Untitled, by Walter H. Williams, Jr. is located in the American/European gallery at the center of the first floor. Audio guide length: 2 minutes, 51 seconds.

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Transcript

This untitled painting portrays a seated Black man with a bowed head. The piece was made by the American artist Walter H. Williams, Jr. in 1951. It is an oil painting on canvas, 30 inches tall and 24 inches wide.

In this painting, a downcast apartment resident sits behind a circular, red table in a dark room. We view him as if we are standing across from him on the other side of the table. His head is bowed down over the table covering his face. His shoulder blades jut above his back at sharp angles. He wears a white shirt with sleeves rolled to the elbow. His left hand clutches the table, and his right hand is clenched in a fist. Behind the man, a window frames a clear sky, but this blue sky is blocked by the bold, red bars of a fire escape.

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The painting is made in a jarring, abstract style, with strong colors, crisp lines, and little shading. The oil paint is thickly layered, particularly on the black background and the man’s black hair. The style of the work is influenced by cubist designs, painted from multiple perspectives. We view the man as if we are across from him, yet the red table tilts forward towards the viewer, spilling off the canvas. The unusual sense of perspective in this painting creates a compressed space. The man appears as if he is tightly wedged between the window and the table.

The claustrophobia of this work is especially meaningful in the context of the painter’s life. Walter H. Williams Jr. went to art school on the GI bill after serving in World War Two. Although he had a successful career in New York, he experienced exclusion on the basis of racial prejudice. This eventually led him to emigrate to Denmark. His later works frequently depict black children frolicking in fields with birds and butterflies—a stark difference from the confined feeling of this piece.

The abstract style of the painting provides rich opportunities for interpretation. Because we cannot see the man’s face it is difficult to pinpoint his emotions. It is possible that he is slumped in defeat or despair. It is also possible that his posture shows tension and fury. Optimists may sense a glimmer of resolve in the man’s clenched fist, which seems to anticipate the raised fists of Civil Rights and Black Power movements of the next decade.

Link to next piece in highlights tour: Bimbo Malato (Sick Boy)