Art:21 History Reaction

            

Glenn Ligon was one of the artists featured on a PBS episode of Art 21 named “History.” According to a PBS Ligon was born in the Bronx, New York in 1960 and created many sculptures and paintings. Many of his most famous paintings include “Hands” made in 1996, “Malcolm X (version 1) #1” which featured a coloring book like drawing of Malcolm X with colors that resembled makeup. Some of his most famous Sculptures include “Palindrome #1” made in 2007 which featured glowing words that stated “FACE ME I FACE YOU.”

            Many of Ligon’s works relates to the idea of history because the historical people that are featured in some of his works. One example of this is in his painting of Malcolm X, an advocate for African American right. Another great example of how Glenn Ligon works relates to the idea of history is with a powerful photo called “Hands” (1996). The historical people featured in his paintings is not the only thing that made his artwork relate to the idea of History, he also used his childhood passion for reading and incorporated it with his artwork. One example of this is in an untitled piece that featured big text sentences by a twentieth-century writer named Zora Neale Huston who was associated with the Harlem Renaissance.  In conclusion many of his pieces showed and related to the idea of history weather it was his own personal history or from different historical people.