Cross Bearers 1964

Benny Andrews made this line drawing, Cross Bearers, with graphite on paper. The line is thin and the marks are minimal, but so powerful. I can imagine Andrews, in his studio, perhaps listening to music, quickly trying to capture a vision in his head. The cross looms in the background, a sad figure bows his head, and a group of hooded figures stand like tombstones. Andrews was interested in the civil rights movement and social justice. In this work, he is maybe grappling with questions of sacrifice, injustice, and redemption. I bet he was thinking about the history of painting, of Goya and Picasso. It makes me wonder about how painting becomes a way of thinking through trauma, of addressing political and social questions. Ultimately, art-making is about artists talking to each other across time. Each artwork adds to an ongoing conversation.