African-American art on display at Art Museum

This month, the IU Art Museum will feature works depicting 60 years of "Black Spirit" conceptualized by one person, displayed in one place and portrayed in many ways. \nFrom now until May 7, the IU Art Museum's special exhibit gallery is featuring the works of African-American artist Eldzier Cortor. The exhibit displays 60 years of Cortor's career through 21 original art works on paper, both drawings and prints of his versatile styles and interpretations of the African-American experience, according to a press release. The show presents a taste of the different subjects and styles he used over the span of the different periods in his career. \n"The goal of this exhibit is to bring his greatness to attention, mainly in the Midwestern region," said Nan Brewer, a curator of works on paper at the IU Art Museum. "His work is the symbol for black spirit." \nBrewer said Cortor is most often seen as an artist whose works are generally included in major survey expositions and books on African-American art. Still, Cortor is not well-known because he does not use a distinct style with his work, which can make it difficult for others to identify his pieces as his, Brewer said. \nMoreover, Cortor uses new printing techniques, stylistic changes and has strong feelings toward his work. Therefore, he likes to produce his pieces in series and also often reworks the same design. His work is not shown in many public collections. However, the few places where his pieces are featured include The Smithsonian and The Art Institute of Chicago. \nSome of Cortor's works are locally inspired.\n"Part of the inspiration for the exhibit came from the controversy on this campus concerning the depiction of the Ku Klux Klan in the Thomas Hart Benton murals," said Matthew Backer, an art history \ngraduate student and co-curator for the exhibit. "I felt that one way to offset this painful memory from America's past, especially for African Americans, was to provide more positive, celebratory images of African Americans on campus."\nBacker said Cortor's works include a lot of figural realism which is influenced by personal experiences. He found particular interest and significance in his African-American descent and created unique figural portraits of the black female body. \n"He tried to use his art to make the world better, especially for African Americans," Backer said. \nAccording to an essay by Backer on "Black Spirit," Cortor grew up during the depression era on the south side of Chicago and witnessed many African Americans struggling to provide for their families. This steered the focus of his early work and after studying at the Art Institute of Chicago, Cortor spent much time in Haiti, where he taught and exhibited his art. His time there influenced a large part of his subject matter. \nBacker said he looks forward to sharing Cortor's art with Bloomington and hopes that Cortor's career will teach the community something about the African-American experience during much of the 20th century. \n"He is an important artist and doesn't get the credit he deserves," Backer said.