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Michael Ray Charles is familiar with the power of images, not only with the images he creates but also with the those that persist in our collective conscience. He has recognized that a view founded on his own personal experience could be the only reliable and sincere source for his art. Thus, in his works, he has consistently and effectively communicated the impressions of our contemporary world through the eyes and insights of a young black man. Despite the many individual efforts and governmental acts to mandate accountability in the equal treatment of all people, this is still a world, and especially a country, that is divided. This reality is most apparent in the minds of Americans as we interpret the decisions handed down by our peers in two different legal cases surrounding the brutal murder of the white wife of an African-American sports figure. Yet, art would be merely self-serving if its expression does not speak clearly of ideas and experiences that are shared with and felt by others, whether through agreement or opposition.
Charles is an American of African descent who grew up in St. Martinville, Louisiana, in the 1970s. He was raised in a family that was very much engaged in issues of equality and respect, as reflected in and articulated by the Civil Rights movement. He attended McNeese State College in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and pursued his interest in art by studying advertising with the hope of turning his natural talent into a lucrative career. Unsuccessful in a depressed job market, Charles chose to continue his fine arts studies in graduate school. While he was comforted by the company of fellow artists, he nonetheless found himself isolated, in part, due to the lack of attention to African-American sources and art in the curriculum. Equally disturbing was the apparent misunderstanding of his intentions to establish his own personal and artistic identity. This unexpectedly difficult struggle led to a period of serious self-reflection and strengthened his conviction to paint of his experience as a black man.
While attentive to the lessons of formal concerns in painting, Charles was still able to establish his own voice. For example, in a 1991 series of works painted in gradations of black and white (done during graduate school), he incorporated isolated images of African-American children within within a detail of an American flag. While such statements are not unique, these earliest works, with titles such as The Y-T-IN-U and I Live In… revealed the artist’s ability to create a unified composition in which representational imagery was only one element of the work. Equally apparent here was the artist’s love of manipulating paint to create a sensuous surface, a quality that is still evident in the distressed appearances of his paintings today.
It was also during this period that Charles was introduced to the image of Sambo. He received a small figurine of this stereotype from a friend who was, perhaps, even more perceptive to his condition than Charles himself was. Sincerely unfamiliar with the origin and meaning of the character, Charles at first dismissed the reference. He would eventually return to it and research not only Sambo but also the many other representations founded on the stereotypical images of black people from earlier in this century. Most stunning to the artist was the realization that images such as Sambo, Aunt Jemima, and Uncle Tom in America were designed most likely by whites for mass advertising and amusement. And although unfamiliar with such derogatory images because they have been nearly eliminated from our immediate view in this country, Charles found it too easy to identify similar characters and comparable treatments of blacks in his own world. Thoughtfully composed, Charles’s work reflects on the evolution of such images and the reality that these images still persist in the memory of many people today. At this time, it was not only Charles’s personal experience but also the lessons of manipulating the public (as commonly used in advertising) that culminated in his examination and eventual subversion of other stereotypical images for his subject matter.
In Jan Nederveen Pieterse’s comprehensive book, White on Black: Images of Africa and Blacks in Western Popular Culture, the author refers to the disheartening fact that a 1933 assessment of "the main types of blacks in American fiction" was practically replicated in the 1977 recognition of the dominant stereotypes of black Americans found in films:1
toms - they served their masters well;
coons - funny men; all blacks are stupid;
mulattos - tragic because they’re not all white;
mammies - sexless archmothers;
bucks - bestial superstuds.
Charles effectively acknowledges such categorical definitions through his own contemporary twist on the imagery, along with an element of black humor. One method was the development of his own imaginary product line, with logo, known as "Forever Free." He has since incorporated the reference into all of his work. In a series of paintings on paper that appear to be magazine covers, Charles referred to the popular and well-known graphic illustrations of Norman Rockwell for The Saturday Evening Post. Rockwell’s images now represent a sentimental and nostalgic view of America, one for which many long but which may never have existed. Charles, however, created his series from a black person’s perspective, with anonymous characters identified only as white or black jesters, each with red lips that form wide grins. For example, in (Forever Free Post) Love Thy Neighbor, 1993, a smiling white character scrubs a smiling black character, hoping to find white skin beneath the black surface. This was once an historical misconception yet it is filled with contemporary implications. As well, the artist addresses the most common stereotypical image of black women – that of the happy Mammy or Aunt Jemima – in (Forever Free Post) Wonder Woman, 1993. Depicting a large black woman with a smiling face and kerchiefed head, Charles places this character in the provocative costume associated with the female cartoon character of extraordinary strength. This is a simple yet powerful juxtaposition; it is an homage to the women who survived as slaves through their tremendous emotional and physical strength. Forced to ignore their own family’s needs, they worked and toiled to care for those of their master. This too, has contemporary references.
Charles featured the Sambo image in a later series of paintings and in his first print, White Power, 1994.2 Originating in the nineteenth century in American folklore, Sambo was the stereotypical epitome of "the carefree black" or "contented slave," a dehumanized creature with exaggerated physical characteristics of African people and an expression revealing an inability to think. Emphasizing the large red lips, wide eyes, and braided hair of this image in his work, Charles incorporates cryptic texts that are direct, simple, and often provocative. In (Forever Free) Beware, 1994, Charles features the image of a strolling, whistling Sambo dressed in red-buttoned shorts and white gloves. To find such a stern warning written below is contradictory. However, in recognition of the origin of this seemingly harmless character (a black man) and the contemporary fearful attitude of strong, young men (especially those who are not white), Charles has addressed another unfortunate and common attitude in America.
In the areas of entertainment and sports, Charles has found a seemingly limitless source of material. Recalling the prevalent image of entertainers who perform for money and must fulfill their audience’s expectations in order to survive and earn a living, he developed in 1994 his own troupe, the "Liberty Bros. Permanent Daily Circus and the Greatest Show on Earth." It is an ongoing series that has recently evolved into the "Greatest ‘Blow’ on eARTh." His choice of "blow" is an intentional play on words that encourages associations with the violence and sexuality so readily found in contemporary music lyrics, and videos. But what is especially appealing about rap for Charles is the melding of historical forms of "black" music, such as rhythm and blues, funk, and gospel, with contemporary lyrics and instruments. This concept parallels, in part, Charles’s postmodern sensibility and his intention to assimilate historical visual imagery within his own contemporary context.
Most recently, Charles has increased the scale of his work and regularly paints on unstretched canvas, creating tarpaulins suggestive of advertisements for traveling shows. As with any fair or circus today, advertised acts emphasize the exceptional natural ability or singular and peculiar nature of its performers. Charles has found his tent can comfortably embrace and refer to roles for black sports figures, musical artists, examples of the artificial "white" mold for the beautiful leading lady, as well as the "darker" side of unrepressed strength and physical power of his young, strong men. The images are created with humor and disdain and successfully compel the viewer to consider the larger scheme of life in this country while quietly pointing a finger.
The persistence of stereotypes for all people, whether based on nationality, skin color, economic standing, gender, or numerous other descriptions, continues to be difficult to eliminate. Charles’s paintings reflect the idea of the persistence of memory and the unfortunate presence of stereotypes that are seemingly inescapable. Appearing as if dragged along the road – aged and generally worn – Charles’s paintings and their images have somehow managed to survive. When concluding my visit with Michael Ray Charles, I asked him, as others have, if his work is reflective of anger. He responded, "No, I am not angry, but I am concerned."
- Cheryl Brutvan, Senior Curator
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Cover | Curator's Essay | Paintings | Bibliography & Biography