Better Homes, Better Gardens 1994

Kerry James Marshall made "Better Homes, Better Gardens" with acrylic on canvas using flat planes of color and drawing. It’s like he’s inviting us into his process, showing how he builds up the image, layer by layer. Check out the white flowers on the left – they're painted so thick, they almost pop off the canvas, contrasting with the flatter areas around them. This tension between flatness and depth gives the painting a real vibrancy, a push and pull that keeps your eye moving. The overall surface has a matte quality which absorbs the light, creating a feeling of intimacy and quiet contemplation. And then that banner at the bottom, its lettering looping playfully across the scene, tying everything together. Marshall is in dialogue with a long history of painting, especially American art. You might think of someone like Jacob Lawrence, who also used flat shapes and patterns to talk about Black history and life. But Marshall’s doing his own thing, pushing the conversation forward. It’s like he’s saying, "Let’s not settle for easy answers; let’s embrace the messiness and complexity of it all."