Slam Before the Storm 1979

Curator: I find this painting so dynamic. "Slam Before the Storm," created by Ernie Barnes in 1979, is full of raw energy. What are your first impressions? Editor: Claustrophobic. There’s this brownish gloom, a sense of entrapment created by the elongated limbs of the figures and the way they're pressed together. The space feels almost airless, the color of a brewing storm. Curator: Yes, Barnes’s elongated figures are a signature of his work, often born from his own experiences as an athlete. He was a football player! This painting reminds me of those intense moments of physical exertion, the way bodies become tools in a game, driven by pure muscle. You see that translated here by a basketball. Editor: But the players, or the laborers, maybe, are dressed similarly; same color trousers, same short sleeved shirts. It brings questions to the means by which the clothing was produced. It also suggests, institutionally, that uniforms create group identities. This all seems really intentional from Barnes; how the socioeconomic situation of laborers inform their community identity, how the conditions change and form communities as well as societies. Curator: Precisely! Barnes was interested in representing the everyday experiences of African Americans, moving away from stereotypes, using art as a social commentary. His own journey also contributed a lot, of course; the painting comes from his upbringing in the Jim Crow South and portrays community as seen at segregated schools, basketball, games etc. How basketball allowed expression in these black communities. Editor: So, beyond basketball itself, you’re implying this painting speaks to resilience, to joy found even in constraint? The way materials and sporting events gave marginalized black groups power and voice? Curator: Yes, absolutely. And the scale is impressive— the painting is large, drawing you into the scene as it commands an impactful visual presence, yet the faces remain blank, almost absent. Their expressions become less about individuality, and more about collective striving. Editor: Even that basket on the backboard appears home-made. Makeshift even. Again, pushing towards an element of ingenuity and of using what's on hand. Curator: Which elevates everyday existence to this high level. It feels like these bodies become monuments to movement, determination, and also just making ends meet. Editor: Well, seeing "Slam Before the Storm" today has really highlighted the ways Barnes intertwines the raw, physical labor of sports, black social history and resourcefulness. It's a painting with deep resonance, well worthy of this consideration. Curator: Indeed. The blend of social commentary and almost brutal physicality provides more to unpack each time you view the art.