Saints c. late 1970s

Curator: Let's spend a few moments contemplating "Saints," a mixed-media assemblage piece created by Purvis Young circa late 1970s. Editor: Whoa, that's...intense. Feels almost like looking at a ghostly family portrait through a dirty windowpane. Moody, textured, kinda like how a dream fades as you try to grasp it. Curator: Precisely. Young often utilized found materials, like discarded wood, to frame his narratives, deeply interwoven with the struggles of the urban environment. He addresses themes of marginalization and hope. Considering his position, do the subjects become almost archetypal figures within a larger discourse on power? Editor: Definitely sensing a narrative beyond the obvious 'saint' label. The salvaged materials— the fractured frame! It's all communicating a fragmented history, almost shouting the resilience required to maintain faith amid decay. Makes me think about memory. Fleeting, reconstructed, patched together like this artwork itself. Curator: His technique embodies a raw expressiveness— gestural brushstrokes of watercolor and paint convey an urgent message. Consider the layering— both literal, through the assemblage aspect, and symbolic, with the superimposed figures and backgrounds. This complex interplay asks us to engage actively in meaning-making. The art historical reference meets sociopolitical activism here. Editor: I feel the raw energy. It doesn't strike me as 'polished,' but in its roughness, there’s profound honesty. The composition seems so intentionally unbalanced. Is this supposed to put us off? There are halos, sure, but what about those shadowy figures underneath? They give this sense of unrest to what at first seems like just simple figures of 'Saints.' The more I study those layers, as you pointed out, the less clear those figures become, more ambiguous for sure. Curator: In the context of the Liberty City riots, Purvis Young's works were very politically engaged in calling for greater understanding, healing, and justice, within that setting. The artist is building this history of Miami itself, within his work. Editor: Well, it has a weightiness, this 'Saints'. Like a whisper from another era, reminding me that 'saintliness' might just be surviving and fighting, through whatever is happening, and, yeah, that message still hits pretty hard today. Curator: Indeed. It leaves us with much to reflect on about resilience, representation, and the continuing need for voices on the periphery to be heard.