BeVisualized TheRevolution Arti,st"of theBlackPantherParty,helped, ThecompellinggraphicdesignsofEmoryDouglas,"Reuolutionary public imageand refl,ected its euolutionfrompolitically militant to sociallymitigating. shapethegroupt's BV SARAH VALDEZ galleryscene,deeplyrooted ginsandBobbyHutton,whoseliveswerecut short againstthosewhosoughtto exploitthem),Douglas I ookingbeyondthe h in hisconvictionthat all art ispolitical,andlalu- astragicallyandinevitablyastheyhadpredictedfor addedmagnificenttextiles,elegantdraperyandthe geometrically powerof a high-contrast, balanced ing real-lifeactionandchangeaboveall else,Emory themselves. As a childin 1951,Dou$asmovedwith his mother composition. In onemother-and-child drawing,a Douglas usedhisprodigiowgraphicshlls asMinister wherehe still livesandworksas womanfacingawayfrom the viewercarriesa baby Artist of the BlackPan- to SanFlancisco, of CulhueandRevolutionary the city's who looksbackoverher right shoulder,their jetther Partyfrom 1967,the yearfollowingits incep- a productionartist for the Sun-Reportar, newspaper. He progressed blackskinsovoidof detailtheymightbereadasqnntion, through1984,promotingthe group'sagendaof oldestAfrican-American employ'rnent,from a boywho liked to copycartoonsto a jwenile bolsratherthan individuals.Inky,leopardJikespots self-determination, African-American art at CityCol- coverher shirt; a grayheadscarf tied at the nape decenthousing,education,healthcare,land owner- delinquentto a studentof advertising ship,and an end to policebrutality andwar. Orga- legeof Santlanciscowith a keensocialconscience. trails gracefullydownher back.Thechildclutches foundingPanthersHueyNewtonand a pistolin its hand,andthe imagegivespauseeither nizedfor the LosAngelesMuseumof Contemporary Heencountered meetingat asawarningor a fact-scaryor inspiring, debased or Art's PacificDesignCenterby SamDurant-L.A.- BobbySealeat a BlackArts Movement basedartist, aficionadoof the politicalupheavals the verytime theywerein the processof launching righton-dependingonone'sperspective. were In 1966,beforehejoinedthe party,Dou$asproof the late 1960sand of Dou$asin particular-the ThpBktk Panther(andthe two masterminds headlines ducedanotherstrikingillustrationof a black(again, awkwardlytryingto compose Art of somewhat exhibition"BlackPanther:The Revolutionary compel- with pencils).Dou$asofferedhis skills,andquickly utterly sableand featureless) womanwith a baby EmoryDou$as"tookstockof the esthetically illustrate on her hip anda shotgunstrappedto her back;it ling, emotionally chargedand still-relevantoutput gainedrespectfor his abilityto seductively of a manwho forgedspiritedimagesof racerela- the party'splatformwith his signaturechunlVblack waslater usedto promotea Pantherfundraiser. tions(ordinaryblackpeopleofall agesuruepentantly lines and frequentuseof pattern.In its earlydays, Douglas, who signedhis artworkssimply"Emory" greedyoppressors); cleverandoftenquite of course,the Pantherprogramfamouslyincluded optedto portraya woman,again,asa caretakerwith decimating And indeed,in the Panthers' a keenfashionsensibility, of the "Establishment"; armedself-defense. morbidlyfunnyrenderings by the richly evidenced illustrationsof the plight of blackpeoplestruggling inauguralyear,Dou$astook to illustratingmothers illustratedpatternson her clothing.Standing in an to getby in the ghetto;posterscallingfor the freeing with babies(that predictablepair ontowhichpoliti- opticallypleasingcontrapposto, shewearslarge, of suchpoliticalprisonersasAngelaDavis,ErikaHug- cal valuesso oftenget projected)with gunsas an African-stylehoopearrings,andeventhe sheathfor Pantherfamilymlues. herweaponhasa nicelydrawnwood-grain girs,HueyNewtonandIbthleenCleaver, whobecame immediatemeansof conveying pattern. To this objectlessonin protectingoneselffrom Thlsrepresentation sofamiliartheywerepopularlyknownona flrst-name of radicalblacksnurturingtheir basis;and,ultimately,deathnoticesof Pantherlumi- hostileforces(maybethe first time in U.S.history ownwasin starkcontrastto the "offlcial"viewof their intentionto fight back themfashioned narieslike BunchyCarter,FredHampton,Jon Hug- that blacksbroadcast of the FBI, by the then-director theBlack whoin 1967haddeclared J. EdgarHoover, Panthersthe biggestthreatto the country'sinternal (Counterintelsecurityand had set COINTELPR0 well-funded, ligenceProgram),an extraordinarily . .--*;fl\ agency,to covertand ultimatelyillegal government -'l i andeliminatethem. infiltrate,sabotage .-\
s MHffi El:' Eril I ffim
View of "Black Panther: The Reaolutionary Art oJ Emory Douglas" at MOCA Pacific Design Center, Los Angelcs, 2007, Photo Brian Forrest.
106June/JuW 2008
shownhiswork fhough Dou$ashasoccasionally wasalways his intendedaudience I in galleries, the inhabitantsof the ghetto:namelyblackpeople who,especially in the Panthers'earlydays,hadrarely publiclyrepresented asother if everseenthemselves Indeed,to caricatures. thanvariouslydisempowered shedlight on Dou$as's opinionof the roleof art in the BlackPantherParty,we havea 1968illustration offour lynchedpigs(actualanimals,not lawenforcement!)identifiedwith flpewitten text asL.B.J.and is accommembersof his cabinet.rThisspectacle paniedby a rare quotesignedby the artist (usuDou$as'sdrawingscame ally the text accompanying principles). fromthe party'scollective anonymously ART'lt is goodorilywhen It reads:'0N LANDSCAPE it showsthe oppressor hangingfrom a tree by his motherf-kin neck."'GMnga talk titled "Art for the historicallyblackFisk People's Sake"at Nashville's Universityin 1972-a yearafter somewouldargue the BlackPa.nther Paftyhadmetits demisewith the continuedworking East/West Coastsplitz(Douglas his with the WestCoastfaction)-Dou$as exercised shll for statingthe obviousregardingthe fimctionof
A'LLELI'AE!
A'LI.ELVIAE!
lLL
PO}E&
TO 7I'E PU'LD
N/LLELVUF!
llbrks this artirle ofllsetlithographsfrom Thc Black Pnnthcr. '4Dore, .htl1110. 1971. ('ollectiono.l'Aldenand Xlary Kinbrough, Los Angeles.
September 21, 1974. (:olleclion .llary Kimbrough.
ofAlden
and
WT SHAII SURVIVE WIIHOUI A OOiJET
August 21, 1971. Colleclion oJAlden antl illary Kimbrough.
Mag 11, 1969. (iollecti.onCenterfor the Stutly of I'olitical Graphics. Los Angeles.
Art trtAnttrirrr Il)T
'Wecannot agenda: art in relationto the Panthers' ourpeopledonotgo dothisin anart gallerybecause . . . The [rulingclass]perpetuate[s] to art galleries. theworstviolenceonplanetEarthwhiletheyhaveus drawingpicturesofflowersandbutterflies." toolsWithwhathe regardedasworking-class markers,tape,pen,paper,gouacheand occasionally an airbrush-Douglasdrewmanybig-bellied pigswith fliesswarming aroundthem:onesuchpig the with dollarsignsin hiseyes,anothercolonizing moonwith a signreading'\rhiteonly,"anotherpig with four gunsheld Iabeled"U.S.IMPERIALISM" by brownhandspointedat its head(eachweapon by it: "GETOUTOF hasoneof four sentences THEGHETI0';"GETOUT0F LAIIN AMERICA"; -GETOUT0F ASIN'and"GETOU'I0F AFRICA"). Anotherlargered pig createdin 1970gracedthe coverof TheBlack Panther.Beneaththe word 'IMPERIALISTS," fat swine-headed a nastyJooking on her breastsits enthroned, womanwith uU.S.A.u by a swarmof babypigs labeledas surrounded Israeland GreatBritain, France,WestGermany, amongothercountties,who clamorto suckleat breasts. thebeast's fromarmed Asthe BlackPanthers'tacticsevolved andrunningsocial revolutionto raisingconsciousness programs(afterthe right to publiclybearfirearms wasrepealed in Californiain 1967,derailingthe in publicwith guns for appearing Panthers'penchant uniformsof black in their super-suave anddressed communif beret,blackleatherjacketandshades), in electoralpoliticsbecame outreachandengaging of the Panthers'promoreprominentcomponents gram.Dou$as's projectshiftedaccordingly. Hetook to depictingbuttonson people'sclothingto convey .U.S.GOVTAPPRO\tsD" readsonebutton messages. affixedto the shirt of a blackmanshootingup drugs;
'fir db taw A.d art
!lc.t Folh ql cH ogrhcYr th. tin.' naaa l|r. rpDcrloniryl"
July 28, 1973. Collection Centerfor the Study of Political Graphics.
i
108 June/Julg2008
With what he rcgarded as working.class toolsmarkers, tape, F€rrr papelLDouglas drcw many big-bellied pigs. A 1968 illustration of lynched pigs depicts L.B.J. and three cabinet members.
March 16, 1968.Collection of Alden and Mary Kimbrough.
'SUPPORTTHE NEEDY'readsa button on the shirt of a corpulentblack woman as she throws her head back and laughs;a barefootblack man, who has tears running down his face as he standsin a room with a rat, a coclcoachand crumblingwalls,wearsa holeyT-shirtreading"FREEDOM"aswell as buttons with the faces of Elaine Brown and Bobby Seale, who ran for public office in Oaklandin 1973as representativesof the Black Panthers. In order to conveythe interconnectednessof people involvedin the Panthers' social struggle, Douglasalso used compositionalelements,often to layer more peopleand words on top accessories, of other individuals:a grinning child wears sunglasseswith lensesbearing imagesof children getting free brealdast and free health care provided by the Panthers;a woman beats a tambourinewith a sudace showingdemonstratorsboycottinga business.Douglasalsoincreasin$yrepurposedimages;a figure that appearsin the foregroundin one context, for instance,might turn up in the backgroundof a Iater work. One particularly compelling image that Douglas created for The Black Panther portended some of David Wojnarowicz'spolitically pointed collages of the 1980s:a big hand coveredwith the logos of such corporationsas Chewon, Ex
s MHffi El:' Eril I ffim
View of "Black Panther: The Reaolutionary Art oJ Emory Douglas" at MOCA Pacific Design Center, Los Angelcs, 2007, Photo Brian Forrest.
106June/JuW 2008
shownhiswork fhough Dou$ashasoccasionally wasalways his intendedaudience I in galleries, the inhabitantsof the ghetto:namelyblackpeople who,especially in the Panthers'earlydays,hadrarely publiclyrepresented asother if everseenthemselves Indeed,to caricatures. thanvariouslydisempowered shedlight on Dou$as's opinionof the roleof art in the BlackPantherParty,we havea 1968illustration offour lynchedpigs(actualanimals,not lawenforcement!)identifiedwith flpewitten text asL.B.J.and is accommembersof his cabinet.rThisspectacle paniedby a rare quotesignedby the artist (usuDou$as'sdrawingscame ally the text accompanying principles). fromthe party'scollective anonymously ART'lt is goodorilywhen It reads:'0N LANDSCAPE it showsthe oppressor hangingfrom a tree by his motherf-kin neck."'GMnga talk titled "Art for the historicallyblackFisk People's Sake"at Nashville's Universityin 1972-a yearafter somewouldargue the BlackPa.nther Paftyhadmetits demisewith the continuedworking East/West Coastsplitz(Douglas his with the WestCoastfaction)-Dou$as exercised shll for statingthe obviousregardingthe fimctionof
A'LLELI'AE!
A'LI.ELVIAE!
lLL
PO}E&
TO 7I'E PU'LD
N/LLELVUF!
llbrks this artirle ofllsetlithographsfrom Thc Black Pnnthcr. '4Dore, .htl1110. 1971. ('ollectiono.l'Aldenand Xlary Kinbrough, Los Angeles.
September 21, 1974. (:olleclion .llary Kimbrough.
ofAlden
and
WT SHAII SURVIVE WIIHOUI A OOiJET
August 21, 1971. Colleclion oJAlden antl illary Kimbrough.
Mag 11, 1969. (iollecti.onCenterfor the Stutly of I'olitical Graphics. Los Angeles.
Art trtAnttrirrr Il)T
'Wecannot agenda: art in relationto the Panthers' ourpeopledonotgo dothisin anart gallerybecause . . . The [rulingclass]perpetuate[s] to art galleries. theworstviolenceonplanetEarthwhiletheyhaveus drawingpicturesofflowersandbutterflies." toolsWithwhathe regardedasworking-class markers,tape,pen,paper,gouacheand occasionally an airbrush-Douglasdrewmanybig-bellied pigswith fliesswarming aroundthem:onesuchpig the with dollarsignsin hiseyes,anothercolonizing moonwith a signreading'\rhiteonly,"anotherpig with four gunsheld Iabeled"U.S.IMPERIALISM" by brownhandspointedat its head(eachweapon by it: "GETOUTOF hasoneof four sentences THEGHETI0';"GETOUT0F LAIIN AMERICA"; -GETOUT0F ASIN'and"GETOU'I0F AFRICA"). Anotherlargered pig createdin 1970gracedthe coverof TheBlack Panther.Beneaththe word 'IMPERIALISTS," fat swine-headed a nastyJooking on her breastsits enthroned, womanwith uU.S.A.u by a swarmof babypigs labeledas surrounded Israeland GreatBritain, France,WestGermany, amongothercountties,who clamorto suckleat breasts. thebeast's fromarmed Asthe BlackPanthers'tacticsevolved andrunningsocial revolutionto raisingconsciousness programs(afterthe right to publiclybearfirearms wasrepealed in Californiain 1967,derailingthe in publicwith guns for appearing Panthers'penchant uniformsof black in their super-suave anddressed communif beret,blackleatherjacketandshades), in electoralpoliticsbecame outreachandengaging of the Panthers'promoreprominentcomponents gram.Dou$as's projectshiftedaccordingly. Hetook to depictingbuttonson people'sclothingto convey .U.S.GOVTAPPRO\tsD" readsonebutton messages. affixedto the shirt of a blackmanshootingup drugs;
'fir db taw A.d art
!lc.t Folh ql cH ogrhcYr th. tin.' naaa l|r. rpDcrloniryl"
July 28, 1973. Collection Centerfor the Study of Political Graphics.
i
108 June/Julg2008
With what he rcgarded as working.class toolsmarkers, tape, F€rrr papelLDouglas drcw many big-bellied pigs. A 1968 illustration of lynched pigs depicts L.B.J. and three cabinet members.
March 16, 1968.Collection of Alden and Mary Kimbrough.
'SUPPORTTHE NEEDY'readsa button on the shirt of a corpulentblack woman as she throws her head back and laughs;a barefootblack man, who has tears running down his face as he standsin a room with a rat, a coclcoachand crumblingwalls,wearsa holeyT-shirtreading"FREEDOM"aswell as buttons with the faces of Elaine Brown and Bobby Seale, who ran for public office in Oaklandin 1973as representativesof the Black Panthers. In order to conveythe interconnectednessof people involvedin the Panthers' social struggle, Douglasalso used compositionalelements,often to layer more peopleand words on top accessories, of other individuals:a grinning child wears sunglasseswith lensesbearing imagesof children getting free brealdast and free health care provided by the Panthers;a woman beats a tambourinewith a sudace showingdemonstratorsboycottinga business.Douglasalsoincreasin$yrepurposedimages;a figure that appearsin the foregroundin one context, for instance,might turn up in the backgroundof a Iater work. One particularly compelling image that Douglas created for The Black Panther portended some of David Wojnarowicz'spolitically pointed collages of the 1980s:a big hand coveredwith the logos of such corporationsas Chewon, Ex
