No More Games 1970

Benny Andrews made this diptych painting, "No More Games," with oil and collage. The way the paint is applied, it's almost like he's wrestling with the canvas, building up layers that have a real, physical presence. Look at the figure on the left, seated, almost defiant. His t-shirt seems to be made of gold leaf, and the textures of his clothes are built up with these tactile marks. The artist's hand is really present. Then, shift your gaze to the right panel. What do you see? A figure draped in the American flag. The flag seems to bleed off the figure, becoming one with the environment, or perhaps corrupted by it. Andrews is really playing with symbolism here. The colours are saturated, clashing, a visual representation of the tensions within the American experience. It reminds me a little of Philip Guston, with its willingness to confront uncomfortable truths head-on, to use paint as a way of processing the world, without offering easy answers. Ultimately, these are paintings about questions, not answers.