Did the Bear Sit Under a Tree? 1969

Benny Andrews made this powerful painting, “Did the Bear Sit Under a Tree?” in 1969, and the first thing that strikes me is how he’s laid down the paint, loose and free, like he's trying to catch something fleeting. The way Andrews builds up the surfaces, thick strokes defining the figure and the flag, it's like he’s wrestling with the very idea of identity and patriotism. Look at the face of the figure, how it's formed with these almost sculptural dabs of brown and black, so expressive. And then there’s the flag, not a pristine symbol, but a raw, almost wounded thing. The colors are there, but they’re disrupted, troubled. Andrews’ work always feels like a conversation, not just with himself, but with the history of art. I’m reminded of Philip Guston’s later paintings, how he used simple forms and rough brushstrokes to talk about complex feelings. It’s like Andrews is saying that art isn’t about perfection, but about honesty, about grappling with the messy truths of being alive.