The Unfinished Butterfly 1969

Alexander Calder made this ink drawing, titled 'The Unfinished Butterfly', in 1969. The graphic quality of the piece is striking; Calder worked with broad strokes and stark contrasts. The black figure with its exaggerated features and wide grin hints at the loaded visual codes of minstrelsy, a racist form of entertainment very popular throughout the 19th century. Made at the height of the American Civil Rights movement, this drawing can be seen as a provocative comment on the persistence of racist imagery in the cultural landscape. Calder, who was known for his progressive politics, may have been using this drawing to critique the ways in which racial stereotypes continue to circulate in American society. As art historians, we can turn to archives of popular culture and political ephemera from the period to more fully understand this image and the ways it speaks to the history of race and representation in America. The meaning of art is always contingent on its historical and institutional context.