Slave Lynching

This is a painting by Claude Clark in 1915. He was born in Georgia and is African American. He has painted many paintings relating to his heritage. This painting "Slave Lynching" is a direct statement about the agony slaves in this country endured. As you see the slave is tied by the hands to a wood post facing the crowd with no clothes on (I cannot tell if the red pigment on her body is clothing or blood). The slaveholder is depicted in a forward motion about to whip the slave over and over. I really like that Claude Clark depicts this painting in front of an enormous crowd watching because it is often stated in history that slave owners lynched slaves in front of others as a tactic of fear and intimidation. I believe Clark used vibrant colors such as red and orange to stir the mood up as one of pain and agony. This is not a pleasant or happy painting to look at, but is part of our country's history we cannot ignore. Clark does a great job of incorporating all the feelings slaves endured by this painting showing the manipulation and control the white slave holders had over slaves of this time.