Horn Man c. 1953

Curator: Welcome. Let's explore Billy Morrow Jackson's "Horn Man" from around 1953, an ink drawing and print rendered in an abstract-expressionist style. Editor: It hits me with a raw energy. It's gestural, almost frantic, but somehow still cohesive. You immediately get the sense of music trying to break free. Curator: Jackson's work often examines the relationship between man and machine. Looking at "Horn Man," what strikes me is how the musician seems almost consumed by his instrument. The horn isn’t just an object; it’s an extension, maybe even a cage. Editor: Cage is a good word. Is he imprisoned or empowered by this union? Considering the period, the 1950s, the burgeoning Civil Rights movement, and Jackson’s roots in the South, I wonder if this resonates with ideas about cultural expression—music specifically—as both resistance and confinement. Curator: I hadn't considered the racial dynamics. It also begs a formal question, this being an age of profound shifts in artistic and social mores. It's intriguing how the style almost veers into caricature, but avoids demeaning imagery, retaining respect for the subject. The man and the instrument morph. Editor: Precisely. And this melding invites an interpretation of the "horn man" as a singular, hybrid entity representative of an entire creative act. We might think of Black musicians in that era shaping the future sound of the nation while still facing deeply oppressive obstacles. Curator: And it underscores a struggle for identity played out in jazz clubs and concert halls all over the US and further afield, as Black artists used their talents to confront audiences with societal ills. Editor: Yes, the drawing also mirrors what W.E.B. Du Bois famously called double consciousness--always looking at oneself through the eyes of others. Curator: This piece certainly contains that tension. So simple in its lines, and yet brimming with such a vibrant social critique. Editor: Absolutely, this frenzied aesthetic creates so much space to investigate, while the sonic metaphor resonates deeply for discussions about power.