Charles White , The Black Pope

Written by NEHMA's Staff member Casey Allen

February 13, 2015

Charles White was born in Chicago in 1918. During his teenage years, he won two art scholarships in a competition offered by the state of Illinois for high school students. But these scholarships were then denied to him once the state government learned Charles was black.

At nineteen years old, Charles won a statewide art competition for high school graduates, and he was given the prize of a full scholarship to the Art Institute of Chicago. This was where Charles fostered his meticulous style shown in his paintings, drawings, and prints representing the beauty and humanity of African American people and culture. His work often includes scenes of African American history in the U.S., socio-economic struggles, and portraits like the one shown here.

This portrait of a black pope shows the artist’s mixed experiences of racism, violence, activism, shame, and ultimate pride for African American heritage. While African Americans were portrayed as grotesque, inferior stereotypes throughout his childhood, Charles White twists this unfair portrayal into a triumphant, humble symbol of power. In this dry-point etching, he combines the image of a black man with one of the highest, white, religious authority figures in the world, creating an unexpected juxtaposition where race and class differences collide.

In honor of Black History Month, we've selected an African American artist from our permanent collection to highlight on ‪#‎FromtheNEHMAVault