"The Bone Player" by William Sidney Mount
"The Banjo Lesson " by Henry Ossawa Tanner
"Portrait of an African Slave Woman" by Annibale Carracci
Maybe I should do something like this on pinterest. I am a person who is fascinated and ended up saddened by the evils of man and of history itself. I can only imagine the indignities they had to go through, yet I look at these portraits and I see nothing but the opposite. They looked like regular people just like you and I. I wasn't sure what to muse about today but I saw the first painting "The Bone Player" and I am reminded of the images of blacks in various paintings and even in advertisements. Some were true and many were stereotypical and just vile. I don't offend easily because I as a black person am not a walking breathing negative stereotype. However for people to think demeaning stereotypes are cool is quite sad. However, that is what happened decades ago. These images were painted centuries ago and I for one don't find these images demeaning but quite a good use of an artist's gift. These are beautiful paintings that were taken in time periods where slavery was considered normal or okay and where some benefited from the enslavement of others.
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